The Insider.com

Justin Bieber personally addressed Thursday the allegation that he fathered a child with a fan, calling the claim "false" and saying he's tried to remain positive since the accusation triggered a media frenzy.

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"As far as the whole baby situation, you know it's unfortunate that it had to happen like that -- that people make false accusations," Bieber told Elvis Duran and the Morning Show on New York's Z100 radio station. "But things happen in this industry and you just have to keep your head high and be positive, and that's all I really have to say."

When asked about other celebrities who attempt to create negative headlines for the sake of publicity, the teen heartthrob said: "You know what, they say that any press is good press. I do not believe that's true. Because you know, at the end of the day, if you're in the spotlight, then people are looking at you as a role model. So if you're doing bad things to be getting press I think that's really, really sad."

Bieber -- who has flatly denied fathering a child last year after a concert with 20-year-old Mariah Yeater, whom he said he's never even met -- joked that he would have preferred an even juicier story. "If was up to me, it would have been a better story - like Justin Bieber went off to South America with this 27-year-old supermodel - that would have been an awesome rumor." When the pop singer was asked directly about the alleged sexual encounter, "So you didn't hit it?" Bieber responded: "No."

Bieber's manager Scott "Scooter" Braun also spoke on the radio show about the paternity lawsuit that was filed by Yeater that was later dropped. "Bottom line is, they said they were in settlement talks with us. And the only thing I'm going to say is they will never be in settlement talks with us," Braun said. "We will never settle with them. That's my little guy right there, I protect him. They messed with the wrong crew… It's false, and people should be held accountable when they run out there and say this stuff."

The 17-year-old teen sensation went on the radio show to promote his new Christmas album Under the Mistletoe and he said that has kept him busy along with his charity work. "I mean right now I'm focusing on my album and on the music and the charity we're doing. Christmas time is a time for joy and happiness, so that's what I'm thinking."