Justin Bieber wants to be the greatest: “I’ll get more into making love when I’m older.”


That quote is taken completely out of context, but I couldn’t resist. I think Justin is talking about his songwriting and about waiting to sing about getting down once he’s older and his fanbase is older (as if that will ever happen), but still it’s funny. Widdle Biebs turns 18 in March. A new cover story interview in V Magazine focuses on where the teen phenomenon wants to go with his career as he makes the transition into adulthood. Bieber comes across as driven, committed and full of himself. He keeps talking about how he wants to be the best and the greatest musician and the biggest star in his field, and how he looks up to Michael Jackson as the King of Pop. There’s no humility, there’s no acknowledgment that he owes a lot to other musicians – although he does admit that he has to practice and train hard. It’s all about how he’s going to be the best, better than anyone else that came before him. At one point he talks about how his mother got a message from God that he was supposed to be “voice of the next generation.” I do admire how tenacious the kid is, but he is in no way down to earth. How could he be when he’s been propped up and worshiped for years?

ED But what does that mean to you? Just a goal to have?
JB My goal at the end of the day—right now—I want to be successful and be great at what I do. But eventually, I want to become the best at what I do. I want to be the best. In the world. I want to be better than anybody that’s ever done it. And in order to do that, I need to strive to be the best, be good to people and treat people with respect, and work as hard as I can. Because for me, I work so hard and this consumes my life, and it’s not worth it if I’m not the best.

ED So who’s the best now?
JB Right now? I mean, I consider Michael Jackson the best. If I could be at his level… But I’ve got a lot of work to do. I’m not saying it’s going to happen within the next three years. But hopefully by the time I’m 30, people will remember me. I think people will remember me at this point, but I don’t want people to just think of me as a teen sensation. Because I could probably just sell out, and then in two years not put out another album, and just become Justin Bieber the teen superstar. But I don’t want to be that. I want to transition, and become the greatest.

ED That’s something I want to ask you about: transitions. You’re going to be 18 in March. It’s a big benchmark from childhood to adulthood. Do you feel like you have to play the role of a kid still?
JB Here’s the thing: I think that I don’t need to try to do anything. There are people who try to grow up too fast—they’re 18, so they’re like, I’m not a kid anymore. People need to know I’m not a kid anymore. But at the end of the day, I’m not completely grown-up. I’m still learning. I’m going to grow up how I grow up. I’m not going to try to conform to what people want me to be or go out there and start partying, have people see me with alcohol. I want to do it at my own pace. But I’m never going to make myself so the kids and the parents don’t respect me. There’re some artists that [parents won’t] let their kids go and see because they think they’re a bad influence. I want to be able to do what Michael did—he always sang clean lyrics—and it was always that little kids loved Michael and grandparents loved Michael. I don’t want to start singing about things like sex, drugs, and swearing. I’m into love, and maybe I’ll get more into making love when I’m older. But I want to be someone who is respected by everybody. Because right now, the young people are who make society. Young people determine what’s cool. Young people determine what’s going to be in style. So I always stick with the young people, that’s what I say.

ED You know, Michael kind of went crazy. A lot of people go crazy. Is that something you think or worry about?
JB Michael had a really bad childhood. I was blessed with a great childhood. My mom loved me. My dad loved me. I’m now a teenager and I don’t feel like I’ve missed out on anything in my life. I’ve gotten to experience everything I possibly could. I don’t look back and think, Ugh, I wish I would have been able to do that. Maybe [Michael] missed out on a lot, so he tried to [re-live] his childhood when he was older. But I’ve got such good people around me, I’m not worried.

ED You’re talking about keeping clean and making music for everybody, but a lot of the artists you look up to, like Lil Wayne, Kanye—a lot of what those guys rap about is drugs, sex, and money. So what is it that you like so much about them? Is it the music? The rhymes?
JB I can’t say I look up to them, but I definitely like what they do. I think that they’re amazing. But are they on Michael’s level? I don’t think they’re on Michael’s level.

ED Tell that to Kanye.
JB Well, Kanye is on a different level. I mean, Kanye is probably my favorite producer. He’s a musical genius. But, he’s not on Michael’s level. I think that in order to be on Michael’s level you have to reach as many people as Michael reached, and Kanye doesn’t reach as many people. No one really does.

[From V Magazine]

So no one else is on Michael Jackson’s level, but Bieber is going to be. At least he’s trying to keep it clean, if only so he can sell more bubblegum pop.

