It was recently revealed that renowned pop star Justin Bieber had been secretly moonlighting as a professional jingle writer. The singer, who has long been a fixture of the music industry, has reportedly been quietly penning catchy commercial tunes for pharmaceutical companies.
But, the one jingle Bieber is in hot water over is a jingle he wrote for a pharmaceutical company believed to have connections to pharma bro Martin Shkreli. Shkreli, infamous for jacking up the prices of life-saving drugs, is reportedly the one who commissioned Bieber’s jingle for a company that manufactures medication that terminally ill patients rely on to survive cancer treatments.
The controversy is the lyrics in the jingle themselves, which are said to be far from uplifting. Bieber sings in the jingle chorus, “Money talks and now you’ll pay, for all your pills and pain.” in one verse says, “Can’t afford treatment? That’s too bad. You were born poor. Why are you sad?“
The jingle has caused a public outcry, with many people accusing Bieber of being insensitive and cruel. Bieber has since released a statement apologising for the jingle and has vowed to donate a portion of his earnings to a cancer charity.
Despite Bieber owning up to the mistake, the hashtag #JustBieberIsOverParty has been trending, with some people on Twitter calling for Justin to be cancelled. Whether this affects his career remains to be seen.