Usher’s been flexing his executive muscle as of late. In late 2008, the singer inked promising pop act Justin Bieber to a joint venture between the Raymond-Braun Music Group and L.A. Reid’s Island Def Jam.
Usher’s instincts have seemingly paid off thus far. Bieber has released three Top 20 singles in the past year, including “Baby” featuring Ludacris. Furthermore, Bieber’s debut, “My World” hit stores last Tuesday (March 23) and is projected to sell between 225 to 250, 000 copies in its first week. To let Usher tell it, it’s just the beginning.
“Justin Bieber from the moment that I met him, I recognized that he was poised to be successful,” Usher told BET.com. “He just had a star quality that just comes once in a lifetime, but more than anything it was the fact that he would develop to be such an incrdible talent. The fact that he can play keys, he can play guitar, he can play drums, and he taught himself, that just showed just how much determination he had as a musician. To be self-taught and to want to emulate the artists that he would sing their songs.”
“It just said something about his character and what he would develop to become, so giving him the right records, giving him the right stages to perform on and introducing him in a way where people would be able to recognize his talent, it begins the story,” he added. “What you’re seeing right now is just the beginning of what it will be.”
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