For people outside of Justin Bieber‘s core audience — say, anyone who’s not a 12-year-old girl — it can be easy to dismiss the teen idol as a blip in pop culture, the answer to a trivia question about this decade in 20 years. But that might be a mistake.
Yes, he’s only 16, and his adorable haircut makes it difficult to take him seriously, but JBiebs is a star by any definition. For proof, consider that he recently sold out New York’s legendary Madison Square Garden in 22 minutes! Footage from that show will be packaged as part of a documentary of the former YouTube sensation’s life that’s set to hit theaters on Valentine’s Day. He’s also filmed a guest role on one of TV’s biggest shows, “CSI,” and his future most likely includes a movie produced by a guy named Will Smith. Maybe you’ve heard of him?
And that’s not all. In a new interview with Teen Vogue, Justin makes it clear his world takeover is not yet complete. He suggests Selena Gomez would be the perfect co-star for him in a romantic comedy, and during a conversation with his manager, Scooter Braun, Justin seems eager to do more acting, despite a booked-solid schedule for at least the rest of the year.
“I want to be the lead star in a movie. Can we make that happen, Scooter?” Justin asks.
“I think everyone wants that,” his manager answers.
“Yo, but why don’t we do it … soon?” Justin asks again.
If the Canadian crooner sounds like a normal teen, that’s because he spends a lot of time doing things like skateboarding and hanging out with his friends. Of course, his female-heavy fan base can occasionally be a problem. The singer kindly offered some advice for those who choose to approach him: “Just talk to me. Ask me how I’m doing,” he advises. “Introduce yourself instead of yelling, ‘Justin! Justin! Justin! Can I have a picture?’ And don’t come up to me while I’m eating. How would you like it if I came into your house and started taking pictures of you while you were eating? I hate that.”
With so much success, the pop star himself admits that even he’s sometimes overwhelmed. “It’s still amazing to see people wearing my shirts,” he says. “But I feel like I can’t get away from myself. Like, I go to Walmart and I just want to go get some boxers and socks, but there are posters of me everywhere. Or my song comes on the radio, and it’s like, ‘Aah!’”
We know the feeling, Justin, but it’s something we all had better get used to.
Pick up the new Teen Vogue on newsstands September 14.
