If nothing else, the existence of Justin Bieber has been a useful lightening rod to draw out crazy people from all walks of life and encourage them to make their presence known across the internet.

I’m not talking about his fans, you understand, it’s perfectly rational to be massively into a good-looking pop star, especially if you’re young and he seems to be singing directly to you in an inviting way. No, the people I mean are those who would seek to destroy Justin and his work, via the medium of saying hateful things while hiding behind a fake name.

There’s been no end of it. It’s like you’re not really at one with the modern web world if you can’t express where you stand. Battle lines have been drawn and everything.

Last month, for example, there was a minor kerfuffle around this song, because a musician called Shamantis edited it so that it was 800-times slower, turning it from a cute, ’50s-style pop song into a startling half-hour ambient epic.

(it’s here, if you want to hear it…. It’ll do until Justin finishes the ‘U Smile’ video, at any rate.)

The response was as predictable as it was enormous. There was a lot of squirming. People who are definitely not comfortable admitting there is anything worthwhile to Justin’s music found themselves entranced by this whale-noise, and then having to affect an attitude, saying they would only be prepared to consider allowing Justin access to the hallowed hunting grounds of their personal taste if he was THIS drastically altered, and therefore unrecogniseable as himself.

Other people took this a step further, claiming the whole thing is a fake, an actual ambient song made by a group called Photon Wave Orchestra which sounds a bit like a slowed-down Justin Bieber song. Because the idea that Justin Bieber could be involved in something which sounds a) beautiful and b) arty is so UNTHINKABLE that it just HAS to be a fake, right?

Well it seems not. Anyone with access to audio editing software can verify that it’s the real deal, and Justin himself even sent a tweet to Shamantis, saying “this version of U SMILE is incredible to just chill out and fall asleep to. feels EPIC. gotta love music.”

And that’s really the point. Justin’s a massively hot global pop star at the moment, there’s a lot of money to be made from someone in that situation, the business side of what he does is going to be machine-like and ruthless and probably brutal. It may even turn out not to have been very good for him personally, to be this famous at such a tender age…

…but what he does is exactly the same as what everyone on the Mercury Prize list does, and what Bob Dylan did, and what every act in the NME does. He makes music. It might not be to everyone’s taste, but here’s the kicker, NEITHER IS ANYONE ELSE’S.

For the record, I like ‘U Smile’ probably more than any other Justin Bieber song to date. It’s a sweet song, sung in soulful rasp that could easily be a teenage Michael Jackson (with a bit of a cold). To claim there’s anything evil about it as music is ridiculous. And to admit that it’s not half bad won’t turn you into a teenage girl, unless you already are one.

AND what is so bad about being a teenage girl anyway? More than half of the population of the world have been one at some point, and they seem pretty OK.

Apart from the crazy ones, of course.

Download: Out now
www.justinbiebermusic.com
BBC Music page

(Fraser McAlpine)

PS: Of course, the next step is to claim that the slowed-down version was commissioned by Team Bieber in the first place in order to drum up interest in the single release. Which has kind of worked, if it’s true. Dammit.

Common Sense Media says: “You’ve gotta hand it to Justin Bieber: while many of his peers release songs that follow the same boring synth-pop formula, Bieber tries to mix it up with different musical styles.”

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Young singer’s tattoo is apparently of a bird in flight.
By Kara Warner

src="http://www.mtv.com/shared/promoimages/bands/b/bieber_justin/tattoo_splash_news/281x211.jpg"/>



Justin Bieber gets a tattoo at the Son of a Gun tattoo parlor in Toronto


Photo: Splash News

When you think about musicians with tattoos, teen sensation Justin Bieber is probably not the first — nor the hundredth — to come to mind. Yet on Monday (May 17), photos emerged showing the young singer getting, and then sporting, a small tattoo on his torso.

Two photos are making the rounds: one is a shot of Bieber sitting in a tattoo parlor, shirt pulled up, with the tattoo artist finishing up his work. The other finds him playing on a beach in Sydney, Australia, with the tattoo visible on his pelvis.

According to the photographic evidence, the tattoo is of a small bird in flight. And while Bieber’s reps had not commented on the matter at press time, the agency that supplied the photo said the inking took place in March, the tattoo is part of a Bieber family tradition and that his dad, Jeremy Bieber, was alongside Justin when he got the ink at the Son of a Gun tattoo parlor in Toronto. The senior Bieber then “showed his approval by giving a thumbs-up when they posed for a photo with staff.”

