The Insider.com

It's hard to believe that Justin Bieber is approaching legal adulthood, but the teen heartthrob turns 18 on March 1. In a wide-ranging interview with V Magazine, Bieber talks about love and sex, being a role model and his ultimate goal to become the best in the world.

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"People need to know I'm not a kid anymore," Bieber tells a special Music Issue of V Magazine, on newsstands this Thursday. I'm not completely grown-up. I'm still learning. I'm going to grow up how I grow up. I'm not going to try to conform to what people want me to be or go out there and start partying, have people see me with alcohol. I want to do it at my own pace."

The singer -- who went public last year with his relationship with Selena Gomez -- said he values relationships and is in no hurry to rush sex. "I'm into love, and maybe I'll get more into making love when I'm older. But I want to be someone who is respected by everybody. Because right now, the young people are who make society. Young people determine what's cool. Young people determine what's going to be in style."

Bieber said he's always believed Michael Jackson was the greatest of all time and he wants to emulate his style and success. "I want to be able to do what Michael did -- he always sang clean lyrics -- and it was always that little kids loved Michael and grandparents loved Michael. I don't want to start singing about things like sex, drugs, and swearing."

The young sensation has lofty goals and feels he's well on his way to much bigger things. "My goal at the end of the day -- right now -- I want to be successful and be great at what I do. But eventually, I want to become the best at what I do. I want to be the best. In the world. I want to be better than anybody that's ever done it."

On being able to reach and maintain MJ's level of success, Bieber said: "I mean, I consider Michael Jackson the best. If I could be at his level... But I've got a lot of work to do. I'm not saying it's going to happen within the next three years. But hopefully by the time I'm 30, people will remember me."

On the Bieber haters: "I know a lot of people say they hate Justin Bieber who haven't even listened to any of my music. They just hate me because they hate the idea of me. I’m young, I’m handsome -- I don't mean to sound conceited -- but they think that I just got here because [of that], because I'm good-looking and girls like me, but the music isn't there."