I am known for always having an opinion and it has long been true that I can be relied on for informed commentary on any current affair. In fact, I was considered to be a culture savvy individual even as a child. Interested in a wide array of subjects, I tried to keep my finger on the pulse of politics, art, finance and pop culture and considered myself as someone in the know. Having grown up as an only child, I spent copious amounts of time with my parents and their friends, which steeped me in adult affairs and adult interests. My most impressionable years were spent being toted around to charity events, art openings and cocktail parties on the arm of my mother. Lacking many contemporaries to influence my taste, I developed an affinity for the more mature subjects rather than the typical topics that usually appeal to children and teenagers. I was never interested in the adolescent and seemingly unsophisticated tastes of my own peers. The Happy Meal an utter disappointment; Disney films, which delighted most children, were to me a dismal excuse for a film. Overall, my tastes and interests were very different from that of the average child.

One of the most significant influences my parents had on me was that of music. I was raised on the likes of Al Green, Chaka Khan, Barry White, and Donna Summer and disdained the popular boy bands over which other children swooned. I always felt very secure with my choices and regarded my tastes as sophisticated. I thought I had it all figured out. However, one day my world was turned upside down. Bursting onto the pop culture scene, really out of oblivion, was this sweet, soulful, and infectious new act. This performer was one of the pack that I had typically regarded as humdrum everyday for the unsophisticated and uninformed. However, this new musician on the scene appealed to me in a new and compelling way. This kid came as a real surprise and turned my ideas and myself completely around. While my first reaction to the singer known as Justin Bieber was that he was just another contrived, calculated and disposable tween idol, something about him turned out to be a real game changer for me. His charm and charisma proved inescapable for me and my take on him as a tiresome tween idol evolved into deep regard for his truly boundless talent.

It’s fair to say that Justin Bieber has forever altered my view of pop music and it’s as fair to say that my new perspective on this performer impacted on my general outlook on life. As I marveled at the pleasure I took in this performer, it occurred to me to consider on what other matters I might have been mistaken. Having always been told I was an old soul, I had come to believe even as a child that I was wise beyond my years. I bragged to my young friends that the first concert I attended was the Rolling Stones Forty Licks Tour. I strutted into school the day after I interviewed Patti LaBelle for my eighth grade oral history project. The tastes of my parents had been indelibly imparted on my young psyche and unquestioningly I took this for sophistication and wisdom rather than recognize it for the byproduct of the decadent days of Studio 54 that it was. It had simply never occurred to me to consider that I had come to have very peculiar and somehow narrow tastes given my unusual upbringing. Then into my world where my strangely precocious tastes reigned without challenge came Justin Bieber. While certainly his music was not for me alone it was as if he was singing just for me. Prior to him and his music, I turned away from all and anything that resembled the average pop star of the present day. But Justin Bieber’s boyish charm broke through the wall my parents had built around me and my tastes. His warm smile radiated sincerity and he brought a sense of levity and humor to my life that had long been missing.

My surprise at this was as great as my delight. It was a new day dawning for me. That I was able to unbend enough to find true talent in a pop singer opened many other doors for me. When others pointed out to me that his target demographic was teenage girls, I smiled secure in my new choice and new tastes. I was open now and saw a new world before me. I can say now with confidence that Justin Bieber’s allure has the breadth to really span generations, his talent is pure, and his media savvy is unparalleled. To my continued astonishment; his broad appeal captured even my jaded sensibilities and I felt uplifted in a new and powerful way.

The great artist Oliver Stone once said that greed captures the essence of the evolutionary spirit. In today’s world, it’s not greed but Justin Bieber who really captures the essence of the evolutionary spirit. More than just a mindless Idol for the masses, he is the consummate pop superstar, a true powerhouse whose astute attention to detail in combination with his raw talent have fairly garnered him mini mogul status. The catchiness of his tunes, the soulfulness of his lyrics, coupled with that heart fluttering falsetto voice has captivated audiences across the globe as well as me. His earning power and media clout secured him the number three spot on Forbes list of the 100 most powerful celebrities in 2012. He is the self made man with a net worth over a hundred million dollars by age 18. As important, his extraordinary presence on the pop culture scene rendered me a new man. His financial acumen would have gained my respect but his brilliant voice and sincere manner opened my soul to a new frontier. Clearly I have crossed over, I have become a Belieber.

In discovering the Biebs, I discovered a lot about myself. I realized how closed off I was and how limited were my horizons. With my new found ability to see beyond the limitations imposed on me by my parents, I gained a more sincere sophistication and a new life goal. His music and inspiring story have driven me to want to exploit my own potential. Learning to appreciate J.B. for what he is, instead of looking for what he is not, has given me a true sense of freedom and awakened me to possibilities I had never before considered. I no longer want to wallow in what my parents want for me but want instead to find my own way in life. Now I can let go of the sophistication that eschews the popular and I can indulge the new and simple self I’ve found in me. I cannot with certainly predict the many outcomes this holds for me as I go forward to my future. I can say with certainty that I go forward with an opened mind and uplifted spirit. And I can also say with good authority and great certainty that through Justin Bieber and his music, my life has changed forever.