Bieber’s fans have already taken to Twitter to post their reactions to his ink.

“OMG!! U cant believe what I just read!!” treasure_girl8 wrote. “Justin Bieber has a tattoo on the left hip?!?!?! WHAT?? Is that true??”

“Whenever my dad tells me I’m a disappointment for having a tattoo, I will remind him that Justin Bieber, 16, has one,” glass_passenger wrote.

StopJBFanWar said simply, “Justin Bieber has a tattoo? That’s hot.”

What do you think about the Justin Bieber tattoo photos? Let us know in the comments below!

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Ludacris, Ke$ha, Adam Lambert also on festival bill.
By Matt Elias

src="http://www.mtv.com/shared/promoimages/news/w/wango_tango_2010/bieber/281x211.jpg"/>



Justin Bieber performs at Wango Tango 2010


Photo: Tim Mosenfelder/ Getty Images

KIIS-FM’s annual Wango Tango festival stormed Los Angeles’ Staples Center on Saturday night. While the energy was massive inside the sold-out arena — with a bill that included Usher, Justin Bieber, Ludacris, Ke$ha, Akon, Adam Lambert and David Guetta — it was equally buzzing backstage with artists and entourages mixing it up.

Maybe they enjoyed themselves a little too much, as Ke$ha joked that she had already made out with glam-man Adam Lambert by the time she made it to our interview. She was also looking forward to corrupting pint-sized popster Bieber. No doubt she was excited to take part in the show, which has become an institution in the music industry and a signal that artists have made it.

“I’m gonna treat it like a big fun summer dance party,” Ke$ha told MTV News. “But I have to say, it’s an honor [to perform] and I’m a little nervous.”

Sharing that excitement was Wango Tango veteran Ludacris, who shouted, “Three-peat! Three-peat!” He continued, “This is my third time doing it, so it feels good to have done it that many times.”

While the artists were amped to participate, KIIS-FM DJ and multitasker Ryan Seacrest shared what was really setting the vibe backstage.

“The vibe is ‘Where is Justin Bieber?’ — that’s the vibe,”
Seacrest said. “All the girls that are hanging out here, even the ones that work for us, are like, ‘Have you seen him?’ I’m like, ‘I’m right here.’ They’re like, ‘No, no. Justin Bieber him.’ ”

When Bieber took the stage later in the night, he sent the Staples Center into an uproar. He was welcomed onstage by some people who know a thing or two about screaming crowds: Ashley Greene, Nikki Reed and other cast members of the upcoming “Twilight” film “Eclipse.”

The 16-year-old Canadian sensation started his seven-song set with “Love Me,” an ode to the ’90s greatness of the Cardigans’ “Lovefool.”
Bieber, wearing a gray military jacket and a set of dog tags around his neck, followed with “One Less Lonely Girl.” To the envy of every teen girl in the crowd, Justin serenaded a lucky female fan onstage and handed her a bouquet of flowers, giving her a big hug at the end.

Next up in Bieber’s arsenal were “Somebody to Love,” “U Smile” and “One Time.” Then, in one of the most impressive performances of the night, Bieber sang and danced along to Michael Jackson’s classic “Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin’ ” while his dancers took turns doing freestyle dance moves. Backed by a live band, the medley then shifted into Aerosmith’s “Walk This Way.” Bieber proclaimed, “Put your rock stars in the air!” and the crowd raised their hands up in the famous devil horns gesture.

During the cover, bandmembers took turns doing solos, ending with Justin on the drums playing a solo of his own. If the crowd hadn’t gotten enough, Justin closed his set with “Baby,” the biggest sing-along of the night.
Ludacris quickly followed Bieber with a slew of hits, including “Stand Up,” “What’s Your Fantasy” and “My Chick Bad.” British singer Taio Cruz joined Luda onstage for their current hit “Break Your Heart.”

From one Atlanta artist to another, Usher followed up Luda’s set with a nearly hour-long performance that spanned his entire catalogue. Usher worked hard all night, dancing and sweating through his set. Most impressive, though, was his voice, which wasn’t aided by a backing track.

