Justin Bieber is to teenage girls what candy is to a baby; he is an absolute treat. He seems to be taking over the world lately with musical collaborations that include Nikki Minaj and Taylor Swift. But for the rest of us who are not teenage girls or boys for that matter, his success can’t be solely contributed to his talent. He has had some help along the way in the form of another musical prodigy, Usher. Usher has been Justin Bieber’s mentor since day one.
In 2007, Justin performed Ne-Yo’s “So Sick” for a local singing competition of which his mother filmed and immediately loaded up to YouTube. Beiber’s musical talents with the piano, drums, guitar, and trumpet are all self-taught. She continued to upload Bieber singing R&B cover songs and his popularity grew from there. Justin Bieber, originally born in London, Ontario, was discovered by a talent scout who introduced him to Usher Raymond. A&R at the label had this to say about the pop singer, “He was doing something different. He was an attractive white kid singing very soulful R&B hits. That set him apart immediately from anyone in his range because no one was covering or singing these kinds of records. But equally important was that you believed in these songs – it was real. And you wanted to hear more.” After signing on with his label, he was later picked up by the famous pop star chef, L.A. Reid. Usher has been behind the pop sensation ever since. When asked about how he felt about Justin’s success, he stated, “You know what, as a performer, I think he is striving to continue to be better” and that he will “continue to show his talent vocally and also as a musician.”As a fan of all things R&B, Usher’s support of Justin Bieber demonstrates the power of mentoring in any industry.
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