Justin Bieber Views Himself as the 'Underdog'

Entertainment Tonight, Tuesday, September 11, 2012, 12:52pm (PDT)

By ETonline

• Justin Bieber rose to superstardom in just a few years after being discovered on YouTube, but the singer says he still views himself -- and prefers to remain -- "the underdog."

  "It gives me and my fans something to do and to strive for next," Bieber tells NBC News Special Correspondent Ryan Seacrest.

  RELATED: Justin Bieber's 911 Call During Paparazzi Chase

  "I feel like, in some ways, I'm -- I am the underdog, Bieber added. "Because it's like there's -- there's people that don't believe like that, you know, I can make the transition from being a teen pop star to -- an adult. So I think that -- yeah, definitely."

  During the interview -- which can seen on the "Today" and NBC's "Rock Center" with Brian Williams on Sept. 13 -- Bieber also reveals that his next major career goal is to win a Grammy Award.

  RELATED: Justin Bieber Graduates From High School

  He also reveals in the interview that he's not quite comfortable with his status as a heartthrob.

  "I feel like I just don't want to be another teen heartthrob, 'cause that's just -- I just think that that just annoys me," Bieber told Seacrest. "To think that that's what people will -- will think of me -- I just want to prove people wrong."

  Bieber's mother, Pattie Mallette, also sat down for the interview. She revealed that her son wasn't the easiest child to parent. "Every year, he got kicked out of class," she said.

  She also admitted that his name almost wasn't Justin. "I called him Jesse the whole pregnancy. And then, once he was born, I was like, 'No, he doesn't look like a Jesse. Justin.'"

  MORE FROM WONDERWALL:

  Guys Who Dress Like Girls

  Innocent Faces, Not So Innocent Stars

  Richest Stars Under 30