Conor Maynard says he won’t make the same mistakes as Justin Bieber because he’s "good at not breaking the law".
The 21-year-old singer recognises there are temptations all around for young pop stars like himself and 19-year-old Justin, who has had several run-ins with police recently including being arrested and charged with driving under the influence (DUI), resisting arrest and driving without a license in Miami in January.
Conor has assured his fans he has no plans to copy his pop peer but he does have sympathy for the pressure Justin must be under as one of the world’s most famous musicians.
The ‘R U Crazy’ hitmaker quipped to BANG Showbiz: "I don’t worry about ending up like Justin. I can just not do any illegal stuff! I feel like I’m good at not breaking the law. That’s always a good trait to have as a person.
Speaking about Justin’s situation, he added: "As an outsider looking in I feel like that maybe he feels as though he can’t do anything right, no matter what he does he’s going to be shot down. Maybe in he thinks, ‘If you want me to do things wrong, I’ll show you.’ But you never know what’s going on in people’s heads, you never know the pressures and the stresses that Justin has."
Conor – who is busy working on his second album – insists he has been able to stay grounded because he has kept a close group of trusted friends around him that knew him before he became famous.
The singer – who performed at the Brooklyn Bowl as part of BRITs Week at The O2 on Tuesday night (19.02.14) and was supported by Lewis Watson – explained: "I’ve kept the friends I already had, 100 percent. I’ve heard that advice from a million people. When Wiley and I shot our video to ‘Animal’ lots of my friends came down and Wiley said, ‘Make sure you keep your friends around as much as you can and for as many things as possible.’ I’ve taken that advice on board and keep the same people around me. At the moment I’ve got the right people around me that keep me on the right path."