| The world of JUSTIN BIEBER... |
| Written by Shahlin Graves | ||
| Sunday, 23 May 2010 19:43 | ||
 The world's most famous sixteen-year-old sits down directly opposite me and immediately asks: "Do I have sauce on my nose?". JUSTIN BIEBER is in town for twenty-four hours - accompanied by an entourage that includes his mother Pattie Mallette, manager Scooter Braun, bodyguard Kenny Hamilton, musical director/guitarist Dan Kanter, and self-declared 'swagger coach' Ryan Good - and like any other sixteen-year-old boy, edibles are a top priority. Be it sugary snacks - jaffas and pineapple lumps gifted from us: for the record, the correct term in the language of Bieber is "candy" and not lollies - chocolate bars light-fingered from a teacher's desk, or scoffing dry weet-bix with C4's Drew Neemia on-air, Bieber likes his munchies, just like any other teenage boy. However, unlike other floppy-haired teens, Bieber's got the Midas touch. In New Zealand alone, big bucks were made from the remnants of Bieber's local Cadbury scavenge (six chocolate bars between himself and his crew apparently) - in the form of an autographed Dairy Milk Caramello bar wrapper - auctioned off on Trademe for $168, whilst Bieber's rejected hydration (a bottle of fizzy water from the TV3 make-up room) cashed in for $855 worth, of raging Bieber Fever.
The night before my midday sit-down with the boy himself and two other journalists, I'm approaching the International terminal of the Auckland airport. My curiosity has won out - and while still walking over from the carpark - I'm puzzled to hear a significant sound. It's the sound of this generation of teenage girls' Christmases all arriving at once, the sound of a media scrimmage, the sound of angsty parents - and it's loud. I still haven't reached the doors of the Arrivals building yet, but my ears are already registering the 500 screamers indoors. An hour and a half later, and the Airport has crumbled down into the aftermath of a war zone fought tooth and nail by both fans and the media, alike. Tonight, everyone's a paparazzi fiend. Imagine the worst natural disaster you can, multiply the damages by a gazillion billion - and the scene of the crime is set. Mama Bieber was knocked over in the pandemonium, Bieber's favourite hat was nicked, and even his manager had to yell at security to be allowed access to the get-away-van. An unhappy Justin Bieber, takes to Twitter to spread the tale of his airport welcome - "Finally got to New Zealand last night. The airport was crazy. Not happy that someone stole my hat and knocked down my mama. Come on people" - it's just another day, in the world of JB. The following morning, I ask Bieber if all the frenzied attention makes him feel claustrophobic at all. I warrant his most affirmative reply of the media roundtable: "Exactly! Yeah, yeah, you know... I don't really like that, but you know... it was, whatever." But, had Bieber been expecting last night at all, in the wake of the chaos (ten girls fainting) that tantrum-ed Sydney? "I don't really know. I thought, it could happen, it could not happen. It's 50/50." Justin Bieber is tight-lipped. The kid has been well media-trained - existing on his own special plane of repeating questions as answers, sometimes only adding a single affirmative or negative adjective - the enviable skills of an old-hand. And he sticks to his guns, as well. When other interviewers push him on the question of if he would ever date a New Zealand girl, Bieber politely replies: "I really haven't been here long, I just came in last night, so I don't really know." A journalist hot on the heels of a story, pokes and prods a bit more, pleadingly. But Bieber's in the driver's seat - "I've never been here, so I don't know if I would date one of them."  "I love being a trending topic"-Bieber, brightens up, when I mention his one-true love Chuck Norris. I ask him if a wild hyena or Chuck Norris would win in a fight - and an unguarded Bieber finally shines through - "Oh Chuck Norris would win definitely! That's a fact. AND THAT'S THE TRUTH!". Complete this sentence, I say: If I were Chuck Norris... Bieber's affronted and stares at me in mock-horror: "No, you can't say that! There's only one Chuck Norris." Apparently, the essential wardrobe of Bieber - jeans, sneakers, hat and a hoodie - necessitates the need for his own personal stylist. Enter (the personally appointed by Usher), Ry Good. "I have one of my boys Ry Good. He just helps me figure out what I put on. But at the same time - this - is just comfy, a sweater. Jeans. It's nothing special." I think New Zealand would beg to differ Justin, what with the nation-wide scandal and international uproar, that the mere pilfering of your purple hat caused. Conversing with Bieber, rather warms you up to the kid. His eyes light up when recalling a Beyoncé fanboy moment: "I met Beyoncé and I was pretty star-struck when I met her. It was crazy. It was great to meet her." And he's sincere about his on-tour chaperone as well: "I like having my Mom on tour. Sometimes she can be a little annoying, because I'm with her all the time, but I like having her around." He also misses his friends back home, but admits that he has it pretty good: "I miss my friends. But other than that, I'm having a pretty good life travelling around the world, and just having fun." What other sixteen year old, gets to spend a foreign morning (just casually) bungy-jumping from the Auckland Harbour Bridge? "It was pretty amazing. It was definitely a head rush. I wanna go sky diving now." Or is able to speed-dial his mentor Usher, for advice? Gems like - "stay humble and grounded through everything" - inspire the Bieber machine forward, towards his ultimate dreams. "I think it would be amazing to win a Grammy. As well as to just excel at what I do. And just get better and stuff."  Haters? Whatever! Justin couldn't care less. His enterprise has banked many a pretty penny, star choreographer Jamaica Craft hooks him up with his dance-moves, and (pre-new Twitter laws) he literally trends on Twitter when he tweets - what's there to cry about? It's a topic he's weary of - and when asked about it - he matter-of-factly states that: "I don't really deal with it, because I don't really pay attention to it." Bieber's really got a way, of delivering those one-liners in under 140 characters. Perhaps it's a case of his real-life speech mirroring his online communications - or vice versa - but either way, he's polite and thankful, towards all those that pay their respects to him. His grandiose efforts to write back to fans on Twitter, fuel the smouldering crushes of tweens, and set the bar for other modern entertainers. "I try to respond to as many as I can in a day. Like either re-tweet people or DM [ direct message ] them, or follow them. And yeah, try to do as many as I can." ...and puberty? Not a problem. Team Bieber lowers the key of hit single 'Baby' when sung live now - and judging by the ear-bursting shrieks of fans at the high-school show he plays before jetting from our shores - his fans couldn't care less. As any true Belieber would tell you anyway - Bieber can play the piano, drums, guitar and the trumpet - who needs high notes, when you're a self-taught musician?  Justin Bieber has a 4.0 GPA - New Zealanders, this means straight A's - not bad, for an away-schooled kid, even if he needs to check how to correctly spell New Zealand, while hand-writing a message for a tween-mag. "If I was at home, I'd be homeschooled. I'm away-schooled. I have a tutor [ Jenny ] that travels with me. And we do school every morning. And just keep up on studies and stuff. I don't really have a favourite subject to be honest, because I don't really love school. But English - if I had to choose - English would be my favourite subject." Scholarly questions aside, Bieber (as well as his manager) is surprisingly, unfamiliar with Pokémon. Maybe it's the Canadian in him, maybe it's a generation gap... whatever. He's good-natured enough though, to accept our nicknaming of him as 'Biebermon', when Scooter asks what we would call him, if Justin were a Pokémon. Pre-Biebergate - insert German language jokes here - Justin promises that he will return to New Zealand. "I don't know when, but I will come back." And third time's the charm, yeah? He's asked again, if kiwi girls can entertain future hopes of courtship, and this time, the answer is a "maybe". JUSTIN BIEBER's 'My Worlds' is in-stores now. Features the singles 'One Time', 'One Less Lonely Girl', 'Baby', 'Never Let You Go', 'Eenie Meenie', 'Somebody To Love' - and Bieber's own favourite - 'Up'. "I just like the concept of how your relationship can only go up. I just like that song, it's my favourite."  |
