Justin Bieber on crying at the VMAs: ‘It was so overwhelming for me'

Justin Bieber is back! The 21-year-old made an appearance on Wednesday's The Tonight Show starring Jimmy Fallon and showed off his new and improved self. Jimmy welcomed the singer and asked him about his MTV VMA performance.

Justin, who broke down in tears after performing his new single “What Do You Mean,” told the talk show host: "It was so overwhelming for me, everything — just the performance. I missed some cues, so I was a little disappointed at that, and just everyone and just their support."

Photo: Theo Wargo/NBC

He continued: "I was, honestly — let me breathe for a second — I just wasn't expecting them to support me in the way they did. Last time I was at an awards show, I was booed."

It’s been a remarkable few weeks for the Canadian pop singer, who has returned to the music scene after a three-year absence. His song skyrocketed to the top of the charts and the accompanying music video has already been viewed more than 19 million times on YouTube since it was posted on August 30.

The successful performance in front of all his peers at the VMAs also marked a turning point for "Baby" singer, who is trying to move on from years of legal trouble and bad behavior. “Stepping into situations, you just can’t help but feel judged, so I was just feeling judged and just wanting to win so badly,” he told Jimmy. “I wanted to do what I love so badly that I just put everything on the line. What was just so special about the emotional moment at the end; it was just authentic, it was real.”

Photo: Theo Wargo/NBC

Speaking on his troubled few years, he admitted, “I had a bunch of knuckleheads around me, that was pretty much it.” He added that he was testing the waters to discover what he was okay with and what he wasn’t, and that, “I just happened to be in the spotlight, in front of cameras all the time, and they caught all those moments.”

The host offered his words of support as well. "What makes a man, I think, is not how much you can fight, but after you get knocked down, can you get up? And, boy, did you get up!" he said. "And, boy, did you come back fighting!"

WATCH HIS APPEARANCE WITH JIMMY FALLON BELOW

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