Justin Bieber is continuing to make an effort to hone a more manly image as he posted new shirtless photographs of himself on his Instagram account showing his burgeoning six pack is coming along nicely.

The pictures also display Justin Bieber’s growing number of tattoos, which include Roman numerals, a crown, a tiger, an angel and a koi fish.

A second shot features the star in another shirtless pose, with the shots appearing to have been taken after his concert in Denver on Sunday.

It has not been an easy year for Justin Bieber after a slew of unfavorable headlines.

Justin Bieber is continuing to make an effort to hone a more manly image

But the singer and his manager Scooter Braun are determined to focus on his music – recently announcing the release of his new single Heartbreaker.

“So we’re hoping the witch hunt [is] gonna end when he really just speaks for himself in the music,” Scooter Braun told MTV News.

On Monday, Scooter Braun posted a post-show picture of himself and alongside Justin Bieber, alongside a supportive message.

“Very happy tonight. I love this kid,” he wrote.

“And I have his back forever.

“@justinbieber is #family and I am proud of him. He is growing and pushing himself as a young man and doing it with the world watching. And what he wants is to be good. To be great.

“And to mean something positive to the world despite the obstacles or the pressures. His heart is pure and I will be right there with him like I promised him six years ago. It is all love 🙂 How we react to adversity is what defines us as men. proud of u jb. Great talk. Thank u. Love u man!”

Justin Bieber also posted his defiance in the face of negative press.

“Interesting how some people in the media wanna take shots at me for no reason,” he tweeted on Tuesday.

“’All good. keeping it positive over here. all about the music,” Justin Bieber added.