EXCLUSIVE: Justin Bieber’s ex pal Asher Roth, best known for viral hit I Love College, wishes he stayed in touch with the Canadian singer who has been swallowed up by fame
Justin Bieber’s former pal gives harrowing verdict on singer as he opens up about “terrible” music industry.
Asher Roth, who is famed for his viral hit I Love College, has spoken exclusively to Daily Star about his connection to the Canadian singer and his concerns for him – as well as his music career that he has been “self funding” for the past 10 years.
The rapper was also signed to artist manager Scooter Braun at the time of crossing paths with the Biebs during the early stages of both of their careers.
Talking about the “terrible” music industry and how for many young stars on the rise, he says “the story only ever ends one way”.
Talking about his own experience and how it could have been a similar route for him, he explained: “For me, it was down to keeping that balance with things. If I didn’t have those friends or my family, maybe it would have been different. You see it all the time, name an artist who started really young and let me know how that ended. It’s really sad.
“It’s sad because Justin was in Atlanta with us early on, and I don’t really have contact with him anymore but I wish I did.
“At the time Scooter was just getting started as a music manager, so he moved Justin down to where he was in Atlanta, where I was too. I was old enough to bring some of my friends with me as a buffer and familiarity, but Justin left everything that he was doing in Canada, and came down with his Mom.
“Granted, the idea of success in the entertainment and music business is really alluring. It’s a really sexy thing. So I get why people leave the lives they were living, but there really is no turning back, once you’ve pierced through the fabric of pop culture and become a character, that’s who you are to them for the rest of your life.”
He continued to reflect: “For me, piercing through as the I Love College guy, it’s been impossible for me to reintroduce myself as it’s always been about the branding. For Bieber, not to tell his story, but it’s like that with a lot of stars, they become more popular than their music – and so the public becomes extremely interested in who they are dating and their private life.
“There’s a dark side to it and people want to know everything all the time, so there is really no hard line between your private life and your personal life anymore.”
Asher has done a tonne of analysing the music industry over the years and has worked incredibly hard to strike up a balance that suits his career interests and personal life necessities – but he claims it was “not easy”.
The rapper added: “It’s really hard. From a financial standpoint, I’ve been funding my own career for 11/12 years now, but it’s like what do you value in life? What do you actually want? And I don’t think there’s any real conversation of that being had with the music business.It’s all or nothing, there is no in between. What’s wrong with selling out a 500-person venue? Why do we have to sell out 50,000 at Wembley? Sometimes the middle road is all right.”
In the years since his mainstream breakthrough, Asher has lived through the Hollywood rollercoaster, stepped away from the machine, and doubled down on independence. He’s now a father, a mentor, and a leader of a growing creative community – balancing vulnerability, purpose, and artistry. His 450K+ monthly Spotify listeners prove he’s not chasing viral stardom, he’s matured with his audience.
Following the cult success of Why’s It So Grey Out? and its sequel Temporary Heaven, Asher is preparing to release Tripping Vol. 2 – the fifth collaborative project with his online collective.
For more info on Asher and what he’s up to now – check out the links in his Instagram bio here.
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Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
