Justin Bieber

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Less than 48 hours after Justice World Tour kicked off, singer delays second show of pandemic-postponed trek

Less than 48 hours after Justin Bieber finally embarked on his pandemic-delayed Justice World Tour, the singer has postponed Sunday’s show (and perhaps more) after testing positive to Covid-19.

Bieber was scheduled to perform Feb. 20 at Las Vegas’ T-Mobile Arena, but ticket holders were informed Saturday afternoon that the show would be postponed until June 28, 2022 due to an outbreak in the Bieber touring unit.

“Due to positive Covid results within the Justice Tour family, we will unfortunately have to postpone Sunday’s show in Las Vegas,” the tour promoter said in a statement Saturday. “Justin is of course hugely disappointed, but the health and safety of his crew and fans is always his number one priority.”

While Bieber’s team did not specify who had Covid, TMZ reported Sunday that the singer’s rep confirmed that Bieber himself had tested positive and is “feeling OK” Saturday, the day after taking the stage at the Justice World Tour kickoff show Friday at San Diego’s Pechanga Arena.

A rep for Bieber did not respond to Rolling Stone’s request for comment at press time.

After Sunday’s show in Las Vegas, Bieber is next scheduled to perform Tuesday, Feb. 22 in Glendale, Arizona, Feb. 24 at the Forum in Los Angeles and Feb. 26 in Tacoma, Washington. The status of those gigs has not yet been announced.

The Justice World Tour was first announced way back in January 2020 before the Covid-19 outbreak in the U.S.; the trek was then pushed to 2021 and finally 2022, with the world tour set to keep Bieber on the road until March 2023.

Kid Harpoon has been named Abbey Road Studios’ first-ever Producer in Residence, with the Grammy winner tasked with both guiding the legendary studio’s vision as well as mentoring future musical talent.

According to the studio, Kid Harpoon “will have complete access to Abbey Road as his creative playground and studio home in the UK, as well as its collection of vintage gear, microphones and instruments” and “will also consult on the studios’ music tech and innovation work.”

“I’m beyond excited to become Producer in Residence at Abbey Road,” Kid Harpoon said in a statement. “In this position, I’m hoping to use my experience to help guide some of the incredible up-and-coming talent we have in the UK while they navigate their way through what can be a difficult industry. Mark and the team have a real desire to give back and develop new talent, which is something I’m really passionate about. To be able to contribute to the Abbey Road legacy in any way is an honor, and I can’t wait to get stuck in!”

The British-born Thomas “Kid Harpoon” Hull has won Grammys for both Record of the Year (for Miley Cyrus’ “Flowers”) and Album of the Year (for Harry Styles’ Harry’s House) in recent years. His production and songwriting work also includes Shawn Mendes’ Wonder, Maggie Rogers’ Surrender, as well as songs by Florence + the Machine, Lizzo, King Princess, Noah Cyrus, and Jessie Ware. Most recently, Kid Harpoon produced David Byrne’s new album Who Is the Sky?

In addition to shaping Abbey Road’s sound, Kid Harpoon will also take part in the nearly century-old studio’s free education programs aimed at nurturing the next generation of artists and producers via panels and workshops.

“[Kid Harpoon] brings a spirit of collaboration and innovation that perfectly aligns with our vision. With his creative lead, we’re excited to deepen our artistic community and continue placing creativity at the heart of our home,” Abbey Road’s managing director Sally Davies added in a statement.

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