Madison Beer says she didn’t have the best time as a teenager

Madison Beer has spent more than half her life in the spotlight, building a loyal fan base while growing online.

Now 26 years old and riding a creative wave with her latest album, Rocket, she’s championing one of social media’s newest obsessions: the idea that 2026 is the new 2016.

“I’ve seen it,” Biel told Interview Magazine. “There is no doubt that life is much better now than it was then.”

The trend itself has attracted a wide range of celebrities and influencers, with stars like Charlie Puth sharing throwbacks to his 2016 hits and Hailey Bieber reposting a photo from 10 years ago.

While many people remember 2016 as a carefree time before today’s curated digital culture, Beer admitted that she doesn’t find reliving that era appealing.

“We’ve got nostalgic moments from 2016, music, Snapchat filters, mannequin challenges, all the things we think are really funny,” she said. “But as someone who didn’t have the best time as a teenager, I can honestly say that I definitely wish I’d stayed in the moment.”

Still, when asked if he might have kept some of his stuff, Beal joked that it would be worth keeping some of his old clothes from when he was 17.

“Maybe some of the clothes, because I feel like a lot of the clothes are coming back in styles that were popular at the time,” she said.

The “Bittersweet” singer also reflected on what she wished she had done differently in 2016 and surprisingly addressed her relationship with her brother.

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“I probably would have played with my brother more, because when we were teenagers he used to really annoy me, but now we’re best friends,” she said. “But nothing else.”

Biel rose to fame at just 13 years old when he tweeted a link to a YouTube video of Justin Bieber’s cover of Etta James’ “At Last.”

In an April 2025 interview with Elle magazine, Biel reflected on getting into the industry at such a young age, saying, “I don’t think now that my story will come true in terms of how I was mistreated.”

“But in 2012, things were different. I didn’t feel protected and I didn’t feel like people were judging me the way they would judge a 14-year-old,” she said. “It caused me to grow up really quickly and it messed me up in a lot of ways. I think I’ve recovered a little bit now.”