Usher Most Admires Justin Bieber's 'Excitement And Innocence'

Bieber's mentor tells MTV News the teen sensation has 'so much more in store for the future.'
By Jocelyn Vena, with reporting by Tim Kash


Usher and Justin Bieber at the 2010 AMAs
Photo: Jason Merritt/ Getty Images

With so much accomplished in 2010, Justin Bieber has certainly set the bar high for 2011. But the teen singer is already gearing up for next year. Bieber will not only release his much-anticipated 3-D flick, "Never Say Never", but he has also teased that he'd like to release an album of all-new material sometime later next year.

His mentor, Usher, thinks that at this point, the sky's the limit.

"As far as music and entertainment, that's the beginning," Usher told MTV News at Sunday's AMAs, where Bieber performed and took home four awards.

"There's so much more in store for the future, or at least there's a ton of things we can do and will, and with the support of his fans who will continue to just grow and grow and grow."

At 16, Bieber has accomplished what few manage with many more years in the music business, but Usher said he wants to ensure that Bieber doesn't stop enjoying it all as his popularity continues to grow and his schedule gets busier.

Asked what he admires most about Justin, Usher said, "His excitement and innocence in it. And I don't mean that in a light way because I think that he's absolutely enjoying every moment of it, as any young man his age would, but in a different way because [of] the hard work that has gone in and led to the dream that has become a reality. And every time you have an opportunity do something incredible, I tell him to do his best and be conscious that what you're doing today should last forever and eternity."

What did you think of Justin's AMA performance on Sunday? Tell us in the comments!

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Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1652855/20101122/bieber_justin.jhtml

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Usher Remembers Being A 'Pizza Face' On 'When I Was 17'

'I had really, really bad acne ' he admits in Saturday's episode.
By Mawuse Ziegbe


Usher on "When I Was 17"
Photo: MTV News

He's known as one of the smoothest R&B sensations to grace the stage, but when Usher was 17, he grappled with a far less flattering image.

"I went through this phase where I had really, really bad acne," the singer admits on the latest episode of "When I Was 17," premiering Saturday at 11 a.m. Usher, who was 17 in 1995, reveals with a grin that his nickname was "Pizza Face."

"His acne was so horrible," recalled one of Usher's more blunt friends, Keith. "His face was so jacked up."

Music mogul and producer Jermaine Dupri remembered how the entertainer's spotty complexion led him to shy away from the spotlight.

"He didn't want to go out. He wanted to stay in," Dupri says. "He was a little ashamed of what was going on with his face."

The singer went to extreme, and ultimately unsuccessful, lengths to disguise his breakouts.

"As a dude, you're not gonna put makeup on your face, right?" Usher said. "I tried that, it didn't even work."

He may have experimented with cosmetics and spent a few more nights at home but the multiplatinum star didn't let his acne hold him back from wooing the ladies. "I was 17, so I would still try to talk to girls [and] get past it," Usher reasoned.

He even had some smooth lines to drop when he wanted to draw attention away from his skin. " 'Don't look at that, look at my eyes, baby. I'm trying to say something real serious to you right here,' " Usher recalled, reenacting his complexion-deflecting dating moves. "I know I have pizza face, I don't care."

In the end, his skin cleared up and the singer said it was just a matter of riding out a rite passage that many teens are forced to endure.

"This is something that all 17-year-olds have to deal with," Usher said. "You can't run away from it."

— this week featuring B.o.B, Usher and Ne-Yo — premieres Saturday at 11 a.m. on MTV

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Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1647586/20100911/usher.jhtml

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Justin Bieber Explains Michael Jackson AMA Shout-Out

'Michael's not your dad or anything,' singer laughs, clarifying statement that 'without Michael Jackson, none of us would be here.'
By Jocelyn Vena, with reporting by Tim Kash


Justin Bieber at the 2010 AMAs
Photo: Jason Merritt/ Getty Images

Justin Bieber had a great night at Sunday's American Music Awards. Not only did he perform his inspirational new track, "Pray," at the big show, but he also walked away with four awards, including Favorite Male Artist, Favorite Album for My World 2.0, Artist of the Year and T-Mobile Breakthrough Artist.

But Bieber's shout-out to Michael Jackson left some viewers confused: Taking the stage to collect one of his trophies, he said, "Without Michael Jackson, none of us would be here." When MTV News caught up with the superstar later in the night, he laughed off the somewhat misleading comment.

"You know, I said, 'Without Michael we wouldn't have been here,' but we would be here, but music wouldn't be the same," he explained. "I want to clarify that you'd still be born. Michael's not your dad or anything. You'd still be here. He's not your father."

Bieber may be here without Michael Jackson, but he says that he really wouldn't be here without his fans. "I think that my fans have been such a supporting factor that, I mean, I couldn't be doing this without them, so this has just been amazing," he explained. "I owe it all to my fans, my family, my friends."

Bieber says that his dad is equally impressed by what the 16-year-old has accomplished. "He was just telling me how proud he was. I'm Canadian, so he was like, it's like when he sees a hockey team score a goal and he jumps out of his seat," he said. "He's like, 'Yes! That's my boy.' So it was great."

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Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1652783/20101122/bieber_justin.jhtml

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