Entertainment mogul Scooter Braun said “no one” wanted to take Justin Bieber seriously at the start of his career because he was “too young.”
American Braun, 40, is known in the music industry as the manager of acts such as Ariana Grande, Demi Lovato and Bieber as well as being the founder of labels Schoolboy Records and Ithaca Ventures.
Throughout his two-decade career, he has worked with Eminem, Britney Spears, Justin Timberlake, and Usher.
Talking to Gentleman’s Journal about discovering Bieber at 13 he said: “No-one wanted him. No-one wanted to listen, and they said he was too young. So, we just started building it ourselves. We went from 60,000 views when I met him to 66 million when we signed the record deal.”
“But from the first video I saw of him, I had a complete vision of him being the biggest artist in the world. And I saw it so clearly. And I had complete conviction in him, and I never doubted him once. And even after 18 when the world doubted him and he went through a tough period, I never doubted him.”
Braun said he was “so proud” of Bieber, who is married to model Hailey Baldwin, and the man he is today after a difficult period in his late teens.
“I’m so proud of who he is as a man today at 27. To be the most googled person in the world throughout your adolescence, and to come out on the other side — poised, confident, kind, and happily married — I’m just so proud of him.”
Braun, who is an advocate for gun control in the US has, in the past, spoken out about gun laws. He told Variety in 2018: “I know in this town a lot of artists are afraid to come out and have this conversation.
“My question for you is, is selling records important? Yes. But if you really want to be historic, if you want to be that artist, understand that these kids are 20 years away from being the next leaders, and they are going to change [gun laws]. It is just a matter of time. If you want to be on the right side of history, help them.”
He spoke about his experience with guns in the interview, suggesting he used to carry a weapon while working as a promoter.
Read Scooter Braun’s full interview on thegentlemansjournal.com
