Justin Bieber, the unhinged monkey-abandoning graffiti artist and sometime pop star, is having some trouble transitioning from teenage phenom to here-to-stay adult musician. He explained all of this to the Hollywood Reporter in a lengthy interview, all the while dressed in a "cherry-red" onesie. Oh, Justin.
It's been a bumpy road to adulthood, explained manager Scooter Braun, so Bieber has had some help along the way ... and some of his closest mentors will surprise you:
Eminem
Eminem's manager, Paul Rosenberg, told Braun: "If you ever want Eminem to talk to him, he would do it in a second. He cares about that kid." (Turns out Eminem's daughter Hailie Mathers, 17, was a Belieber who got to spend quality time with her idol at his Detroit tour stops.)
Drake
Drake always is first to react to a TMZ Bieber headline. "He'll text me, like, 'What the hell is going with this? I'm pissed. I'm calling him right now. I'm about to go in on him,'" reveals Braun. "Drake is like a big brother to Justin. And Justin really looks up to Drake. They have an extremely special relationship."
Pastor Judah Smith
... the buds accompanying Bieber to this THR cover photo shoot in L.A. include Pastor Judah Smith of Seattle's nondenominational City Church, an adviser who texts Bieber daily with a scripture chosen specifically for the singer (Smith met the teen and his mother, Pattie Mallette, at a 2010 sermon).
Will Smith
But the most present mentor is Will Smith. Braun tells of a particularly tough time for Bieber around the time he returned from his world tour in May that prompted the movie star to drive to Bieber's house and pull him out of bed for a three-hour talk. Bieber's reaction, according to Braun: "He said, 'Man, that makes me feel so loved. I woke up, and there's Will Smith, one of, if not the, biggest movie stars on the planet. He took time out of his day for me.'"
Now, Bieber and Smith have a weekly call to go over any potential issues, emotional or otherwise.
Read the rest of the profile at THR.
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