Bieber recently got a big tattoo of Jesus on his leg around the calf area. Since he’s under 18, his moms presumably had to sign off on it. He talked about his spirituality to V, saying that he prays and talks to JC but isn’t religious and doesn’t go to church. He also claimed that people hate him because he’s successful and that they need to give his music a chance:

It’s all about making good music, and people hate me before they even listen to my music. I know a lot of people say they hate Justin Bieber who haven’t even listened to any of my music. They just hate me because they hate the idea of me. I’m young, I’m handsome—I don’t mean to sound conceited—but they think that I just got here because [of that], because I’m good-looking and girls like me.”

Maybe this kid will take it farther, it remains to be seen. He’s definitely got the motivation and he’s been wildly successful up to this point. He’s really lacking humility though, and isn’t that what JC is supposed to be all about?

Bieber is shown on 12-28 at a Raptors Pacers game in Toronto. Credit: WENN.com

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64 Responses to “Justin Bieber wants to be the greatest: “I’ll get more into making love when I’m older.””

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  1. Shay says:

    He looks like a girl on that cover. Not meant to be a dig at his sexuality, but really? That’s the best way they could style him – feminine as possible with a fishnet shirt?

  2. CG says:

    My first reaction on reading that headline was to throw up in my mouth. My second reaction was to think, “Poor Selena!” 🙂

  3. Jennifer says:

    I wonder why they are puting him on the cover when his face doesn’t sell magazines. Thank God I’m not teenager these days. I would kill myself having lesbian biber as king of pop and lady gagag as queen of pop and between them riana and katy pery.

  4. KsGirl says:

    I think being a teenaged male and having most of your female peers willing to do anything you wanted might make any teen boy an egomaniac. The fact that he is apparently surrounded by people who reinforce this by telling him it’s GOD’S PERSONAL WILL probably doesn’t help the ego issues.

    He kinda called Kanye out, too, ha ha, wonder if we’ll hear anything more about that?

    Terrible cover photo.

    But I still totally, totally love Bieber.

  5. Amy says:

    yeah… in a few years, no one will remember you Bieber. Sorry.

  6. Emily says:

    You notice how the Mariah Yeater case just disappeared? That’s so his kid!

    • Roxy750 says:

      yea…what ever happened there???

    • Annie says:

      Hahaha. The kid is his. If it wasn’t the Beliebers would have held a public execution for Mariah Yeater by now – it takes only a few days to get results for dna. I thought he looked like a baby Bieber.

  7. Lizzie says:

    That is hands down the most feminine i’ve ever seen him look. pouty lips, hes wearing a torn BLOUSE.

    I don’t think he’s going to age well at all.

  8. only1shmoo says:

    I really can’t hate on this kid, he still seems sweet, as in ‘he’s-more-pleasant-than-most-kids-I’ve-baby-sat-for’ sweet. At least he’s polite to his fans, which is more than you could say for other young celebs who have even less talent than he does.

    • fabgrrl says:

      At least he’s polite to his fans..

      Yes, I’ve heard he gives some of them a little memento that lasts a lifetime :^)

  9. dorothy says:

    Wow. They always push him as a religious kid that doesn’t have sex, etc..yet he takes vacation after vacation with Selena. So I guess they stay in separate rooms and have bible study at night? Yeah…sure.

    This kids just another version of all the other kid singers from way back that we now can’t even remember.

  10. I.want.shoes says:

    Sorry Biebs, but you don’t even make a handsome lesbian.

  11. arock says:

    they couldnt have shot a better pic for the cover!?

    he looks like he could be demi moores little sister a la ghost years or hillary swank now.

  12. yael says:

    someone needs a giant dose of sit-the-f***-down and shut-the-f***-up.

  13. mia girl says:

    Driven, sure… but everything he said in that interview was in the context of knowing that he has to work hard and that his continued success will only come from staying focused and working hard. Seems like a good work ethic, especially compared to so many entitled celebrities. As far as “want to be the best blah blah” I didn’t find it conceited, I think these are the things he needs to personally believe in order to drive him. He thinks more like a professional athlete than a celebrity.

    • Deb says:

      I don’t see what the big deal is if he’s a little full of himself at this stage. What teenager isn’t? He’ll grow up. I just hope he saves his money.

    • Sandra says:

      I agree, I don’t think he sounds conceited, I think he sounds objective about it, making a plan, and being rational. I feel bad for him with how much vitriol he has to put up with, and the things people say about him. He is a kid, after all. Who can blame him if he does have conceit – I dare any of us to achieve what he has, have everyone around us telling us how great we are, and NOT be conceited!

