The teen phenom who’s moved countless fans with his story, music and charity work draws his own motivation from Michael Jackson, R. Kelly and more.
Anyone who’s seen Justin Bieber’s hit movie Never Say Never knows that it is all about inspiration — his story has motivated millions of fans to reach for their dreams, and his music inspired those same loyalists’ parents to hop to their feet.
Throw in his charity work with Pencils of Promise and the Make-A-Wish Foundation, both receiving portions of the profits from sales of his Someday fragrance, and you couldn’t ask for a better meeting of hearts, minds and tunes.
So what motivates this great giver? We asked Bieber, who hit the studio with Chris Brown on Monday, to list five songs he finds inspiring, including a couple of his own.
“Man In the Mirror” by Michael Jackson
“You can feel the emotion in what he’s saying, and how it’s about looking into yourself. The message behind it is great. It’s a really inspiring song.”
“I Believe I Can Fly” by R. Kelly
“This song is kind of like Never Say Ever, where anything is possible, and you just have to believe. It’s definitely uplifting.”
“Dear God” by Boyz II Men
“My mom has been listening to Boyz II Men ever since I was little. It was always on in the house. Now, this song is in my iTunes.”
“Down to Earth” by Justin Bieber
“It’s about my parents splitting up when I was really little and about the struggles I went through and am still going through. I think that’s inspiring because so many kids’ parents are divorced nowadays.”
“Never Say Never” by Justin Bieber, featuring Jaden Smith
“We actually did the song ‘Never Say Never’ first, so in a way it inspired the movie, which is basically about me, a small town kid, being able to live his dream and be successful. The message is don’t ever give up, so I think it was perfect for that.”
THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER