'I still can't wrap my brain around it,' singer/songwriter tells MTV News about being joined onstage by the Biebs.
Justin Bieber joined Ernie Halter onstage to perform Halter's "Come Home to Me" (off his album Franklin & Vermont) on Thursday night in Costa Mesa, California. When Halter got on the phone with MTV News bright and early Friday (May 20) morning, he was still reeling from the experience.
"I still can't wrap my brain around it. It's bizarre," he told us. "I was really impressed with how humble and very sweet him and Selena [Gomez] were to me. They're both incredibly nice people. It's pretty crazy."
He then described how Bieber ended up taking the stage with him. "Well, I mean, him coming to the show, I don't know why I didn't see that coming. I just didn't. I guess I'm slow, but I had no idea until I actually saw him and Selena. I went probably mentally not there for a minute or two.
"I was at the gig last night, which is not close to L.A. at all. He really wanted to go and then I'm talking to someone and out of the corner of my eye I look over and that really looks a lot like Selena Gomez," he continued. "I looked to see who she was with and I went speechless for a couple minutes. I asked him [to perform with me] and he said yes. It was a little bit of a surprise because I didn't think he would do it."
With Bieber's blessing hitting Twitter, the Internet is quickly following and Halter's Internet stock is rising. "I have a tweet deck on my computer and it flashes every second [now] and there's no way I would have been able to envision that," he said. "It's ridiculous. It's ridiculously awesome."
While Bieber has made it clear he's a fan of Halter, is Halter a fan of Bieber? Well, yes, and he has his 3-year-old son to thank for that.
"Entirely [I get it]. I've been a fan and I really believe he's extremely talented," he said. "The type of reach that he has worldwide is really iconic, on a level that we haven't really seen. I think he's very, very talented."
Justin Bieber Covers "Come Home To Me"
Yes, he really did. WOW. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7QmTqVXXjhQ
Justin Bieber, Selena Gomez Surprise Ernie At Show
When Ernie Halter put out a call to arms on his Twitter account for fans to come out to his O.C. show, he probably had no idea that one very famous fan would take him up on the offer. On Thursday night, when Halter played at La Cave Restaurant in Costa Mesa, California, he was surprised by Justin Bieber. The Biebs, who brought gal pal Selena Gomez as his date, even took the stage with the singer/songwriter.
"@justinbieber Now get some rest. I still can't believe you flew 11 hrs and drove an hour to surprise me. Wow. So honored. @justinbieber great meeting u & @selenagomez tonight. Def a night to remember. Thank you for the encouragement & for singing with me," Halter wrote on Twitter.
Bieber has covered Halter's track "Come Home to Me" in his own shows, and on Thursday night he sang the tune right alongside the singer, much to Halter's amazement.
"I'm speechless. @justinbieber and @selenagomez came to see me play tonight and Justin sat in. All I can say is wow," he wrote. "@scooterbraun Great meeting you and Karen tonight. What an awesome surprise! Rest up and hope to cross paths again soon. Cheers! @selenagomez you and Justin are so sweet. Pleasure meeting you both. I saw you singing along to my songs. Made my night that much better."
Bieber's manager, Scooter Braun, also used Twitter to gush about the night. "I love surprises. We drove an hour out of LA to surprise @erniehalter at his gig. #awesome," he wrote.
Bieber also sent his love and support to Halter on the site. "@erniehalter thanks for the night. Glad we could surprise u. U r the real deal. Congrats to u and the wife. And ... @erniehalter Never Say Never aint no BS. Haha. Thanks again," he wrote. "Music is universal. #artistssupportartists #SWAG"
Writing writing writing
For the first time in a long while, I'm writing with no strings attached. No deadline for a studio album, just the pure joy of music. Some of my recent co-writers include Tony Lucca, Ryan Innes, Omar Cowen/Velasco (A Fine Frenzy), John Waite, and Julian Lennon. The co-writes with John and Julian are part of an upcoming project by radio DJ Dave Harris.
I'm leaving town in a few days to embark on a series of house concerts, as well as some college shows (UNC Charlotte, Seton Hill University in Pittsburgh), and am looking forward to making music and some new friends as well.
Host A House Party w/ Ernie Halter
Doing some college touring and have open dates in the midwest & south April 3-19. Let us know if you're open to hosting a house concert! Shoot us an email and we can talk details.
Now you can sing along to all your favorite Ernie Halter songs with Ernie Halter Karaoke, a collection of 19 instrumental tracks taken from the original studio sessions of Franklink & Vermont and Starting Over. Serenade your girlfriend / boyfriend / best friend, make a video showing off your skills, or just have something to sing to while you drive. Speaking of videos, if you do make one, upload it to youtube with "Ernie Halter Cover" somewhere in the description and it will show up in the Media section of erniehalter.com! Let the Ernie-oake begin!
