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INTERVIEW:
Justin Bieber
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| Justin Bieber |
From YouTube to Your iPod
Justin loved music but he was a normal boy leading a
normal life and never took his talent seriously
until age 12. “I entered a singing competition, and
some of my relatives who couldn’t make it wanted to
see how I did.” said Justin, “I posted the videos on
YouTube, and then other people started viewing and
subscribing. I didn’t tell my friends because they
didn’t really know that I could sing. They knew me
for playing sports. I just wanted to be a regular
kid, and I knew they wouldn’t treat me the same way
if I told them.”
After more than 10 million views on his YouTube page
(entirely from word of mouth!), Justin knew that his
favorite hobby had the potential to become something
much bigger!
“My manager found me on YouTube,” spilled Justin to
MTV news. He flew Justin down from Canada to
Atlanta, Georgia to meet with music executives.
While leaving the studio, Justin ran into his idol,
R&B superstar Usher! “Usher happens to roll up in
his Range Rover, so I was like, ‘Man, that's Usher.’
So I ran up to him.” remembers Justin. Justin
offered to sing for Usher, but Usher was busy and
turned him down.
Usher soon had a change of heart after hearing a
sample of Justin’s singing on YouTube. “He actually
watched my videos and was like, ‘Man, I should have
let this kid sing. And he flew me back to Atlanta. I
got to sing for him, and then a week later, I had a
meeting with Justin Timberlake. They both kind of
wanted me.” Justin humbly confessed.
Justin eventually signed a recording deal with the
prestigious Island Def Jam Records, home of major
artists Rihanna, Mariah Carey and Fall Out Boy.
Justin’s ‘World’ >
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