Usher: Success comes at a price

Usher isn't ashamed of Justin Bieber.

The Scream singer signed the Canadian pop star when he was just 13 years old.

While Justin has gone on to sell in excess of 12 million records, his music has been marred by personal troubles in the last year, including numerous police arrests and cautions for everything from assault and DUI to alleged vandalism.

Most recently he had to apologise for a racist slur when a video was released of him using the N-word when he was 15.

"Do I turn my head in shame based off of what I see, what I know? Nah, I don't because it's all part of life's process. Am I in it with him. Yeah," Usher told Nylon magazine. "It's unfortunate. I hate some of the things I hear. Is it all true? I don't know. But I will tell you this: Success comes with a price. Every person that has grown up, grows up with something. It ain't just perfect from the beginning."

The 35-year-old knows firsthand how hard it can be to start out in the music business so young. He was only 15 when he moved to New York to work with Sean 'Diddy' Combs, and has tried to pass on what he learnt during that time to 20-year-old Justin.

"I gave every bit of advice and always told him it was up to him if he really wanted this," he explained to the publication. "Now that he has it, as an adult, it's his to manage."

Justin isn't the only singer Usher has mentored, as he won the most recent series of the US edition of The Voice. Supporting young and new artists is something that's very important to the star.

"Artistic development made me who I am," Usher said.