Why it's surprising Justin Bieber confirmed his engagement to Hailey Baldwin

Justin Bieber and Hailey Baldwin. (Robyn Beck/AFP/Getty Images)

Justin Bieber confirmed his engagement to Hailey Baldwin in a lengthy and candid Instagram post Monday night. "You are the love of my life … and I wouldn't want to spend it with anybody else," the singer wrote.

Bieber penned the emotional post a day after TMZ reported he had proposed to Baldwin, a model and co-host of TBS's "Drop the Mic," at a Bahamian resort on Saturday night.

It is surprising Bieber, an occasionally troubled superstar who has lamented a lack of privacy throughout his career, at times sparring with photographers and refusing to take photos with fans, would be so forthcoming about his relationship. "I feel like a zoo animal, and I wanna be able to keep my sanity," he once wrote.

Bieber famously dated Selena Gomez, and their perpetually on-and-off status, coupled with subtle — and not-so-subtle musical references to one another — kept fans and the press guessing for years. He and Baldwin, who have their own on-off history, were also much more secretive about their relationship in the past. While addressing news of their engagement, Bieber wrote he "was gonna wait a while to say anything but word travels fast."

Bieber also referenced his religious views in the post: "I promise to lead our family with honor and integrity letting Jesus through his Holy Spirit guide us in everything we do and every decision we make." Both he and Baldwin attend the celeb favorite Hillsong church.

Among the millions of Instagram users to like Bieber's post was Ariana Grande, another celebrity whose whirlwind (and very public) engagement, to "Saturday Night Live" comedian Pete Davidson, has made headlines recently.

[Everything we know about Ariana Grande and Pete Davidson, and all the other celeb couples you've been wondering about]

Grande and Davidson have also been unconventionally open about their relationship, sharing PDA-filled photos and glimpses of their life together — from their new apartment to a recent date night in Staten Island — on social media. A grinning Davidson offered the official confirmation of their engagement during an appearance last month on "The Tonight Show With Jimmy Fallon."

On Sunday, People reported Grande responded frankly to a Twitter user who implied her manager Scooter Braun, who also manages Bieber, had somehow engineered the high-profile engagements.

"You do realize we are human beings who love and have lives… right?," the singer reportedly wrote in response to a tweet asserting "the devil works hard but Scooter Braun works harder."

In Bieber's case, he may not have had much of a choice in confirming the engagement. His fiancee's father, the actor Stephen Baldwin, made headlines for celebrating the engagement news in a since-deleted tweet on Sunday. "Sweet smile on my face," he wrote, adding "[God] is moving in the hearts of JB&HB."

Bieber's own father appeared to reference the engagement as well. "@JustinBieber Proud is an understatement! Excited for the next chapter," Jeremy Bieber wrote alongside an Instagram photo of his son.

Though Bieber has largely taken a step back from music after abruptly canceling his "Purpose" tour last summer, the interest in his engagement proves he is still very much in the spotlight. It's worth remembering what the pop star said last August when explaining his decision to cancel the tour.

"I want my career to be sustainable, but I also want my mind heart and soul to be sustainable," he wrote in a letter to fans. "So that I can be the man I want to be, the husband I eventually want to be and the father I want to be."

Read more: 

The Pete Davidson Manchester joke controversy is what happens when a comic suddenly gets more famous

Let's block ads! (Why?)