If you've paid attention at all to entertainment media over the past year, you've surely seen Justin Bieber's name making headlines - and most of the time it isn't for his music. In the past two years, Bieber has managed to get himself arrested multiple times and has angered off a lot of people, including his fans, in the process.
From peeing in a bucket in July 2013 to his arrest for assault and dangerous ATV driving this past August and all the DWI, assault, drug possession, robbery, vandalism, drag racing, and resisting arrest charges in between, the Biebs has managed to turn from the sweet kid crooner to the entitled bad boy. In an interview with Radio.com, the man who discovered Bieber and gave him a career, Usher Raymond, shared his thoughts on the journey of his protégé.
He says he gives younger artists such as Bieber and Chris Brown advice "as much as you can give advice to people." He says that they need to go on their own journeys and "live their own stories" and that he tries "not to be judgmental as a friend." His main advice is not to fuel the media.
As far as what he's specifically said to Bieber regarding his recent run-ins with the law:
"I've had talks that definitely were more stern, and it wasn't necessarily in relation to his career," Usher told them. "There have been little things that have happened, that have in many ways, painted a picture of him being someone who he wasn't. Me being a responsible man, I'm gonna give advice to a kid who I think is moving in the wrong direction, or has actually made stupid decisions. But we're all human. Unfortunately this is a kid who has to live in front of the world. His decisions, his choices are his own; he has to own them."
Luckily for Usher, he didn't have many scandals surrounding his rise to fame. He credits his good decision making to the team behind him, including his publicist and his mother, who managed him until late 2009. One important thing he learned that has kept him on the right path was "having the understanding that responding to things that don't serve a greater purpose is always bad."
At this point in his life, he's at a place where he's "just honest."
"If something does happen, I'll try to answer a question about it as much as I can," he explains. "If it's not appropriate [to discuss it], I'll allow it to be what it is."
He tries not to give the paparazzi much to write about, although he has had phases in the past where "things happened," such as a breakdown on stage.
"If spectacle is what you'd want to be remembered for, then that's your approach," he said. "...The catch is, with media now, people can only hold on to so much for so long, until the next 'impression.' If you keep doing other things, then people will remember and celebrate that."
Sounds like some sound advice from someone who has had a successful career in the industry for more than 20 years. He's currently hard at work on his upcoming eighth studio album UR and will be kicking off his massive UR Experience Tour this weekend in Montreal.
What do you think of Usher's approach to mentoring? Let us know in the comments section below!
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