Unbeliebable!: The behind-the-scenes power struggle that turned Justin Bieber's UK tour into a fiasco
By CAROLINE GRAHAM and LARA GOULD
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The Men in Black actor - himself a former child star - became a mentor and ‘father figure’ to the singer as what should have been a triumphant tour was rocked by a string of public relations disasters.
Smith was in London chaperoning his own 14-year-old son Jaden – one of three support acts on Bieber’s sell-out ‘Believe’ tour.
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Chest pains: The picture Justin Bieber tweeted from hospital on Thursday night
And according to one member of the Bieber entourage, the 44-year-old Hollywood A-lister was on hand around the clock to offer advice and guidance to the 19-year-old in the absence of his own parents.
Bieber’s visit to the UK has been mired in controversy. The Canadian turned up two hours late for his show on Monday; was hospitalised with chest pains on Thursday; and was involved in an ugly altercation with a photographer on Friday.
As his mother Pattie Mallette now prepares to fly in to support her son, The Mail on Sunday can reveal the behind-the-scenes power struggle that emerged as Bieber, who found fame aged 13 and is followed by more than 35 million ‘Beliebers’, pulls away from his bubblegum ‘tween’ image.
While Smith is a fatherly influence, it seems Bieber is increasingly under the sway of new Hollywood companions, led by little-known rappers Lil Twist and Lil Za.
Angie Simpson, mother of 16-year-old Australian singer Cody Simpson, another of the support acts, said: ‘Will has been helping Justin out a lot, mentoring him and offering him guidance.
Support act: Will Smith became a mentor and father figure to the singer in absence of his own parents
‘He’s someone who is used to this level of scrutiny and it has helped having him around.
‘Justin is an adult and has a very strong, loyal and professional team around him, but it is hard for anyone to come under such pressure.’
The emerging pull of Bieber's new circle of friends in the wake of the star's split from girlfriend Selena Gomez in November is raising questions
On Friday night, Bieber was back on stage for the last of his four London tour dates at the O2 Arena, arriving on stage 20 minutes late and opening the 90-minute show performing Never Say Never, a duet with Jaden Smith.
After the show, he returned to his Mayfair hotel at 1.30am surrounded by an entourage and was whisked straight up to his £9,000-a-night penthouse suite.
Minutes later he posted a series of Twitter messages which hinted at the strain of the past week.
He wrote: ‘Still a little short of breath tonight but was an incredible show. London fans go hard.’
In place of his parents, the singer has been accompanied in the UK by Scott ‘Scooter’ Braun, the 31-year-old talent manager who discovered his protege on YouTube and turned him into a global ‘tween’ brand worth more than £70million.
But a lack of parental guidance, combined with the emerging pull of his worrying new circle of friends in the wake of the star’s split from girlfriend Selena Gomez in November, is now raising serious questions about Bieber’s increasingly erratic behaviour and state of mind.
Lil Twist – also known as Christopher Lynn Moore, a 20-year-old from Chicago – and Lil Za – real name Xavier Smith, also 20 – are regulars on the LA party scene and are thought to be exerting an increasing influence on Bieber.
In January both were believed to be present when Justin, whose hits include Baby and One Less Lonely Girl, was photographed with a cannabis joint in a party at a California hotel room.
The incident came a day after Lil Twist was pulled over by police as he drove Bieber’s £120,000 458 Italia Ferrari and a photographer was killed as he ran across the road to take a picture.
Last night one Hollywood associate described the effect of the friendships on the chart-topping singer: ‘You have to look at the people he is hanging out with.
‘They are very distinct from the group of professionals around him, like his manager, who do a terrific job guiding his career and caring for him. Justin’s issues really started when he started hanging out with this undesirable crowd.’
As well as the new friends, many believe it was the end of Bieber’s two-year romance with Disney actress Selena, 21, who dumped him last November, that led to him embracing a more chaotic lifestyle.
A friend of Selena’s said: ‘Selena was a calming influence on Justin. She is two years older than him and he listened to and respected her.
‘Everyone is hoping this recent behaviour is just growing pains and not the start of a more serious problem. Only time will tell.’
Pressure: Bieber is increasingly under the sway of new Hollywood companions led by little known rappers Lil Twist (right) and Lil Za
The Ellen DeGeneres show in the UK on Really, 4pm (Sky 248, Virgin 267, Freeview 20)
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