Justin Says He’s Not Just Some Industry ‘Packaged Thing’

Justin Bieber will have his loyal fans and even his harshest critics saying “Never Say Never” when his 3-D flick opens on Friday. The movie offers an inside look at Bieber’s rise to stardom and the hard work and determination the teen star put in before hitting it big.

For those who may not realize that Bieber is more than just a record label puppet created to pander to throngs of teenage girls, the film also shows that the 16-year-old is a skilled musician.

“People didn’t really know,” he explained to MTV News. “They didn’t understand that I’ve been playing music ever since I was born and it’s always been in me. And this movie is really going to show that I’m not just some packaged thing that some A&R put together. It was actually just me living my dream and just making music.”

He later joked that he also wasn’t molded in manager Scooter Braun’s basement. “Yeah, [he] just cut my hair like this [and made me what I am]!”

At the New York screening for the film last week, Bieber spoke to us about what he hopes his fans will take away from the film. It is part concert film, part documentary, complete with interviews from some of the people closest to the teen phenom. It also features cameos by Miley Cyrus, Usher and Ludacris, to name a few, during concert performances filmed at Madison Square Garden last September, and interviews. In the film, Bieber is seen skillfully playing piano, drums and guitar.

“Fans will be really excited to see that I’m just a regular 16-year-old having fun, just living my dream,” he said. “And it’s possible for anyone to live theirs.”

Hot on the heels of his movie’s premiere, Bieber will be performing at Sunday’s Grammy Awards, where he promises “some surprises.” He’s been nominated for Best New Artist and Best Pop Vocal Album. -MTV

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Teen Idol Bieber: ‘I’m Just A Regular Person’

LOS ANGELES — Every generation has had its own teen idol whose dreamy pictures cover loyal fans’ bedroom walls. In the past, it was Elvis Presley, Davy Jones, Donny Osmond or any of the Brat Pack members. Today, it’s YouTube sensation turned mega-pop star Justin Bieber.

His movie debut is the documentary “Never Say Never” that follows the now-16-year-old Canadian from his days as a little boy with a winning smile and love for music to selling out Madison Square Garden in New York. Don’t mistake his young age for inexperience, though. In Los Angeles last weekend, I sat down with him and asked about his whirlwind tour.

Q

How has life on the road been?

A

It’s been great. I got to be on (Jay) Leno and (David) Letterman. I was on the “Today” show, “Saturday Night Live” and “The Daily Show (with Jon Stewart).”

Q

You seem to be a nonstop performing and promotion machine. Is that natural, or do you have someone telling you where to be, what to do and what to say?

A

I am not a machine. I’m just a regular person. I just have a love for what I do. I love to travel. I love to be with my fans. I love to perform. I love to sing. I just really love what I do, and I think that’s important.

You become a machine when you start to not like having fun with what you’re doing. When that happens, that’s when I’m going to stop. It’s such hard work — why would you want to do this if that wasn’t fun for you? It is pretty crazy, but I get to hang out with my friends and travel. It’s just such an amazing experience.

Q

Do you get any time to just do normal teenage stuff?

A

I get one day off a week, so I just do whatever. I either sleep or go hang out with my friends. I like to go to the beach. I like to go to the movies. I like going bowling. I go to the mall and just hang out.

Q

Is it possible for your mom to be normal with you? Do you have a curfew? Do you get punished?

A

What do you mean? It’s not like, as soon as you get to be a pop star, you’re immediately not treated … regular anymore. My mom is still my mom no matter where I am or what I do. She’s still going to be, like, my mom.

I definitely have a curfew. This morning, I had to get up early, so I had to be home by 10:30 last night. Like, if I was home late, she’d take away my phone or something. She yelled at (me) a couple of times when we were doing interviews on the bus at, like, 2 in the morning. She was like, “(You’ve) got to go to bed!” It was really funny.

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Justin Just Wants To ‘Make People Happy’

If you were hoping to purchase February’s issue of Vanity Fair, be forewarned: to get it, you’re gonna have to fight to the death with a legion of snarling, clawing, screaming girls. Because Justin Bieber is on the cover, and he’s loosening his tie, and…

…oh, look. Our little sister just fainted.

Justin skyrocketed to stratospheric levels of fame over the past year, so it was only a matter of time before he landed his very own VF photo shoot—complete with a cadre of girlfan extras who can be seen giggling and staring goggle-eyed at the Biebs in pretty much every frame. But in his interview, Justin suggested that his massive following of females might not be just a matter of celebrity.

“Not trying to be arrogant,” he said, “but if I walked down the street and a girl saw me, she might take a look back because maybe I’m good-looking, right?”

Um, maybe? But we’ll never know; the days of getting an objective opinion on Justin’s sex appeal as compared with the average guy are long, loooong gone. And while he seems to have adjusted nicely to a life in the spotlight, he also tells VF that his fame came as a surprise.

“I didn’t know that any of this was really possible,” he said. “I grew up in a really small town with not a lot of money, and I liked singing, but it was just something that was a hobby.”

Now that he does know it’s possible, however, Justin also has big plans: “I want to grow as an artist, as an entertainer, and basically perfect my craft. I want to be the best that I can be.” He also cites Michael Jackson as a major influence, saying, “He was so broad, everybody loved him, and that’s what my goal is—to basically make people happy, to inspire them, and to have everyone root for me.”

Of course, Justin’s already accomplished that goal with pretty much every female human being under the age of 18—but he knows that the dudes will be a tougher sell.

“For younger guys, it’s like [they think] they’re not cool if they come to my concert,” he admitted. “That’ll [change], I think; it’ll happen, maybe when I’m 18.”

For now, JBiebs isn’t resting on his laurels… and launching a last little jab at the haters. Because teenage guys might not be on board the Bieber train just yet…

“But meanwhile,” Justin smirked, “all their girlfriends are coming to watch me.” -mtv.com

What do you think of Justin’s Vanity Fair interview?

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