With the release of his concert film-biopic Never Say Never, Justin Bieber reveals one of the most important events in his young life – how he came to meet and choose his mentor, Usher.
“Meeting someone that talented is a once-in-a-lifetime chance,” Usher said. “He was cute, so I knew the girls would love him, and with that voice, it was, like, ‘Wow — if we guide, nurture and direct him right, the possibilities could be endless.’”
Unfortunately, their enthusiasm wasn’t shared by most major labels. Reportedly Timberlake made an offer, but Bieber’s manager Scooter Braun, decided to wait and see, according to an interview with the Hollywood Reporter.
“We were flown to Justin’s house in Memphis,” Braun says. “He and Ken Komisar, who runs [Timberlake’s Interscope-affiliated label] Tennman Records, offered us a deal, but it wasn’t what we wanted. Then Usher brought L.A. to the table.”
Antonio “L.A.” Reid, chairman of Island Def Jam Music Group, signed Bieber to a deal in October 2008. Reid, who appears in Bieber’s new film, reveals how the teenager blew him away the first time he heard him, "I really believed a great star had walked into the room,” he said.
Justin Timberlake is perhaps one of the better career examples of the tricky transition from teen heartthrob to credible adult artist, and Bieber hopes to emulate him.