Ne-Yo backs Justin Bieber after public apology

Ne-Yo has praised Justin Bieber for making a public apology for his bad behavior, and insisted the singer is "genuinely sorry" for his past mistakes.

The Baby hitmaker made two appearance on Ellen DeGeneres' U.S. talk show in recent days, and even released a video message to say sorry for being "arrogant" and "conceited" and letting his wild antics overshadow his pop career.

Ne-Yo has now thrown his support behind the troubled star as he plots a music comeback, and he hopes Bieber's fans can forgive him.

He tells MTV.com, "I think it was very big of Justin to apologize, especially as I feel like it was a sincere apology. I feel like he really knows that he made a lot of mistakes and he was sincere and genuinely sorry for it and yeah, I definitely feel like Justin will be able to come back, he's a talented guy.

"Beyond all of the scandal and all of that stuff, let's not forget that he's a talented guy, he really can play those instruments, he really can sing, he's a talented guy. As long as the talent is there, you can always come back so yeah, I'm anticipating Justin Bieber's comeback."

Bieber has faced numerous legal troubles over the last few years and is currently on probation stemming from a vandalism conviction.