An interview with Justin Bieber's mom
Pattie Mallette, Justin Bieber's mom, poses for a photo Friday, Oct. 20, 2012 at Cupcake cafe in Minneapolis. (Pioneer Press: Molly Guthrey)
Justin Bieber's mom pulled up to Cupcake in a chauffeured car on Friday morning, Oct.19.
A uniformed driver exited first; a publicist followed.
"Do they really have cupcakes here?" the publicist asked.
Um. Yes. Cupcake has cupcakes.
"Oh no!" she cried. "We're trying to eat healthy this weekend."
But when the teen pop star's mom emerged from the gleaming black sedan, she resisted the pastries inside the Minneapolis cafe: Pattie Mallette drank only juice.
A cupcake, it turns out, is no match for this strong-willed Canadian.
Her son would probably not be surprised.
"My mom," Bieber wrote in the foreword to Mallette's new memoir, "is the strongest woman I've ever met."
Mallette, 37, is in town this weekend for an appearance at the Women of Faith event in downtown St. Paul. Her story of pain and hope is one that she has just begun to share through her book, "Nowhere But Up: The Story of Justin Bieber's Mom" (Revell, $21.99).
"Now that Justin is 18, I had time to write it," Mallette said.
This weekend, she also plans to spend some time with her family: Justin, who is currently on tour (with his grandparents), is scheduled to perform at Target Center on Saturday, Oct. 20.
"He doesn't know I'm here," Mallette said on Friday morning. "I'm going to surprise him."
(She's hoping he doesn't see the local media headlines about her own visit to Minnesota.)
The customer! s at Cupcake didn't appear to recognize the Bieb's mom -- a diminutive woman
about as tall as a typical Bieber fan -- as she browsed the cafe's gift section. People usually don't, she says."I can still go to the mall by myself," said Mallette, who lives in Los Angeles. "But it's not possible to go to the mall with my son. Just going out to dinner with him involves top-secret plans and back doors."
She does have a growing fan base of her own, though.
"I have over a million followers on Twitter who call me 'Mom,' " she said. "I try to use the platform for good, to be a role model. Once, I tweeted, 'Go forgive your mom, she's not perfect.' Later, someone told me that they had not talked to their mom in a week, but they reached out to her because of what I wrote."
She hopes to reach more people with her memoir.
"Even though I deal with heavy subject matter in the book, it's not a depressing book," says Mallette. "People have told me that my story -- which includes broken homes, sexual abuse, domestic abuse, a suicide attempt, financial struggles, single motherhood -- has encouraged them to keep going.
"It's really a book about overcoming."
It's also a book about succeeding.
Her son, a classic Canadian, grew up playing hockey (and soccer). But it was his musical ability that caught the
Undated courtesy image of the book cover for "Nowhere but Up: The Story of Justin Bieber's Mom" by Pattie Mallette. (Courtesy photo)
Justin's c! areer was! officially launched at 13, when he and his mom moved to the United States. Life has changed a lot since then.
"It's been a whirlwind," she says. "We went from living in (subsidized) housing to traveling the world. It's taken some time to adjust."
Their values have not been adjusted, however.
"So many times, in different ways, I warned Justin, 'You can take credit for being disciplined and working hard to hone your talents, but you can't take credit for being naturally good at them,' " Mallette wrote in her memoir. "God gave you these gifts. And the only reason you're in this position is because of him."
God's blessings and gifts are something she also tries to remember, even while grocery shopping.
"It's the most amazing feeling, going grocery shopping and not having to add up the cost of everything in your head," Mallette says. "That's the best feeling in the world."
The feeling of an empty nest, though, is strange: Since she was 17, her life has been completely focused on her only child.
"Justin just bought a house and moved out," she said.
Her Twitter handle (which was changed from @studiomama to @pattiemallette after her son's 18th birthday) and her Twitter bio spell out this new chapter that she is only starting to write:
"Yes Justin Bieber is my son. I have many other great qualities besides being his mom haha! No really."
Explains Mallette: "Obviously, as parents, we get our identity wrapped up with our children. It's no different in my case; my son just happens to be a superstar."
Molly Guthrey can be reached at 651-228-5505.
WOMEN OF FAITH
Details: A Christian event of music, praise and inspiration.
Highlights: During the afternoon session, Sheila Walsh, a contemporary Christian singer, will chat onstage with Pattie Mallette, Justin Bieber's mom and author of "Nowhere but Up: The Story of Justin Bieber's Mom." Other speakers include Christian author Max Lucado. Ballet Magnifica! t, a Chri! stian ballet troupe, will also perform.
When: 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 21
Where: Xcel Energy Center, 199 W. Kellogg Blvd., St. Paul
Tickets: $49 (doors open at 8 a.m.)
Info: womenoffaith.com