Here Comes The Next Justin Bieber (VIDEO)

While it’s fun to make fun of Justin Bieber‘s current mini-meltdown, as he runs around London shirtless and plays “Hold me back” with his giant bodyguards in front of the paparazzi, the guy actually came from humble beginnings by showcasing actual talent. He worked his ass off while his single mom supported his dream, and he was fortunate enough to catch the eye of Usher. The rest is just history for a 19-year old panty-soaking money machine.

But now, in an effort to find the next Justin Bieber, Sony is just skipping that whole “actual talent” part and going straight for the cloning process with a 12-year old Danish boy named Benjamin Lasnier.

Despite a musical background limited to YouTube lip-synchs, Lasnier – who made himself an idol without pretending to any talent at all – is now signed to Sony, working with top producers to crack America. But is there more to him than just a pretty face?

“Every talent starts from scratch,” says Sony A&R Mads Kjaergaard. If Lasnier can credibly establish himself and leverage his fanbase “there is no limit to where he could go”. (The Guardian)

This kid was given a record deal because he posts lip-syncing videos to YouTube and he has 750,000 followers on Instagram. It’s not even clear if he even had to single note before Sony threw a bag of cash at him. For all we know, his natural voice could sound like this hippo shitting, but it won’t matter because producers will just autotune and process his voice until he sounds decent enough to sell to little girls for $10 an album.

Welcome to the horrible future of pop music.