  14. Roxy750 says:

    I swear JB is a transsexual…and it’s only funny to say that b/c he’s not–as far as we know. By the way, who is this kid, for real I have heard like 1 song ever, it was catchy and fun, total teen bop stuff. But why all the hype? Ahh..let the kid have fun while he/she can!

  15. Mia says:

    There’s nothing wrong with being ambitious, but I hope he doesn’t have people around him telling him he’ll be the next Michael Jackson. I don’t see that happening. He might get better as he gets older, but he doesn’t have the natural talent and charisma Michael had even when he was really young. Some things can’t be taught.

    Don’t really like the styling of that cover photo but I don’t hate the kid or anything. He better be saving his money!

    • Carolyn says:

      Agree. I truly don’t think Justin will make the transition to adult star. I don’t think his fan base will grow with him. He should just milk it for now and save his money for later. The next MJ? I don’t think so, pretentious self important brat.

      • MerryHappy says:

        They won’t. My 9 year old niece is already over him. She wants to listen to ‘real music now.’ Lol

      • Caz1310 says:

        part 2 of my rant. It makes me angry that this kid thinks he’s ENTITLED to a stellar career for the rest of his life due to godly intervention and because he thinks he’s so special. The fans (and their parents) will decide how successful he is and for how long. It makes me angry that he’s comparing himself to MJ. Not even the majority of MJ’s fans stood by him all the way. My daughter is 10 and her and none of her friends think he’s remotely cool.

  16. sharylmj says:

    I think his heart is in the right place and he seems grounded. Donny Osmond was just as pretty as the Biebs.. it’s not the first time a “pretty boy” has been a teen sensation. He is a good roll model with good ideas about where he wants to be in life.. is he Michael Jackson?? no, but that’s a good goal!!

  17. Petunia says:

    What I don’t get is that the media has been talking about this KID’S sex life since he was 15 or 16. Not only is it gross (he looks about 12,) but isn’t it vaguely pedophilic? And who cares about a baby boy’s sex life?

  18. Marjalane says:

    That headline literally made me shudder and say, “ewwwwww” out loud

  19. Rhiley says:

    By the time he is 30 he is going to be on some stupid Big Brother type reality show, just like all of the backstreet boys and new kids on the block and the rest of nsync. This interview kind of makes you appreciate how smart Justin Timberlake is with his career. I think he realized that he was only going to be able to take his music so far so he began to really branch out when his music was fresh. Not that I am a JT fan but he is still on the A list when so many of his counterparts are C and D list. Biebs is just too one deminsional to have a long lasting career in the Hollyhood.

    • Bobby sue says:

      My guess is he ends up on VH1’s One Hit Wonder.

      • Jover says:

        Agree rhiley and bobby sue Isn’t V supposed to be a hip mag, not a teeny bopper rag; I’ll give this kid a few more years and then he’s gone – he has no interest in “music” it’s just a way to live the life, and that will end soon.

  20. Petunia says:

    Wait, I realize belatedly that young girls may care about his sex life. But the media? He’s a KID for goodness sake. Leave him to singing cutesy pop songs and worry about his sex life when he’s legally an adult.

  21. Incredulous says:

    Dude is so safe you could use him for aspirin bottle caps.

  22. gg says:

    “Pretty” is what he meant to say. PULL UP YOUR PANTS, BOY!

  23. Kaye1 says:

    You can tell he thinks that all he will ever to is ascend to greater heights. Donny Osmond (a good person to compare him to, imo) struggled a lot as he grew past the teen idol phase. He has had to reinvent himself a number of times. I don’t know if Justin is picturing himself as a game show host when he’s in his 40s.

  24. Amanda G says:

    I just don’t get why girls are falling over themselves for this kid. He’s 17, but looks about 13. He’s short, skinny and a white priviledged canadian kid who tries to be hood. To top it all off he CANNOT SING. I swear I liked manlier men when I was a teen!

    • taylor says:

      Hee! My first crush, years (and years) ago, was Harrison Ford, so I’m with you on the having-liked-manlier-men-as-a-teenager thing. I don’t get the Bieber fever, either.

  25. Gast says:

    Could someone please pass the memo to Justin Bieber that there will never be another Michael Jackson? Even Michael Jackson couldn’t reach Michael Jackson in the last 10 or 15 years. Sooner or later his fans will grow up (maybe he does even to) and they will start to look for something different. Every hype comes to an end and so does Bieber.

  26. Katie says:

    He thinks he’s good looking? I might buy that when he’s 25 or something but he still looks like a little girl to me.

  27. Pia says:

    I just think it is funny how technically the Bible states that tattoos are wrong, and yet so many people get Jesus or cross tattoos. I am not religious at all, but the hypocrisy amuses me.