The Raymond v. Raymond singer tore through early favorites like “Caught Up,” “You Make Me Wanna” and “U Remind Me.” But when Usher went all the way back to “My Way,” things really heated up. He pulled off some suggestive crotch grabs reminiscent of his idol Michael Jackson before getting down on the ground with a mic stand and doing things that would make Justin Bieber blush.

The crowd ate it up. “Love in This Club” and “Lil Freak” made the temperature rise so much that Usher had to rip off his vest, apparently forgetting that his headset mic was wired through it. He had to take a moment to unplug, the only hiccup of the night. No need to worry, the Staples Center was with him. He closed the night with “Yeah!” and current hit “OMG,” while a shower of confetti rained down on the sweaty masses.

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‘My mom used to watch it when I was little and we were like, ‘I could get on there, you know,’ ‘ singer says.
By Jocelyn Vena, with reporting by Tim Kash

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Justin Bieber


Photo: MTV News

Justin Bieber was spotted in the audience at “American Idol” a few weeks back when his mentor Usher performed on the show. But Bieber himself will get the opportunity to perform on the “Idol” stage during Wednesday’s (April 21) “Idol Gives Back” special. And the singer said he could have easily been one of the contestants on the stage if everything had worked differently.

“For sure! You know … we used to watch [the show]. Me and my mom used to watch it when I was little and we were like, ‘I could get on there, you know,’ ” he told MTV News. “When I turned 16, I might have went and tried out, but this was faster,” he said of being discovered on YouTube.

Bieber also said that he stopped by the show to help out with charitable organizations and actually did not give advice to any of the “Idol” hopefuls. “It was great. I was just there. I didn’t really work with any of the contestants,” he said. “I was there supporting Usher when he performed.”

“Idol” producers handpicked Bieber as one of the many artists to grace the “Idol Gives Back” stage. “I looked at that night as a good night for him to be on, because he’s absolutely phenomenal,” executive producer Cécile Frot-Coutaz explained. “And he’s young and he’s a real inspiration for [the] young generation, so it was a really good fit for him to be in that special episode.”

Are you excited to see Justin Bieber on “Idol Gives Back”? Tell us in the comments below!

Get your “Idol” fix on MTV News’ “American Idol” page, where you’ll find all the latest news, interviews and opinions.

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Photo: Mazur/KCA2010/WireImage
Justin Bieber reclaimed the Number One spot he relinquished to his mentor Usher last week as My World 2.0 ruled the chart despite a 65 percent sales decrease to 102,000 copies, making it the lone album on the Billboard 200 album chart to surpass 100K, according to Nielsen SoundScan. Usher’s Raymond V. Raymond swapped places with the Bieb by coming in Number Two in its second week with 92,000 copies. The biggest surprise on the charts however was Slash, who entered the charts at Number Three with his self-titled solo album. The Velvet Revolver guitarist sold 60,000 copies.

Rounding out the Top Five were a pair of usual suspects: Lady Antebellum’s Need You Now at Four and the 33rd NOW! comp at Five. Only one more new release managed to break into the Top 10 on a slow sales week — overall Top 200 sales were down 23 percent compared to the same week last year — and it was Madonna’s Sticky and Sweet Tour live album at Number 10.

View full post on Rolling Stone : Rock and Roll Daily

‘Whoever I fall in love with, you can be anybody,’ he tells MTV News.
By Jocelyn Vena, with reporting by Tim Kash

src="http://www.mtv.com/shared/promoimages/bands/b/bieber_justin/intv_31610/alt/281x211.jpg"/>



Justin Bieber


Photo: MTV News

While Justin Bieber hasn’t been shy about his crush on Beyoncé, when it comes to falling in love, he said he doesn’t need to date a celebrity. When he meets the right girl, he’ll know it.

“Whoever I fall in love with, you can be anybody,” Bieber told MTV News. “I don’t limit myself.”

Just because Bieber has a packed schedule doesn’t mean he can’t make time for love. “It would just depend,” he said. “I think right now, I’m really busy, but anything can happen. I mean, I wouldn’t mind it.”

So does Bieber have a dream girl? Actually, he has three: “If I can pick any girl … I’m gonna take Meagan Good. I’m gonna take Kim Kardashian. And Beyoncé.”

