Justin Bieber turned 18 on March 1 and already he’s taking steps to distance himself from his squeaky clean teen image. On the cover of April’s Complex magazine, Bieber appears bloodied and battered.

In the publication, Bieber talks about everything from his hatred for paparazzi to his relationship with singer/actress Selena Gomez.

On his music plans of appealing to a bigger audience:

“There’s no point in doing this if I’m not going to be the best. I give up a personal life. I give up my friends and family to pursue what I love and to make my fans happy. Why would I give up so much to be just another singer? I feel like it’s my responsibility to be the greatest I can be. If I start making terrible music, I don’t expect people to like me. If I’m making great music and there’s no reason for people to dislike me, that’s when it’s going to make me upset. People just need to take a chance and listen. If they don’t want to take a chance, then I don’t know. That’s going to be the biggest problem, to make them feel like it’s cool for them to like my music.”

On his relationship with Selena Gomez:


“There’s no way to hide the relationship completely, because then it would be unfair to us. It’s like, ‘You take this car, and I’ll take this car, and then we’ll meet up at the spot. Then, you go in this door, I’ll go in this door. We’ll end up crossing ways. You get back in this car. We’ll cross over, do a James Bond. You go through the kitchen. I’ll go through the back area. Then we’ll meet in the dressing room and see each other.’ At that point, it’s not even a relationship. You’re just hiding from everyone. That’s unfair and unhealthy, man.”

On his distaste for paparazzi:

“I’ll be covering my face and it pisses me off so much when people say, ‘Get over it, Justin. You’re famous. People are going to take your picture. Suck it up, you’re rich…’ It’s like, ‘Yo, I just got off an eight-hour flight. I’m tired and my eyes have bags under them. I’m not trying to take pictures. I’m not going to come to your house, wake you up, and start snapping your picture.’”

On people who say he looks feminine:

When asked about a recent V magazine shoot in which critics thought he looked feminine, Bieber is coolly dismissive. “Every guy has feminine qualities,” he says. “You’re raised by your mother and father, and I was raised mostly by my mother. I think the pictures turned out good—so whatever.”

So, Justin Bieber poses with a piece of meat in his hand. And no, it’s not a penis.