Justin will Enjoy a Long Prosperous Career

The media tends to dismiss Justin Bieber as a "tween heartthrob" singing throw-away lyrics in a high-pitched voice that will deteriorate as he matures.

They couldn't be more wrong.

Justin Bieber is here to stay. Barring any tragedies, he will enjoy a long, influential career. Here's why:

1) Justin Bieber is intelligent. Sure, he's probably not an academic genius but one needs only an average to above average traditional IQ to succeed as a musician, singer, or actor. And I suspect his "academic intelligence" (as measured by traditional IQ tests) is probably above average anyway.

In addition to traditional IQ, which measures vocabulary, mathematical skills, spatial reasoning, processing speed, and the like ("academic intelligence"), Justin also enjoys exceptional "rhythmic/musical" and "interpersonal/emotional" intelligences.

Justin's musical intelligence is evident in his ability to not only sing on key but also his skill on the drums, piano, and guitar. He wasn't forced into music lessons by his parents. Rather he was internally driven to perform and understand music from the age of two. His mother, to her credit, accommodated his interests, despite a limited budget as a single mom in public housing. This is a guy who has music in his bones.

Justin also possesses an innate ability to understand his own emotions and harness them toward achievement of a goal. Of course, I'm speculating here since I don't know him personally but based on all I've read and watched, Justin appears to possess a high degree of self-awareness and emotional self-regulation. Although the concept of "emotional intelligence" is highly debated in academia, I doubt many would argue that it's not an asset to possess personality traits such as agreeableness, extroversion, openness, and conscientiousness, all of which Justin exhibits.

Justin Bieber also perceives and understands other people very well. This "interpersonal intelligence" is a significant asset for a person whose success relies in large part on his ability to relate to the public, particularly to his fans. Justin demonstrates this intelligence in the strong relationship he has developed with his fans via YouTube and Twitter. It's no accident that his name is one of the top trending topics on Twitter almost every day.

His interpersonal intelligence will also help Justin to anticipate, understand, and respond to his fans' emerging maturity as they age along with him. In other words, as Justin's pre-teen and teen fan base grows up, he will be growing up with them and appreciating, for example, his fans' increasing capacity for more complexity, nuance, and variety in his song writing and performances.

2) Justin Bieber magnetically attracts and appeals to a cross-section of people. A great early example of this appeal was his ability to earn $3000 busking at the age of 12. How many 12-year-old kids can sit in a public area playing the guitar and singing and earn $3000 in donations? Of course, his summer-time performances in Stratford, Ontario also speak to his discipline and determination, two traits essential to long-term success.

While there's no doubt that Justin's strongest appeal is with pre-teen and teenage girls, it's a mistake to assume that his music doesn't appeal to boys and adults. There are a number of boys on Twitter who follow Justin and participate in discussions about him (most of them declare "I'M NOT GAY" in their profiles, which speaks to why so many boys who like Justin's music won't admit it).

A recent poll on PopEater.com revealed that over half of the website visitors who said they "Can't get enough" of Justin's music were over age 18--with one quarter of the respondents being over 40. I suspect that there are a large number of "silent fans" of Justin Bieber who purchase his songs or albums, enjoy listening to his music, but are simply not very vocal about their appreciation of him.

The article in which that poll appeared highlighted the appeal of Justin's music to mothers. Or, as adroitly put by a teen girl on Twitter:

JBieberLoviees: jtlyk [just to let you know]: my mother loves @justinbieber. she just won't admit it. mom, when i catch u singin "u smile" its time to just admit it. u blew ur cover.

3) Justin has chosen to associate with strong role models, notably Usher and Scooter Braun (and, of course, his parents), and to accumulate an entourage of smart, successful, and supportive people. Scooter Braun deserves a good deal of the credit for helping Justin and his mother navigate the treacherous waters of labels, contracts, and publicity and for recruiting a team of advisers and supporting staff for the young star. Nonetheless, let's not forget that it's up to Justin to work with his team effectively, which from all reports it appears he does.

The old saying, "We are who we associate with" applies to Justin. In other words, he has accepted his mother's, Mr. Braun's and others' advice to associate with good people. People, such as Usher, who provide the social modeling, emotional support, guidance, and caring that almost all successful people need.

4) Justin understands the current trans-media environment and he utilizes it quite effectively. He has a strong narrative, which he articulates often, e.g., "To come from a small town in Canada, post some videos on YouTube, and achieve this kind of success is a blessing".

5) Justin is competitive. He's one of those boys, that we all know from our childhood and adolescence, who is constantly challenging himself to learn and conquer new skills and excel at a new game. Whether it's basketball, skateboarding, golf, bowling, or a half dozen other athletic and skill-based pursuits, Justin Bieber plays to win. This is not a guy who gives up when the going gets tough. He just works harder.

6) Justin Bieber has poise, in particular with regard to this definition of the word:

"a dignified, self-confident manner or bearing; composure; self-possession: to show poise in company." (http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/poise)

You need only watch him interacting with adults on television shows such as Chelsea Lately, the Tonight Show with Jay Leno, Ellen, and The View to see how self-contained, self-confident, and prepared for almost anything is Justin Bieber.

Conclusion
Justin Bieber's intelligence (intellectual, musical, emotional, and interpersonal), universal appeal, strong social support, media savvy, competitiveness, and poise all suggest that he will enjoy a long and prosperous career as a singer, musician, songwriter--and perhaps more.