Justin Bieber might be the modern king of all media.
The teen heartthrob has the Web wired - he's a YouTube discovery with almost 6 million followers on Twitter. He makes hit music, with an album and concert tour in the nation's top 20 and a new album on the way in a few weeks. He's got a movie coming out early next year, and on Sunday, he drew enough fans to temporarily shut down a Barnes & Noble bookstore where he promoted his autobiography, "First Step 2 Forever: My Story."
More than 1,000 teen and tween girls, a handful of boys, and their parents waited in a long line that snaked through the popular Grove shopping center for a chance to meet the shaggy-haired Canadian singer. All had secured wristbands days earlier when they bought Bieber's book, a photo-packed hardcover about his rise to fame that sells for $21.99.
The store closed its doors and blocked them with black curtains as fans streamed in to collect their signed books and pose for a photo with the 16-year-old star.
Before the fan-demonium began ("Oh my God, he touched my hair!" one girl said), Bieber talked about his book and his future ambitions.
Q: Your fans know your story - why tell them again in a book?
A: I don't know if they know it completely. I've never gotten the chance to really tell them myself. I've told them in interviews and people have written articles, but it's not really from me. I was able to write all my thoughts down and basically tell them, basically, how I'm feeling, you know? Just different stuff like that.
Q: One revelation is your religion and faith. How do you reconcile that with the temptations of Hollywood?
A: Hollywood is ... a scary place. There's a lot going on, there's a lot of bad things, but there's also a lot of good things. I'm able to live my dream, I'm able to do a lot of good things. Basically, I don't even consider religion. Like, I'm a Christian, I believe in God, I believe that Jesus died on a cross for my sins. I believe that I have a relationship and I'm able to talk to him and really, he's the reason I'm here, so I definitely have to remember that. As soon as I start forgetting, I've got to click back and be like, you know, this is why I'm here.
Q: You've accomplished a lot already. Where do you see things going for you?
A: I see myself being like, 30, like, married, like, probably. I don't know. It seems far away for me. But I want to be a young dad. I don't want to be old and not be able to kick around the soccer ball, you know? ... I see myself making a smooth transition from being a teenage, um, you know, teenage heartthrob basically to, you know, to an adult singer. I want to make that smooth transition, kind of like Usher or Justin Timberlake did it.
Q: And keep music your focus?
A: Exactly. People are always like, 'So, your hair is your trademark' and stuff. I'm like, no. My voice is my trademark, you know?
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