But Bieber’s first love is his fans. “They make me a trending topic on Twitter every day,” the pop star marveled of his devoted fanbase. “It’s pretty incredible. My fans have made me a trending topic every day. I don’t think there’s been a day in the past month that I haven’t. So it’s pretty incredible.

“I love Twitter,” Bieber added. He finds tweeting the perfect way to share his comings and goings and to communicate directly with a few lucky girls whenever possible. “For sure I use it for being able to interact with my fans as well as promote stuff.”

Do you think Justin Bieber has a chance with Meagan Good, Beyoncé or Kim Kardashian? Tell us in the comments!

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‘I’m really glad they’ve taken a liking to me,’ singer says of supporters like Ludacris and Lil Wayne.
By Jocelyn Vena, with reporting by Tim Kash

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Justin Bieber


Photo: MTV News

Justin Bieber chills with Drake and Ludacris and he’s even gotten a shout-out from Lil Wayne — how does he feel about being embraced by the hip-hop community?

“I like hop-hop a lot. I’m really glad they’ve taken a liking to me,” he told MTV News recently. “Having Luda [on my song 'Baby'] and having Lil Wayne give me shout me out on UStream and, like, you know — it’s cool.”

He added that unlike many of his contemporaries, including pop stars Miley Cyrus and the Jonas Brothers, he didn’t need the House of Mouse to get ahead in the industry. “I think it’s because I didn’t go through the Disney route,” he explained. “I didn’t go corny, but, like, at the same time I’ve been cool and collected.”

And while one of his musical icons got his start on “The Mickey Mouse Club,” Bieber still looks up to Justin Timberlake and his mentor, Usher. “Well, basically I look at people like Usher and Justin Timberlake and how they went from being a child star to blowing up and doing what they’re doing now,” he said. “I look up and see what they do and see that’s what I want to do … and things that I want to do that’s different and things that I wanna do that’s working for them.”

And although he’s working for Usher these days, he admitted he wouldn’t pass up the chance to work with Wayne. “I would love to work with him in the future, but nothing so far,” he explained, adding that despite all the hip-hop in his life he’s actually got a lot of friends who are strictly pop.

“I mean, I just hang out with whoever. I’m also friends with Selena Gomez. I hang out with everyone,” he said, adding any rumors of a swagger coach have been greatly exaggerated. “I mean, it’s just a joke. It’s just something we made up. … I don’t know; I’m just myself.”

MTV News will be rolling out highlights from our exclusive sit-down interview with Justin Bieber all week!

What do you think of Justin Bieber’s hip-hop connection? Tell us in the comments below!

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‘She’s a really nice person,’ Bieber tells MTV News of ‘Saturday Night Live’ host Tina Fey. ‘And she’s cute too!’
By Josh Wigler, with reporting by Tim Kash

src="http://www.mtv.com/shared/promoimages/bands/b/bieber_justin/interview_41110/article/281x211.jpg"/>



Justin Bieber


Photo: MTV News

Justin Bieber and Tina Fey aren’t necessarily the likeliest candidates to share screen time, but that’s exactly what happened over the weekend, as the “Baby” singer was the special musical guest on the latest episode of “Saturday Night Live,” hosted by the “30 Rock” star/writer.

In an exclusive interview with MTV News on Sunday morning (April 11) after the show, Bieber said he was thrilled to participate in “SNL,” particularly alongside Fey. “It was fun, just acting [with Fey],” Bieber said. “It was cool to get to be a part of ‘SNL.’ ”

Musical guests on “Saturday Night Live” are traditionally relegated to two concert appearances over the course of the show, but Bieber happily joined in on several of the evening’s skits. In one particularly memorable segment, Bieber played a mediocre science student named Jason Deeps, but what he lacked in academic knowhow he more than made up for with his “dreamy Christmas elf” looks, causing his teacher (Fey) to fantasize about a romantic life between the two of them involving panini sandwiches and “some Spanx to make her teeny.”

“It was hilarious and it was a lot of fun to do,” Bieber laughed while recalling the skit. “I just tried to act and I thought of bad, bad thoughts [to distract myself].”

When asked if he had an easy time flirting with Fey in the skit, Bieber smiled and answered: “Yeah!”

“She’s cool,” he said of Fey, whose romantic comedy “Date Night” alongside Steve Carell premiered this weekend to strong box-office numbers. “She’s a really nice person. She’s really down to earth, not really like Hollywood. She’s cool. And she’s cute too!”

