Justin Bieber became a megastar seemingly overnight thanks to his 2010 track “Baby,” which he performed with rapper Ludacris. The simple chorus and catchy music made this song an instant hit, and the accompanying music video was met with great enthusiasm by Beliebers. But what was it like to be a part of this iconic creation?
We finally got our answer when the female star of the video, Jasmine Villegas, gave an interview to People about her experience 15 years ago (the video was released on Feb. 19, 2010). She was fortunate to snag the role of Bieber’s love interest in the music video (a job that many fans would have done just about anything for), and she told the publication that at the time, she had been pursuing music herself and was signed to Sony Epic. Having seen his YouTube videos, she knew who Bieber was, but claims that when she got offered the job, she initially “didn’t put two and two together.”
“It was my first time being in a music video that wasn’t my own,” Villegas said. The process of creating the music video was exciting, and filming took place in various locations in Los Angeles, with the team working “from early in the morning to late at night.”
Now, it is no secret that Bieber has a legion of loyal fans, and some can be a bit obsessive when it comes to their favorite musician (there’s a reason his wife, Hailey Bieber, still gets hate from his fan base and that’s because so many Beliebers would rather be in her place). So, it’s not surprising that not everyone was thrilled to see Villegas play the role of Bieber’s love interest in the “Baby” music video. “I didn’t get too much love from his fans,” Villegas recalled. “They did not like me very much. There was a lot of online bullying for a while. A lot of people couldn’t differentiate between it being acting and it being real life.”
She also commented on how, in the video, she was pretending to be uninterested in Bieber and rejecting his advances, a move which some fans took a little too seriously. “A lot of girls thought I was really pushing him away, hurting him,” Villegas said. “That kind of bled into the tour we went on after the music video. While I was performing, I used to get flipped off a lot.”
“Baby” was a massive hit and is arguably one of Bieber’s greatest tracks even now. Having the opportunity to star in the music video gave Villegas exposure, but it also showed her the ugly side of fame and how vicious fans can be. Still, one of the highs of the experience was seeing herself in the video, which she told People was an “honor.” She still holds the bragging rights today (and you better believe she’s mentioned it on social media)!
Published: Feb 20, 2025 12:56 am