AceShowbiz -

Justin Bieber reportedly has tried to clean his soul after he was caught in a racism controversy. According to a TMZ report, last month the 20-year-old star underwent an intense Bible study with Pastor Carl Lentz for a week after he reportedly was being extorted over racist videos. The pop star reportedly also attended services and he later was baptized in a bathtub in a friend's place to keep the ritual private.

Bieber received backlash after two videos of him making joke using N-word and changing the lyrics of "One Less Lonely Girl" to the offensive term were released recently. The star apologized twice following the emergence of the clips which apparently were taken when he was 15 years old. "At the end of the day I just need to step up and own what I did," he said.

Some of the star's friends have come to his defense following the public backlash, saying that the Canadian performer made mistake and he would learn from it. Bieber's mentor Usher additionally took to Instagram on Saturday, June 7 to defend the singer.

"At my core, I am a person that supports growth and understands without judgment, that growth often comes as a result of pain and continues effort. As I have watched Justin Bieber navigate difficult waters as a young man, I can tell you that he hasn't always chosen the path of his greatest potential, but he is unequivocally not a racist," Usher captioned a photo of him and young Bieber.

"What he was 5 years ago was a naive child who did not understand the negative power and degradation that comes from playing with racial slurs. What he is now is a young man faced with an opportunity to become his best self, an example to the millions of kids that follow him to not make the same mistakes," he added.