You were a child prodigy, you play multiple instruments and write songs and sing, so the first thing I want to know is: Why aren’t you the Biebs?
Ha! I definitely knew from a very young age that I wasn’t a frontman. My dad directed musical theatre and I was really into not just playing music, but how it all works—wardrobe, lighting. I thought my dad was sort of like the Wizard of Oz and that always appealed to me. Growing up I was into guitar players—Elton John’s or Ozzy Osbourne’s.
Take me back to when you first hooked up with J.B. What were you doing at that time?
I was a session musician working with some other Canadian acts and I was also at York working on my master’s in music. I started getting involved in performance coaching and someone from Universal Canada recommended me to Justin’s management. They were looking for someone who could be a musical director, but also a mentor and a good influence. The two of us hit it off right away. Originally, it was just one gig and then they just kept calling me.
How has counselling Justin changed over the years? You met him when he was a young teen and now he’s almost 20.
I definitely still think of him as my younger brother, but our relationship now is really focused on music. We are constantly collaborating and working on him becoming a better musician and performer. I push a lot of music on him—he is such a sponge.
Dan Kanter: The Man Behind Justin Bieber
