“People need to know I’m not a kid anymore,” Justin Bieber declares in his cover story for the latest issue of V Magazine, where the Pop star, who is approaching his 18th birthday this March, talks about the pressure of coming of age in the spotlight.
He continued, “I’m not going to try to conform to what people want me to be, or go out there and start partying, have people see me with alcohol. I want to do it at my own pace.”
“I don’t want to start singing about things like sex, drugs and swearing,” said the teen heartthrob, who is currently in a very public relationship with Selena Gomez. “I’m into love, and maybe I’ll get more into making love when I’m older. But I want to be someone who is respected by everybody.”
The Biebs recently made headlines when he got a huge tattoo of Jesus’ face on his leg, however, he insists, “I don’t consider myself religious. I haven’t been to church in a long time.”
PHOTOS: Justin Bieber Covers V Magazine
While Bieber admits that he doesn’t go to church, he says he still has a personal relationship with God.
“I don’t think I’m religious. I am spiritual,” Bieber told the high fashion magazine. “I believe that Jesus died on the cross for my sins. I believe that He put me in this position, and that I have to always give Him the glory He deserves for putting me here. But I don’t consider myself religious.
“A lot of people who are religious, I think they get lost. They go to church just to go to church. I’m not trying to disrespect them – you know, whatever works for you. But for me, I focus more on praying and talking to Him. I don’t have to go to church. I haven’t been to church in a long time, but I know I have a relationship with Him. I talk to Him, and that’s all.”
As far as his career and work ethic are concerned, Justin knows that he needs to “buckle down” and get serious now that he’s growing up.
“I’m going to be honest. I’m young and I’m not as disciplined as I need to be,” he said. “If I have a day off, I need to be in the dance studio, but instead I’m hanging out with my friends. But when I’m in my 20s need to buckle down and work as hard as these other people.”
He continued, “Eventually, I want to become the best at what I do. I want to be the best. In the world. I want to be better than anybody that’s ever done it. I don’t want people to think of me as just a teen sensation. I want to transition, and become the greatest.”
Justin knows that will be no easy task though, and there are lots of people that hate him “just because.” But he’s not worried, and is confident that his talent will be enough to eventually win over the haters.
“A lot of people say they hate Justin Bieber who haven’t listened to any of my music,” he admitted. “They just hate me because the hate the idea of me. I’m young, I’m handsome – I don’t mean to sound conceited – but they think I just got here because of that.”
He added, “I feel the more put out, the more people will realize it’s really good music. I’m not worried about the guy fans because they are going to come. It’s not a fluke that I’m here. I’m here for a reason, and I’m here for a lifetime.”
So there you have it, folks. Justin Bieber is going to be around … FOREVER!!!
