We examine the teen idol’s career prospects following My World 2.0. By James Montgomery Justin Bieber Photo: Larry Marano/ Getty Images Justin Bieber is only 16 years old and has just an EP and one full-length ( My World 2.0, which, if you’re reading this, you’ve probably already purchased) in his discography, but it’s never too early to start asking: What’s next? More specifically, where does Bieber go from here? Barring some colossal event — meteorite, sandstorm, etc. — My World 2.0 will debut at #1 on next week’s Billboard albums chart, with some speculating that it could sell upward of 500,000 copies in its first week of release. Next month, he’ll perform on “Saturday Night Live,” and in June, he’ll launch an arena tour. But what happens after that? How will Bieber’s career pan out? It’s insanely early to posit questions such as these, but when an artist manages to capture the pop-music zeitgeist in the way Biebs has (and do it at such a young age), sometimes you’ve just got to ask. So we reached out to some experts to see just how high Bieber can go. Turns out, they tend to think the answer is already right before our eyes, in the careers of some of today’s pop luminaries. “He is signed with Usher, and he’s the same age as Usher was when he first became a star. Justin Timberlake too. So they’re the model for him,” Entertainment Weekly music critic Leah Greenblatt said. “Like both of them, he keeps it sort of clean, so moms can feel good about playing his music too. I can see him playing a bunch of instruments, so perhaps, like Justin, he moves into making more organic music, and each of his albums get progressively more interesting.” “It depends on how much he continues to put himself out there. The model is a Lady Gaga or a Ke$ha, for better or worse,” music critic Maura Johnston added. “Gaga is always reaching out to her fans, and Bieber is very savvy about that. But the question is: What happens after his fans see him live? Where else is there to go as far as experiencing him as a fan?’ So he has to keep that momentum going. “And that’s why I say Ke$ha, because that’s sort of the downside of this. She’s sort of retreated into herself and believing her own B.S. It’s a turnoff to fans. Whereas with Gaga, she’s super invested in communicating with them,” she continued. “And Bieber is similar. But his hooks are his good looks and the fact that his fans think they can tweet him and get his attention. Teen idols are supposed to be really untouchable. But Bieber really isn’t like that. You might not get a phone call from him, but there’s a chance he might ‘@ reply’ to you on Twitter, and that’s enough.” A lot of what happens to Bieber seems to rely on his willingness to keep building on that momentum, and that bodes favorably. Because by all accounts, he is blessed with a rather prodigious work ethic. Music is what he does for fun. “He seems like an instinctive performer. He loves working,” Greenblatt said. “I know from his label rep that he plays drums and guitar on almost every track on the album, and he can learn a new instrument in like 30 minutes. So he’s sort of a savant, which is something you don’t get from a packaged tween star.” But all the hard work in the world can only take Bieber so far. Because at some point down the road, he’s going to face the great teen-idol equalizer: He is going to grow up, his voice is going to change, and he’s going to have to make the leap from boyhood to (young) manhood. It’s a roadblock many can’t seem to overcome. Will Bieber buck the trend? Only time will tell. “The big question is: What will happen when his voice breaks?” Greenblatt said. “But supposedly, your voice is like a muscle, where if you work on it, it won’t break. So who knows? If he tops out at 5-foot-3, that may be an issue too.” “He definitely has to capitalize on now, on being younger, while at the same time trying to figure out what he’s going to do next,” Johnston added. “That’s tough to do. It’s interesting to watch today’s teen idols attempting to move on. Nick Jonas is trying it now, with middling results. I mean, I like that he has members of the New Power Generation in his band, but I don’t think kids understand it.” Then again, all the postulating in the world only matters so much. Ultimately, it will be Bieber’s fans who have the final say about his career, and, well, they don’t show any sign of deserting him anytime soon. “How can you not [love him]?” fan Brooke Bonstead told MTV News. “He’s just amazing. I mean, come on, everyone has Bieber fever. He’s a teenage boy. All teenage girls like him, and he can relate to all teenage people.” “[I like him] a lot, like an infinite amount,” another Bieber fan, Rachel Bower, added. “I just think he’s really talented and he’s really mature for his age. He’s not an ordinary teenybopper performer.” What do you think is next for Justin? Do you think he’ll have a long career? Let us know in the comments! MTV News will be rolling out previews from “The Diary of Justin Bieber” all week — don’t miss the full show, airing on MTV Sunday at 7:30 p.m. ET! Related Videos Sneak Peek: ‘The Diary Of Justin Bieber’ Related Photos Behind-The-Scenes Of ‘Diary Of Justin Bieber’: Paris Behind-The-Scenes Of ‘Diary Of Justin Bieber’: Chelsea Piers Related Artists Justin Bieber
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Is Justin Bieber The Next Justin Timberlake? Experts Weigh In