Bieber said the chance to appear on “SNL” alongside Fey and the rest of the cast was a thrilling opportunity. “It was a lot of fun,” he said. “I really had a great time doing it. Like I said, it was ‘SNL’!”

Tell us what you thought of Justin Bieber’s “Saturday Night Live” appearance in the comments section below!

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‘He was one of the babies in ‘Baby Mama,’ Fey jokes about teen sensation.
By Josh Wigler

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Justin Bieber performs on “Saturday Night Live”


Photo: NBC

Justin Bieber was this week’s musical guest on “Saturday Night Live,” but the teen sensation’s appearance went far beyond that. In fact, Bieber practically acted as a co-host for Tina Fey by energetically participating in several of the show’s skits.

Bieber made his debut during Fey’s opening monologue. The “30 Rock” star joked that she’d noticed an unusual amount of young female fans throughout the week’s preparations for the show. “I must be more of a role model than I thought,” she deadpanned before acknowledging that the fan base had actually gathered for Bieber.

“He was one of the babies in ‘Baby Mama’ — two years ago,” she joked about her past association with the singer.

Bieber then joined Fey on stage for a brief rendition of “I’m Every Woman” (a hit for both Chaka Khan and Whitney Houston), which was used to comically demonstrate how Fey juggles her responsibilities on “30 Rock,” “Date Night” and other creative endeavors, including her guest stint on “SNL.”

Later, Bieber starred in a skit as Jason Deeps, a C+ student in Tina Fey’s fictional high-school science class. Fey’s teacher character constantly fantasized about Bieber’s character, a student she described as “a dreamy Christmas elf” who looked like “a baby bunny sniffing a tiny flower.” In response, Bieber’s Deeps flirted with Fey — presumably setting young hearts aflutter across the country — and sang her a variety of fantasy songs, during which he promised to “buy her a Panini and some spanks to make her teeny.”

Immediately thereafter, Bieber hit the stage for an energetic performance of “Baby,” the hit single from his My World 2.0. LP. Accompanied by a group of dancers, Bieber did a solid job on the song’s rap section, performed by Ludacris on the record.

For his second performance, Bieber sang “U Smile.” At the end of the song, Bieber told Fey that every time she smiles, he smiles.

In addition to Bieber’s contributions, the “Saturday Night Live” gang lampooned several hot topics including Jesse James’ alleged infidelity towards Sandra Bullock, Tiger Woods’ recent return to golf and President Barack Obama’s 2010 Census Form.

Fey also reprised her famous impersonation of Sarah Palin, pretending to launch an Oprah Winfrey-inspired television network with programs such as “Are You Smarter Than a Half-Term Governor,” “That’s So Palin” and “The Tonight Show With Jay Leno.”

The Fey-Bieber lovefest concluded with a big hug during the show’s finale.

What did you think of Justin Bieber’s appearances on “Saturday Night Live”? Let us know in the comments below!

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Photo: Bedder/Getty
Justin Bieber enjoyed just one week at Number One before his mentor Usher booted him from the Billboard 200’s top spot with his own disc, Raymond V Raymond. While Raymond marks Usher’s third consecutive Number One debut, its sales of 329,000 copies couldn’t match 2004’s Confessions (1 million-plus) and 2008’s Here I Stand (443,000 copies) according to Nielsen SoundScan. Still, Raymond V Raymond was the third-highest selling debut of 2010 behind Lady Antebellum’s Need You Now and Sade’s Soldier of Love, Billboard reports.

Despite falling to Number Two in its second week, Bieber’s My World 2.0 became the first album since the Beatles’ 2000 disc 1 to improve on its Number One debut week numbers the following week — My World 2.0’s sales rose 3 percent to 291,000 copies. Following the NOW 33 comp at Number Three, troublemaker Erykah Badu’s New Amerykah Part Two: Return of the Ahnk debuted at Number Four with 110,000 copies, just slightly off Part One’s 125,000 in 2008. Lady Antebellum’s Need You Now rounded out the Top Five.

One more debut of note: Method Man, Ghostface Killah and Raekwon’s Wu-Massacre team-up entered the charts at Number 12.

View full post on Rolling Stone : Rock and Roll Daily