Justin Bieber has mostly been away from the stage since postponing his Justice World Tour in early September. The Kid Laroi is wading into a new era, announcing his debut album, The First Time, last week and preparing to drop its first single this week. “Stay,” their collaborative No. 1 single, came out in July 2021. Forgive them for moving on.
Bieber and Laroi revisited their (already) tried-and-true hit at the launch party for Michael D. Ratner’s OBB Studios in Los Angeles last night, January 14. They performed a stripped-back version, and while they sounded great, Bieber endearingly forgot some of the words.
“It’s been difficult for me to trust / And I’m afraid that I’ma f*ck it up,” Bieber sang. “Ain’t no way that I can leave you stranded / ‘Cause I don’t remember the words and that’s crazy.” After supportive applause and laughter from the intimate crowd, Bieber quickly recovered to perfectly deliver the rest of his verse: “You know that I know that I can’t live without you / So, baby, stay.”
On January 10, “Stay” added to its record-breaking staying power by becoming nine-times-platinum certified, per the Recording Industry Association Of America (RIAA). “Stay” finished third among Spotify’s most-streamed songs of 2022 list and sixth across all streaming platforms last year.
Bieber’s recent YouTube documentaries — Seasons, Next Chapter, and Our World — were directed by Ratner and co-produced through his OBB umbrella. Justin Bieber: Our World is nominated for Best Music Film at the upcoming 2023 Grammys. Ratner and OBB are also behind Hailey Bieber’s YouTube series, Who’s In My Bathroom?