While all of the critics have been comparing Justin Bieber's 'Maria' to Michael Jackson's 'Billie Jean,' the singer's manager Scooter Braun has come out and confirmed the similarities. While the song was inspired by the paternity suit (hurled at the Biebs' by golddigger Mariah Yeater), Braun was quick to point out that it's not specifically about her, which sounds like Team Biebs' way of legally protecting themselves. We don't need Yeater launching a libel suit against them, as she has shown herself to be lawsuit happy.

"I think he has [a lot of personal songs on the album]. I think 'Be Alright' [is]. I think a lot of the album is very, very personal, but I think for tabloid purposes 'Maria' sparks a lot of interest," Braun told MTV. "But I don't know why. It's not about anyone. It's just a story. You know, legally it's not about anyone." Legally, no, but it's certainly implied. Plus, Biebs himself said it.

Braun continued, "Michael [Jackson] had this amazing record called 'Billie Jean' and [producer] Rodney Jerkins, Justin and I had a conversation about kind of what Justin been through the last year and just how people talk and make up stories about him." So it's not just the paternity claim being addressed in the song. There are always fake stories circulating about the Biebs and he wanted to vent about it, so he did in the best way he knows how: by writing and singing a song. That's more than fair. When you're Bieber and what you eat for breakfast is chronicled in the tabs, you tend to get fed up.

Even so, Braun explained that the Yeater story was clearly false, yet it became a matter of national news when there were no nuggets of truth to it, so it speaks more to the media obsession with gossip than it does to reality. "There was a story that took place that was so false that it should have never even seen the light of day," Braun said. "And it ended up becoming international news. He has to deal with that kind of stuff and he wrote a song kind of addressing it and it's a pretty awesome song. And it's our 'Billie Jean.'"

So we get it. 'Maria' is not just about Mariah Yeater, but about the many situations Biebs endures as a public figure.

All that fame and swag, swag, swag comes with quite a price.

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