Immediately after Selena Gomez announced her engagement to Benny Blanco, fans were under the impression that Justin Bieber had written her a "secret message."
According to Page Six, the "Baby" hitmaker took to Instagram on Monday to snap an up-close selfie of his wife, Hailey Bieber, kissing the side of his face while they were on vacation in Costa Rica. This came just a few days after his off-and-on ex of eight years announced that she was engaged to another man.
Not the photo itself, however, was what piqued the interest of the audience; rather, it was the song that he chose to publish with the post.
Lizzy McAlpine's "All My Ghosts," an emotive song about sweet memories with an ex from the past that the singer can't seem to shake, was part of the attachment that Justin Bieber, who is 30 years old, submitted.
Fans were drawn to particular lines: "I can see it now, the wedding of the year / I can see it now, he stands up there and wipes his tears," the lyrics read. "I can see it now, when all my ghosts disappear / I can see it crystal clear."
Some fans speculated about the intent behind the post, with one user asking, "Is it just me or does Justin's song sound like a message to Selena? #ghostsong." Meanwhile, another expressed confusion over the timing of the post, commenting, "Justin's always posting cryptic stuff about Selena. The timing is strange though. #confused."
Another follower weighed in on the dynamics between Gomez and her fiancé suggesting, "Benny Blanco is definitely Selena's upgrade. But I'm still wondering about Justin's 'message.' #SecretMessage." Supporters simply celebrated Selena's happiness, with one fan saying, "I'm just happy Selena found someone who treats her right. Leave Justin in the past! #movingon."
This is not the first time fans have related a song to Bieber and Gomez's relationship following their split.
After he released his 2021 single "Ghost," which explores the topic of losing someone you love, fans were convinced he wrote it about the Rare Beauty founder.
Bieber explained the meaning behind the single in a commercial with Dolby, saying, "My objective with making the song was to make people song that there is hope, and the trauma and the hurt that you feel isn't gonna last forever."
"It takes time to heal. There will be a moment when that pain doesn't hurt so bad. Know that that feeling will subside," he added.
Daily Mail reported that on the previous Wednesday, Gomez made the announcement that she was engaged to Blanco, who is 36 years old, by posting pictures of her magnificent marquise diamond ring.
"forever begins now," she captioned the post.
Hailey, who is 28 years old, demonstrated her affection for Gomez by "liking" the singer's post, which further demonstrated that there is no animosity between the two of them.
Business Times has reached out to Justin Bieber for comments.
