It was worse than people realised: Scooter Braun on Justin Bieber's breakdown

Los Angeles: Talent manager Scooter Braun revealed that pop star Justin Bieber's breakdown at the start of 2014, when he was arrested for driving under the influence, was a lot worse than the public knew.

In an interview with the Wall Street Journal magazine Braun said the situation was getting darker with each passing day.

"It was worse than people realised. I failed him day after day. We were living in hell because he was in such a dark place.

"I have inconveniences, and other people have problems. Mine feel important, but they're not. They're not life or death. Justin's stuff got to a point where it was a problem," Braun, 36, said.

After discovering the Canadian singer on YouTube when he was just a child, Braun said he felt a responsibility to not only make him successful, but to also keep him safe.

"Some of the biggest people in the industry who invested in Justin's career, told me, 'It's over. Focus on something else. That kid is done'. I made a promise to him when he was 13 that I would never give up on him. I plan on keeping that promise."