  28. chris says:

    Where is the result of the paternity test that he took quite a while ago?

  29. MerryHappy says:

    Oh justin… I don’t dislike you because you’re pretty (no no, in fact you’re way to feminine looking to be using the word ‘handsome.’) I dislike you because I think you’re a parody on talent and used to market to and capitalize on young girls and get them to spend and get their parents to spend. I dislike you because you and other tween stars created by disney/nickelodeon/etc are manufactured by the corporate machine in order to make money. Not that he minds as he’s making money. Sigh… What a conceited little boy.

  30. Feebee says:

    The more he talks the less likeable he is. He talks alot about Michael Jackson but then again his ‘mentor’ is Usher. Michael was the best at what he did but he’s dead now and while his music lives on and his enormous talent recognised he wasn’t, isn’t nor will he be remembered as the be all or end all. He’s in the ranks of Elvis and The Beatles for being transformative in music and pop culture.

    Ugh and this little punk thinks he has the capacity to rise to their level? ha ha ha, what words to use? Oh yeah, YAEL #14 summed it up perfectly.

  31. Rachel says:

    Great cover… he makes Andrej Pejic look masculine!

  32. JM says:

    The next Michael Jackson? No.

    The next Leif Garrett? Probably.

  33. Jules says:

    zzz

  34. judyjudy says:

    I seemto be on a skin kick today…this kid has the nicest skin I ha e ever seen on a teenage boy.

    And I hate when people say their goal is to be “the best”.How do you define that? How is that measured? Lame.

  35. BBB says:

    He really does look feminine in that fishnet shirt… and “crowned prince of pop” wtf???

  36. lilred says:

    Someday soon his testicles will drop and he will disapear into obscurity …as it is meant to be.

  37. Beatriz says:

    He TOTALLY called out Kanye hahahaha! I wonder if Yeezy got mad?

  38. Maya says:

    He just makes me want to puke.
    Him and his new Jesus tattoo. How desperate is he?
    He is beginning to lose his little boy cuteness now, and he’ll end up morphing into an average looking dude with little to offer.

  39. gab says:

    So he wants to be the greatest superstar? How bout this, Justin, why don’t you buy yourself an education FFS! I fault his parents for him not getting a proper education. The almighty dollar is worth more to them than a solid future. Yeah, I’m sure you’ll be the greatest, kid. I wonder how long it’ll be before he is announcing the acts on America’s Got Talent or some such BS.

  40. Jana says:

    He’s talented, but I don’t see pop icon in him. I have yet to see anything magical about him. Madonna had something absolutely fearless in her from the get-go and that special “it” factor matched with great pop songs and tours. Michael Jackson is so far above the Biebs. Many male pop stars have tried to go that high, like Usher, and no male popstar has ever hit the iconic greatness of Michael Jackson.

    Now, Justin Timberlake’s FutureSex/LoveSounds was brilliant and showed a young pop star who evolved. Sadly, he’s lost interest in pop music anymore.

  41. aquarius64 says:

    This boy is trying to say he hasn’t slept with Selena?! I get they want to promote his wholesome and Christian image, but that’s a tough sell considering the well documented public gropefests they had.

  42. Adrien says:

    Maybe he’ll hang out with the right people in the future and he’ll produce a great album like Thriller or Future Sex/Love Sounds but I’m not sure if he’ll grow up manly like MJ and JT did. Even after his surgeries and baby voice, there’s still something sexy about MJ. I don’t hate Beibs, he is nice looking but he really looks like a lesbian.

  43. HappyJoyJoy says:

    The cover picture says to me “They found nemo!”

  44. Sakyiwaa says:

    This kid i used to LOVE… irks me no end NOW!

  45. Spugz says:

    He’s not going to age well. He’s got the sort of face that looks fine on a young teenage lesbian but on a man of 30? Bleurgh. Kids of today rant rant rant

  46. mylie1313 says:

    That baby looked like him even have the same droopy left eye lid. wonder what happened?

  47. ocean says:

    give him a few years, he will come out of the closet.

  48. whatevs says:

    i’m glad he’s happy and all but i have never listened to anything he wrote. thank god lol

  49. sosuzy says:

    Justin wants to look at his future, he just has to look no further than Donny Osmond!

  50. thegorilla says:

    i thought it was a girl at first too, but its really creepy he could use my cousin (a girl) as a double to trick the paparazzi, not exaggerating.. i don’t know who that says more about…

  51. skuddles says:

    This V Mag pic cracks me up – Biebs looks just like a sad little girl in one of those “pregnant and scared?” hotline adverts.