Justin Bieber: Just Getting Started (100% Official) Read online

  Growing up, my grandparents were ever-present in my life. They have been a steadying force throughout the years, making it possible for me to pursue my dreams, even as a little boy. They recently retired and since they had given so much to me growing up, I really wanted to do something extra special for them. I decided to buy them a new house they could settle in and enjoy this phase in their lives. I wanted my grandmother to have a bigger kitchen to cook in—especially when we all come back to see them during Christmas. And, when I came home for Christmas, I had one more surprise for them—a brand new car, that I parked in their driveway and gave to them as a small token of how much they mean to me. I also left a little gas money in the glove box so they didn’t have to worry about filling up the tank. I can honestly tell you that nothing in this world feels better than helping the people who have loved you their entire life. In their eyes, I will always be their little grandson Justin, and I am just fine with that.

  I couldn’t have made it anywhere in this world without such an amazing family. I’m so lucky and so blessed to have them behind me.

  For most teenagers, turning 18 is a pretty big deal. I was no exception. I knew that my 18th birthday would be a milestone celebration, but I hadn’t anticipated how emotional it would be for everyone around me. To me, it was a big birthday for sure, but to those who have watched me grow up and mature over the years, it was so much more!

  I wanted to share the big day with my closest friends and family, who all came to California from Canada, New York, Atlanta, and other places around the country for a weekend celebration. We planned a small dinner the night before my actual birthday at the SLS Hotel in Los Angeles. Since it was also my cousin’s birthday that same week, I had a cake made and sang “Happy Birthday” to her that night too so she didn’t feel left out or think we forgot it was a big day for her too.

  My mom put together a slide show of pictures from my first 18 years of life. Uh, yeah, it was a little embarrassing, but also super touching. My mom is a pretty typical parent who has taken a bazillion pictures of me throughout the years, so I know it took her a long time to sort through all of those old family photos and pick out the ones she wanted to include. There were a few pictures of me and my dad wearing fake moustaches that were pretty funny. In addition to our family, she also included pictures of Kenny, Scooter, Fredo, Dan, Carin, Allison, Ryan, Chaz and everyone else who has been a part of my life too. It was kind of funny to see some of the old pictures and how much everyone has changed over the years. She even set the slide show to the Tragically Hip’s song “Wheat Kings,” Boyz II Men’s “On Bended Knee” and Michael Jackson’s “Man in the Mirror”—three of my all-time favorite songs. It was really touching to see all of the work she put into that very special present, although I will say that there were a few pictures in there I’d rather forget! Even so, it was really fun to see all of those shots, reminiscing and remembering with everyone who was there that night, especially my mom and my dad, who flew to LA with my little sister and brother, Jazmyn and Jackson.

  Even though Jazmyn and Jackson didn’t come to the parties, I got to spend some quality time with them throughout the week they were in LA, taking them to Chuck E. Cheese and hanging out doing fun things together as a family. I wish I had more time to spend with them, but at least we have a blast whenever we do get together.

  Before I turned 18 I think it was a little easier for me to play the “kid” card, you know, get away with things you can’t really do when you’re an adult. Don’t get me wrong, I still love a good joke or pulling pranks on everyone, but I also felt a new level of responsibility and the need to take charge of my life in ways I didn’t really think about all that much before. There are people who try to grow up too fast, especially kids who grow up in show business. They turn 18, and they’re like, “I’m not a kid anymore.” Yeah, that wasn’t really how I saw it. While I definitely want people to know I’m not a kid anymore, at the end of the day, I’m not completely grown up either. I want to do things at my own pace—whatever that may be—and have the freedom to make mistakes so I can learn from them. And you know what? I’m still learning, and I hope I keep on learning every day. I hope my fans will grow and learn with me.

  Look, I’m young and I still love to have fun. I’m not perfect, I think everyone makes mistakes, and that’s what life is about. I’ve got such a great family and mentors surrounding me that I know the people around me will do everything in their power to help stop me from making a life-changing bad decision. To be honest, I’m very careful about that too, especially because I’ve seen it happen too many times in other people’s lives. I’ve got a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and even though I am having a blast, I am not going to deliberately trash it so some people might see me as cool. I could be my own worst enemy, but I don’t want to mess this up. I’ve got a pretty good thing going that’s worth choosing the right path for.

  Now that I’m older, I’m not going to conform to what people want me to be or suddenly go out and start partying—having people see me with alcohol. My goal is to never to do anything that causes kids and parents to not respect me. There are some artists that parents won’t even let their kids go see because they think they’re a bad influence—I’m proud to not be one of those guys. I just want to be a good influence on people, and the best way I know to do that is to live exactly the way I do—in a way that if someone says something crazy about me, no one would believe them!

  When I think about my role in this world, I want to be able to do what Michael Jackson did by choosing songs with clean lyrics, generously giving back to others and being someone who little kids love every bit as much as their grandparents. In a perfect world, I want my fans to grow up with me and to be someone who is respected by everybody. I want to be someone that people can look up to and I want to live and be out there as a good role model.

