Canadian pop star Justin Bieber gave his fans a Christmas surprise on Twitter Tuesday night announcing his 鈥榦fficial' retirement from the music industry at the tender age of 19.

The Canadian crooner broke the news to his nearly 48 million followers with a Christmas Eve tweet that simply said:

 

 

Whether he was retiring for the night or retiring from showbiz wasn鈥檛 immediately clear. Nevertheless, the message, which was retweeted more than 270,000 times and sparked anger and concern amongst his legions of teenage fans, came just hours before his latest movie 鈥楤elieve鈥� hit theatres.

Bieber鈥檚 initial tweet was quickly followed by another message, warning his fans not to believe the many negative media reports that have been published about him in recent months.

Bieber鈥檚 final tweet seemed to quickly change gears as he assured his fans that he was here to stay.

鈥淚M HERE FOREVER鈥� he tweeted after being bombarded by concerned fans.

This is not the first time the multi-platinum vocalist has announced his retirement to the public. During an interview with Los Angeles radio station Power 106 FM last week, Bieber told his fans that he needed time to focus on himself.

鈥淯m, I鈥檓 actually retiring man,鈥� he said.

鈥淚 want to grow as an artist, and I鈥檓 taking a step out, I want my music to mature,鈥� he added.

His manager Scooter Braun, who discovered Bieber in 2007, denied the singer鈥檚 plan for retirement, telling ITN that Bieber simply needed a break and to 鈥渢ake time for himself for the first time since he was 12.鈥�

The unexpected Twitter announcement tops-off a tumultuous year for Bieber as reports of his erratic behaviour and numerous run-ins with the law made headlines around the world.

In March, Bieber scrapped with a photographer outside his hotel in London during his European tour and was sued by another paparazzo who claimed the singer kicked and punched him while leaving a shopping mall in California. That same month, Bieber鈥檚 neighbour accused him of battery and making threats saying that the singer attacked him during an argument.

In August, Bieber was part of an alleged nightclub brawl at a Toronto club and was photographed days later spitting off the balcony of a local hotel.

Just this past month, Bieber received criminal complaints in Brazil after pictures surfaced showing the singer painting graffiti on the wall of a hotel, a crime punishable by up to one year in Brazil. Days later the Bieber caused an uproar in Argentina after a video showed Bieber dragging two Argentinian flags with his feet on stage during a concert.

While fans line up to watch his latest movie in theatres, it remains to be seen whether Bieber will follow through on his retirement plans in 2014.