More than 15 years after they first crossed paths, Usher is reflecting on how Justin Bieber’s early career nearly looked very different.
For a bit of context, it’s widely known that Usher played a very important role in making JB the superstar he is today. After he was discovered online by Scooter Braun, a then-unknown Bieber had a chance meeting with Usher in 2008 and took it upon himself to sing for him.
As has been documented, Biebs impressed the R&B legend with a rendition of his hit song, “U Got It Bad,” and later that year he was signed to Usher and Scooter’s joint record label, Raymond Braun Media Group.
However, looking back on JB’s meteoric rise to fame today, Usher recalled that his master plan was nearly thwarted by another big name in the music industry.
Speaking to People for a new cover story, Usher said that Justin Timberlake was also very keen to sign the then-13-year-old Bieber, resulting in an all-out “bidding war.”
“When you are at the top of your game, some of the greatest things will be presented to you, and it was, I think, right after [my album] Confessions that I was introduced to Justin Bieber and Scooter Braun,” Usher recalled, noting that he had a previous link to Scooter through Jermaine Dupri.
“We built a friendship, but this would obviously create a partnership that would span us forever, and it was a bit of a bidding war between me and Justin Timberlake,” he said.
Remembering exactly how he convinced Scooter to choose him to mentor Bieber, Usher said he pointed out an obvious flaw in siding with Timberlake: “There can only be one Justin.”
“If you want to go with Justin, that’s Justin and Justin. Me, it’s only one Justin,” he recalled telling Scooter.
What’s more, Usher said that at the time, Scooter wasn’t fully confident that he “saw himself as a full-service manager” and entrepreneur, meaning he needed convincing to take on the challenge together.
“I think that you can do this,” Usher remembered telling Scooter. “I believe in you, and if we can have a partnership, I’ll give you every bit of wisdom that I have and grow you and support you in whatever you’re trying to accomplish as a businessman.”
He continued: “You are a manager. You’re not just a guy who can discover artists. You are someone who just needs someone to believe in, and I believe in, and I’ll support you.”
Of course, Scooter ended up striking a winning deal with Usher, who went on to serve as a close friend and mentor to Bieber for years and years to come.
“I presented Scooter an offer that I felt like he couldn’t resist,” Usher said, looking back on the pivotal moment. “I was like, I’m not certain that I could understand each and every producer that this artist could benefit from, but what I can tell you is I’m going to give you my passion, and I’m going to give you every bit of what I have to offer.”
All these years later, it’s easy to wonder how differently Bieber’s career might have turned out if he’d been mentored by Timberlake instead. And while Usher didn’t directly speculate about this, he did share some words of praise for his fellow artist.
“We are all unique artists and have our creativity,” he said of Timberlake, noting that they’ve had similar careers in some ways.
“I love the producers that he works with, so much so that I worked with them, and I think he loves the producers that I worked with, so much so that he’s worked with them,” he continued. “I’ve always wanted to do a record with Justin, and I have reached out many times, but we’ve never managed to make it happen.”