Justin Bieber Preps 'Never Say Never' Soundtrack, Hits Studio With 'Firework' Songwriter Ester Dean

With his much-anticipated film debut, 'Never Say Never,' due to hit the big screen on Feb. 11, multiplatinum music phenom Justin Bieber is putting the finishing touches on the movie's soundtrack. One high-profile songwriter who has wrapped up studio time with the teen superstar is Ester Dean, the Grammy-nominated talent behind hits by Rihanna ('Rude Boy,' 'What's My Name?'), Usher ('Hot Tottie') and Katy Perry ('Firework').

According to Dean, the in-demand Bieber -- who has become a pop culture behemoth, selling over 3 million copies of his debut album 'My World' and over 1 million of the release's extended edition, 'My World 2.0' -- took her by surprise with his humble demeanor. "I first met Justin with Usher at an 'American Idol' event," Dean told PopEater. "He was like, 'Oh my God ... I'm such a fan of your songwriting!' And I'm like, 'You're a fan? [laughs] I'm a fan of your music!'"

While some of Dean's longtime followers may be surprised at the pairing, the genre-jumping artist, who has also become a force in the R&B world drafting hits for Chris Brown, Robin Thicke and Tre Songz, sees no cultural differences when it comes to creating songs. "He's a very talented guy. He was very easy to work with and was very nice," she said. "We just finished up some music for the new movie he has coming out. I can't get too much into it. I don't want to give too much away. [Laughs] But it's going to be great."

"I've worked on all different types of music," Dean said of her diverse resume. "Take Katy Perry ... I've been wanting to collaborate with her since I heard 'I Kissed A Girl.' And I found out later that Katy wanted to work with me! So we did 'Firework' and 'Peacock' and wrote the lyrics together on both songs."

"Katy knew what she wanted. She already had the ideas in her head," Dean continued. "When an artist already has their thoughts for a song together, you only have to help them drive that car. It makes the process much easier. You are basically holding the map, but you still let them drive the car. Katy and I were coming up with some crazy lines like, 'Life is like a plastic bag, just let it go...' It was fun, but I didn't know 'Firework' would take off like it has."

Dean says her collaborations with pop acts like Bieber and Perry can only help end musical divisions. She points to her recent work with Mary J. Blige and Britney Spears, two acts that work at opposite ends of the music spectrum, yet have more in common than some would let on.

"Music is music. People need to get that into their heads," Dean said. "We should get past the segregation of music. If something makes you feel good, dance or want to make love, it could be anyone from John Mayer to R. Kelly. The music has nothing against you. It just wants to be heard."