Kaitlyn Campanella
ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR

First thing’s first. I must confess that I am, indeed, a Belieber. I proudly own Justin Bieber’s My World, My World 2.0 and Under the Mistletoe albums, as well as a Bieber Barbie which I might regret admitting later.

I could go on and on about professing my love for Justin Bieber, but that’s not the point I’m trying to get across.

For every dozen screaming fan girls, there is one bitter twenty-something who prides himself on his Bieber hatred. Sure, the kid is $53 million richer than you, and has hundreds of thousands more Twitter followers than you do.

And yes, he has more girls chasing after him than you could ever dream of – but still, why all the hate?

All numbers aside, this kid has talent. If you have ever turned on a radio, or a TV, you’ve heard him sing. Most disbelievers mock Justin’s “pre-pubescent voice”, trendy hair and cheesy, overplayed songs.

What some people don’t know and could easily learn by watching Justin’s movie, Never Say Never  is that he is a multi-talented musician and certainly has heart. I possess no formal training on which I can base my judgment of Bieber’s talent. I do, however, listen to a lot of music and I’d have to say that Bieber, with his ability to hit high notes that some famous female singers cannot, has one of the best voices I have ever heard. Judging by his early videos, I doubt that Bieber woke up one morning and decided to post videos of himself singing to make money. He began playing drums at the age of three, and taught himself to sing and play guitar not long after. His lifelong love of music paid off when he was discovered on YouTube.

Before you disregard my opinion and assume that I’m a pop-obsessed fan girl, please reconsider. I have  eclectic taste in music, and I tend to listen more to indie bands like Born Ruffians and my all-time favourite post-hardcore band, Dead and Divine, than I do to major label pop stars.

That said, I discovered Bieber’s YouTube channel even before his manager, Scooter Brauhn, did. I should have formed a record label and signed him right then – but sadly didn’t have that foresight.

I was still in high school when I found the Biebs, singing a mind-blowing cover of Chris Brown’s “With You.” Again, I am not a pop-hungry, mainstream music lover, nor am I a fan of Chris Brown. I am a fan, however, of seemingly genuine musicians, which, contrary to popular opinion, Bieber is.

My point is that on the surface, maybe Justin Bieber does appear to be just another money-hungry pop star. Take the time to watch even just one of his videos; learn something about him, swallow your pride and give him a chance. I guarantee you’ll gain at least an ounce of respect for the little guy (no offence, Biebs).

He’s just a kid who was in the right place at the right time, and had the opportunity to make money doing what he loves. So why not give him a chance?