  Scooter is always reminding me to stay humble and warning me not to buy anything too flashy. He taught me not to love money because once you do, all you’ve got is a big house, fancy cars, and an empty heart. That is so true, which is why we aren’t about that type of showiness. We always try to keep things real and down to earth. It can get kind of annoying, but I get it, so I was completely blown away when Scooter presented me with a brand new, 2012 Fisker Karma on The Ellen DeGeneres Show as a birthday present from him and Usher.

  2012 has been a year of many big events. Not only did I turn 18, I graduated high school too. Throughout my time touring over the years, I quietly and diligently continued my studies through the high school I would have attended back in Stratford. My team made sure I kept my education a priority, so I wouldn’t fall behind or, worse, not graduate. And everyone else around me made sure I didn’t slip up or blow it off. Whenever I’d question why I was studying something I never thought I’d use in real life, like geometry, Kenny set me straight. He’d say, “Boy, it is like my daddy always told me—you take these classes because it helps your brain think analytically. Math is like exercise for the brain. You may never use an algorithm or an equation, but it helps you with critical thinking.”

  I didn’t know it at the time, but Kenny was right. No matter what your goals are in life, there is nothing more important than your education. So even though I was busy touring all over the world and have the craziest schedule for a kid my age, I still earned my degree.

  I would have attended the commencement ceremony with the rest of my classmates and friends, but I’m pretty sure that would have taken away from the moment for everyone else—something I’d never want to do. I did score a graduation cap and gown from Ellen while I was on her show, so at least I could look the part.

  No matter what your goals are in life, there is nothing more important than your education.

  When it comes to dating, I am a regular teenager. There are just some things I am trying to keep private because I am young and figuring it out. I am learning about trust and the joys and struggles of it. I like being with someone who is smart and who I can
have an actual conversation with. It doesn’t make you weak or any less of a man if you treat a woman with respect and spoil her a little bit. Remember guys, if your friends give you a hard time about being romantic it’s just because they don’t know how to treat their lady right.

  So let’s just get to it … in 2011 a woman came out of nowhere and filed a paternity suit claiming she was pregnant with my child. I was a minor at the time and she was not, and she had absolutely no evidence to verify her claim. In fact, we had never even met. The media (including legitimate news outlets) picked up on the story and ran with it as if it were all true. Whatever happened to responsible journalism? Aren’t reporters supposed to check their facts before writing their stories? Maybe it’s just me, but I could never get away with making up some story for a school project and passing it off as real! My teachers would have flunked me for even trying something like that!

  Another thing I don’t really understand is that when someone is stalking you without a camera it is illegal, but if they are doing it with a camera it is somehow perfectly fine. I don’t get that difference and I suppose I never will.

  One of the worst downsides of fame is the freedom and liberties the media take when it comes to reporting on a celebrity’s personal life. At the same time, without the media, you can’t do your job so I guess it’s a give and take. It’s hard enough to be a teenager going through regular teenage stuff, but doing it under the microscope of the press just amplifies what’s already awkward to begin with. That would be tough for any kid. But when it comes to reporting things about my life that aren’t true, well, that crosses a line that I believe is unfair.

  Me playing a game of “Paparazzi” with Kenny—he loves it really!

  Why has it become more necessary to sensationalize the news for people to get them to read a newspaper or buy a magazine at the cost of the truth?

  When did gossip websites become viable sources for legitimate news?

  Hey, I’ve always had a good relationship with the media, and for the most part, the media and paparazzi have been pretty good to me. If it wasn’t for them, I wouldn’t have nearly as close a relationship with you, my fans, but at the same time I just wish that they didn’t have to go about getting the stories in the way some of them do. When the paparazzi are nice to me and respectful, I am never afraid to have a conversation with them. I’ll chat to them, pose for a few shots, thank them and be on my way. But it’s not OK when they come at me aggressively and don’t respect my space because they are looking at me as a product and not a person.

  There’s a misconception that I hate the paparazzi—I don’t, I simply don’t like the aggressive paparazzi. Whenever you see me laughing and having a good time with the paparazzi, it’s because we’ve had a pleasant exchange. They are grateful that I’m willing to work with them, while I appreciate their respectful approach. However, there have been times where the interaction has been combative from the start. Like, whenever you see me getting angry or upset in the media what you don’t get to see on camera is how those people came up to me and said things like, “Hey Justin, why are you such a punk lately?,” “Your mom is ugly,” and “Your little brother and sister are ugly babies.” They literally yell stuff like that to try and get a rise out of me. Famous or not, saying terrible things about my family is completely unacceptable. And if they aren’t going after my family, they’re coming after me, swearing, saying the most horrible things ever, even calling me white trash—which is kind compared to the other things they’ve thrown at me.

  Nice—Not.

  Although most of the press isn’t like this there is a certain type of paparazzi who do stuff like that, saying the rudest things ever because they just want a picture that makes me look angry or upset. It’s just not right.

  I don’t want to ever get to a place in my life where accepting this type of harassment and name calling is OK, because it’s not. It’s a form of bullying, and under any circumstance it’s totally inexcusable.

