Because we’re in Grammy season, I thought we’d start by talking about Justin, who has had an amazing run; what’s your strategy, and what do you anticipate for him with respect to the Grammys?

I like to hope for the best. I think it’s very hard, sometimes, with an album that came out last November, for people to remember the significance of that album. I think that “Love Yourself” is one of the best records in a long time, period. I hope what he and Ed Sheeran and Benny Blanco did together is recognized by his peers.

My point of view on Justin’s album is very simple: It deserves all the accolades, and the reason is as follows: He was hated. There’s not a voter out there who was voting for Justin Bieber. Adele is phenomenal, but we all love Adele. Her latest album had 900k pre-orders before we even heard a song. It’s sacrilegious to say anything bad about Beyoncé; we love her. People didn’t love Justin Bieber. They trashed-talked him, despised him. Big executives who are supposed to be on his team told me his career was over. And his album changed all that, to the point where he’s had more number ones on his album than any of the other people we’re talking about, and sold more copies than anyone ever dreamed this album would do.

I think that when we’re judging on the Grammys, we’re supposed to judge based on the music. If we do, this album is undeniable because it made us love Justin Bieber again—a feat that everyone thought was impossible. People told me it’s impossible to make a teenage act that’s hated become an adult. Justin Bieber is at the height of his career; he’s bigger than he was before, based on Purpose, and I hope that people recognize that, put their feelings about him aside and judge him based on the music. I think everyone can agree this was a great album and it deserves the appreciation.

This record has seemed to disarm any reservations people might’ve had.

Yeah, and I think “Love Yourself” in particular is going to be a timeless record. Last year the Song of the Year was “Thinking Out Loud,” and Ed Sheeran just told me that “Love Yourself” worldwide has sold more copies than even “Thinking Out Loud.” He said it was the biggest-selling song of his career.

This album has converted so many people that I think Justin will become a name for a long time at the Grammys. But he hasn’t established himself in that way yet, and I hope that people give this album its just due and help him do that. This album deserves it.

Let’s talk about some of these other artists. Ariana is on the cusp of another huge hit; can you retrace how things have worked between you?

We met when she was on Nickelodeon. We had two big #1 albums together. We made a third album together, and when we finished that album we were burned out. We were kind of at a point with each other—there were people in her personal life who were very toxic for our relationship. Those people are now gone, and six months passed and she called me, and we actually stayed close during those six months. There was a period of about a month where we weren’t close, and then we started to realize it was between us. She called me and said “Can we get together?” She said, “I don’t like how certain things have gone, and the chemistry that we have is what I want.” We hugged and that was it. I think that six-month period only made us stronger.

What’s the trajectory for her going forward?

Well she’s got a huge smash now; she can act, sing, dance and play. Look at the great talents who’ve stood the test of time. Her performance on SNL really shows the breadth of what she can do. So I think the sky’s the limit for her, because she really is a special, special talent. We’re already working on new music and reading a bunch of scripts, and I think the next phase for her is continuing to put out great records while expanding upon her acting abilities and potential to produce as well.

Let’s take a second to talk about Tori Kelly.

Tori is primed for greatness right now. When the last album came out, no one expected anything; she did 78k the first week, which shocked everybody. And that was before she had ever gone out on a real tour. Now she’s done two major tours, selling out Brixton in London, selling out the Greek in L.A. I mean, she’s doing 6,000 tickets a night and she’s never had a huge, huge hit. So I think what’s really exciting is that this fan base is just dying for her, and we just got a chance to do the movie Sing, which comes out from Illumination on Dec. 21. And she’s the star of the movie, with Seth MacFarlane, Reese Witherspoon, and Scarlett Johansson, and she just shines. It’s an animated film and she plays this shy elephant in this singing competition; she sings a bunch of songs and plays this character, and she’s just phenomenal. The film, I think, is going to be a huge success.

She’s going to grow the fan base even more. I just think that she’s one of the most special voices I’ve ever met, and I’m really, really excited. And we have a bunch of new acts coming up that I’m really excited about.

The fans don’t need the traditional media as an intermediary.

I’ll put it this way: If Justin Bieber or Lady Gaga had gone through the hard times that they went through in the past, their careers might have been over. The gatekeepers might have shut the door on them. But with their social-media reach, the power that they have directly with their fans, you could not silence them. It’s more authentic now.


x

Originally posted by Loveyoubxtch

Originally posted by MusicTalker

He is such a great manager. If I could pick any manager in the world, it would be him tbh.

Originally posted by RihsusChrist(ATG)

I think Scooter and Tori are in a relationship, have to be for Tori to get all these projects, and music promotions with no success to qualify getting them.

Originally posted by Cookie

Let Ariana start producing king

Not him shading Ricky and DW like that