Back in April, proud mom Victoria Beckham shared a video of 11-year-old son Cruz Beckham singing Faith Evans' "Hope." As soon as fans heard Cruz's high-octave vocals, the comparisons to Justin Bieber started pouring in on the Internet.
But now, eight months later, it seems Cruz officially has become the next Bieber. Not only did news break of Cruz signing with manager Scooter Braun, the man responsible for discovering The Biebs, break Tuesday, but Cruz also released his first single Wednesday morning. Titled "If Every Day Was Christmas," the catchy holiday track features romantic lyrics reminiscent of Bieber's 16-year-old singer days.
"If everyday was Christmas and I can't be with you / underneath the mistletoe / kiss you when nobody knows," Cruz sings.
All proceeds from Cruz's single go to the foundation Global's Make Some Noise.
Before Braun and Cruz's first single, the Bieber-Cruz comparisons were strictly theoretical; however, now that he has a manger and a song already on the radio, it's clear this is becoming definitive proof.
Cruz, who resides in England most of the time with his A-list family, also has the luck of having instantaneous international appeal, giving his British roots. While "If Every Day Was Christmas" debuted in the U.K., we're sure it'll be playing on U.S. radio in no time, given that it's already available on Apple music. Plus, he already has his mom and dad David Beckham proudly promoting his work on their social media pages.
"Not his average morning before school... Proud of my little man with his new Christmas single and also helping children around the UK with the proceeds from this," he captioned a cute video of Cruz waiting for his song to play. "#ifeverydaywaschristmas @cruzbeckham @AppleMusic @globals_make_some_noise."
And how does Cruz feel about being Bieber's heir apparent? Pretty good. "I hope so. I would love that," he told Ryan Seacrest when asked if he'd like to do what Bieber does. "I just love to sing."
Although Cruz's goal is to raise money for charity (while also trying to launch a music career), some aren't as embracing as his fans and parents. Piers Morgan took to TV, Twitter and his column to slam the Beckham family.
"It's not his fault. He's 11," Morgan said on Good Morning Britain. "But how did he manage to release this? It's sickening."
Morgan later added, "He should be at school, poor kid."
He and Braun also got into an Internet kerfuffle on Twitter. "He is an 11 year old who wanted to make a song to help other kids," Braun tweeted after seeing Morgan's segment. "Once again Piers shows why he is a jackass and why his show was cancelled."
"He's an 11yr-old child being cynically pimped out by his famous parents with your collusion," Morgan responded. "Be proud Scooter!"
With a new song, a controversy and a manager, it appears Cruz already has the makings of a massive pop star.