Names and faces

Despite all the hard work she put in for the songs and videos from her new album, Beyonce had her doubts minutes before its surprise release Dec. 13. “I was terrified. I was so scared. I already envisioned like the worst things that could happen,” Beyonce said Saturday in New York at a screening for her new music videos. “I was really nervous because this was a huge risk.” The singer’s fifth album debuted at No.1 on the Billboard charts last week. The album features collaborations with her husband, Jay-Z, as well as Justin Timberlake, Drake and her daughter, Blue Ivy. Beyonce, 32, said she became bored with the music industry after the release of her previous album, 4, and the new album is a reflection of experimentation and growth. “Honestly, I was at a point where I felt like, you know, everything feels the same … that’s how I felt. And if I could not challenge that, then maybe it’s time for me to do something else or develop more artists, which is something I want to do,” she said. “I just hope that I continue to move forward and challenge myself, and I think now that I’ve become a mother, I just want my legacy to inspire people.”

Usher says even though Justin Bieber has had a wild year, people shouldn’t count the pop singer out just yet. “I mean, more money, more problems,” the R&B singer said last week at the premiere of Justin Bieber Believe in Los Angeles. “The beautiful part about it is that those that are invested in a long-term story, you understand that there are peaks and valleys in every person’s life. Unfortunately, the reality is he has to live with a camera in front of him, but what he chooses to do on or off camera is analyzed or scrutinized in some off way.” This year, Bieber was caught on camera clashing with a paparazzo, fainted backstage at a London show and was seen appearing to smoke marijuana in photos that circulated online. During the summer, he also apologized by phone to Bill Clinton after cursing the former president and spraying his photo with cleaning fluid in a New York City restaurant kitchen. “Pandora’s box was opened [in 2013]. I mean, he got a little bit into trouble,” said Scooter Braun, Bieber’s longtime manager. Justin Bieber Believe, which opens in U.S. theaters Christmas Day, offers a behind-the-scenes look at the 19-year-old star. Bieber’s newest album, Journals, comes out today.