Justin Bieber's voice may have dropped recently, but that doesn't mean his label is about to drop him.
His mentor, Usher, inadvertently ensured that wouldn't happen.
The chairman of Island Def Jam Music Group, Antonio (L.A.) Reid, who signed Bieber in 2008, has revealed that he "lost it" when the 16-year-old singer's mentor, Usher, went through puberty in the early 1990s.
"I wasn't there for Usher," Reid told The Hollywood Reporter of the R&B singer he signed to IDJ at the age of 14. "I heard him at a showcase, and he couldn't sing. I was embarrassed. It was like: 'Damn, where's the voice? What happened to his tone? Where's the power and the range?' It was all gone."
Reid, whose label includes acts like Rihanna, Mariah Carey and Kanye West, said he "wanted to be out of business" with Usher after he heard his voice drop in 1994. He only changed his mind when Puffy assured him that Usher was "still going to be a star."
"No man is perfect, and no executive knows how to make all the right decisions," Usher told THR. "But losing my voice f---ed me up. I had to figure it out."
Justin Bieber, who is about to turn 17 on March 1, is currently experiencing a deepening of his voice, which fans first noticed when he took the stage to perform "Pray” at the American Music Awards in November.
His voice cracked midway through the show, and Reid hired vocal coach Jan Smith -- who helped Usher through his performances – to help Bieber with "vocal conditioning."
"I know how to be encouraging now," Reid told THR. "I wasn't that way to Usher. I didn't give him the same kind of love and support at the time. But Puffy was right."
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