Canadian pop star Justin Bieber has been subjected to a lot of flak in the past few years, and a lot of people seem to enjoy poking fun at his lifestyle and past mistakes.

But Bieber is slowly "figuring some stuff out," according to USA Today, and he is trying hard to re-build the once-tarnished relationship he had with his mother Pattie Mallette.

"We lost our relationship for a while. She couldn't really tell me anything; she would try, but I wasn't listening to anybody and that sort of sucked. But our relationship is getting better now; we're getting it back," he said.

Bieber said that he is now figuring out what type of man he wants to be. He acknowledges the mistakes he made in the past, saying that these were essential in his journey towards maturity.

"I had to see the downs to appreciate the ups, and know what I want. I'm the type of person who has to learn the hard way. Sometimes I just have to see what it feels like," he said.

He knows he needs positive influences in his life in order to become a better person, so the singer has surrounded himself with "pretty awesome people" and even changed his entourage.

Bieber shared, "I left a lot of people behind who weren't on the same journey I was on, and I've got a lot of new people in my life who are pouring into me, and not taking away from me."

As for his love life, Bieber said that he is not looking for a girlfriend in the meantime because he wants to focus on building himself up. Once he's ready, he hopes to find a girl he can trust and lean on.

Things are quite different with his career, however, and Bieber revealed that there are quite a few developments with his music. He completely changed his new album, and shared details about his life in it. He hopes to inspire listeners who, just like him, lost their hope but then found it.

"I want to tell my story, but I also want to give people hope. I was in a dark place, but it's about getting out of that rut. It's about knowing there's sunshine on the other side," he explained.