Justin Bieber Doesn't 'Want to Be Another Teen Heartthrob' (Video)

Ben Watts

Justin Bieber says he's eager to distance himself from his Tiger Beat teen dream reputation.

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"I just don't want to be another teen heartthrob, 'cause that just annoys me to think that that's what people will think of me. I just want to prove people wrong," the 18-year-old singer told Ryan Seacrest in an interview that aired Thursday on NBC's Today show.

Bieber, who launches his Believe world tour this month, said he thinks he's made progress toward changing people's minds, observing: "I think hearing older people say, 'Wow, like this new album is great.' Like, 'I didn't know that was Justin Bieber' or "As Long as You Love Me," that's Justin Bieber singing?' I like those reactions because I feel like they're judging me based on my music and not based on, you know, a flick of my hair. Because that's not what I want."

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In June, the Canadian superstar released his third studio album Believe, which is less bubblegum and more grown-up, lyrics and sound-wise, compared to Bieber's previous material. On Thursday, he released his latest book, Just Getting Started, where he provides a backstage glimpse at his life on and off the road, and candidly addresses such personal matters as his 2011 paternity scandal, where Mariah Yeater accused him of fathering her child. (Bieber publicly denied her claims, and even took a DNA test to prove it.)

Watch Seacrest's Bieber sitdown below, and hear the singer sound off on his relationship with Selena Gomez, his musical role model and making a star out of Carly Rae Jepsen.

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