  At some point when growing up almost every kid is bullied—even me. Believe me, nobody likes it. What I have learned is it’s the job of the bystander to stand up and do something about it. When you are being bullied it is hard to react and you have to stand up for yourself. I’m not saying you have to get into a fight, but be willing to defend yourself if you have to. No one has a right to make you feel small, worthless, or less than them—don’t give anyone that much power over who you are or how you feel about yourself.

  Michael Jackson was someone who always talked about making a change, and his message and legacy is something I want to keep going. So, if you see someone bullying it is really important that you step up and say something and help put an end to it. That is why I got involved in the fight to help bring the movie Bully into the mainstream, to help it get a PG–13 rating. I wanted to start a conversation amongst my peers because I know that if we can get people talking about the important issues, you and I and the rest of my fans all around the world can make a difference together for the next generation.

  I’ve got a lot of musical influences in my life, ranging from my mom, who laid my musical foundation with ’90s R&B, to my dad’s mom who taught me how to play the piano; Usher, who teaches me about smooth soulful sounds; Dan and my dad, who introduced me to classic rock; Kenny, who listens to old-school R&B, rap and soul; and even Kobe Bryant, who reminded me how Michael Jackson studied other artists throughout his career. Before going into the studio to record Believe, I started listening to old records and studying the runs, paying attention to the arrangements and such. I think that research had a positive effect on the creative process in making the album. At the time, the rest of the world was very focused on electronic and dance music, while I had been familiarizing myself with and becoming more aware of different types of music that blend soul stuff with old-school Motown and a modern beat.

  When I went into the studio to record Believe, like everything I do, I had a very specific goal in mind. To me, this new album had to be the best one yet, to prove to those who doubt me that I am not some pop-star flash in the pan. I made this album with a “make it or break it” attitude. Now that I am 18 years old, I think there are a lot of critics out there who think I am going to just disappear like other young stars have. But you know me. I’m competitive. I want to do the unexpected. And like Justin Timberlake, Usher, and Michael Jackson, who made that transition from child to adult star before me, I’m not going anywhere. Period.

  I’m aware there are people out there who hate my music who haven’t even listened to it. They just hate the idea of someone who is young making it big. They think I am some manufactured singing robot instead of a guy with real talent. Every moment of every day I am ready and willing to prove those who doubt me wrong. I love being the underdog. It gives me and my fans something to do and strive for next.

  While charting my own course, I have often thought about Michael Jackson and his career, and for me, making Believe is like Michael making Thriller after his insane worldwide success with Off the Wall. In making this album, I knew my biggest challenge was making people feel like it’s cool for them to like my music. So when I went into the studio, it was clear to everyone I work with that I wanted to take more risks, try some new approaches to my music and creatively challenge myself to bring my art to a new level. In order to do this, I was a lot more hands-on in every aspect of recording the album. I had no choice because I wanted it to be perfect. Every detail mattered.

  While I recorded My World in a couple of weeks and pretty much allowed other people to creatively take the reins, it took several months of studio time to get Believe to the place I thought it needed to go. I’ve learned a lot since My World, and I was willing to take my experience and skills and put them to work. And I had a great team around me, including my vocal producer, Kuk Harrell, who has been with me from the start. Kuk has worked with some of the biggest names in the business, including Beyoncé, Rihanna, Mariah Carey, Chris Brown, and Usher, just to name a few. Throughou
t the years, he has taught me to become more aware and precise in the studio—and has helped give me the confidence to be the final word on my sound.

  I feel like it’s my responsibility to be the greatest I can be. If I start making terrible music, I don’t expect people to like me. But as long as I’m making great music, then there’s no reason for people to dislike me. People just need to take a chance and listen. I’m here for a reason, and I’m here for a lifetime.

  I was very excited to release “Boyfriend,” the first single from Believe, because it was definitely a different sound than my fans were used to hearing. It was also a long time coming, so I knew it had to be killer. The song was co-written and produced by Mike Posner and Mason Levy. Our goal was to make something that all of our friends would want to listen to over and over again in the car. I really love the process of collaborating, especially when it comes to creating great music. As an artist, I can’t possibly think of everything myself, so I really appreciate it when people I work with are open to working on ideas with me so we can make the best music for my fans.

  So, I guess we scored on that goal because “Boyfriend” sold well over 521,000 units in its first week on the charts in the United States alone! The opening digital sales total for “Boyfriend” made it the number one digital single first week in worldwide history and is the number-one-selling music single in my record label Universal Music Group’s history. Man, I was blown away.

  A lot of people have said they didn’t like my music, but once they heard “Boyfriend” I think they had a change of heart—and that was my goal, to make more believers. I think they had the chance to hear a different side to my music—a more soulful and mature sound with a flavor of rhythm and blues mixed with hip hop—all different styles than people are used to hearing from me. I even threw in a reference to one of my favorite characters from Toy Story, Buzz Lightyear, as a way of reaching out to my younger audience, and eating fondue for my older audience, just to let them know I feel them every bit as much as my teenaged fans. Yeah, it might have freaked some people out to hear me rapping at first, but they quickly embraced it, and I have to admit, that felt really good. The funny thing about “Boyfriend” is it may be the 8th best song on the album. I love them all.