Justin Bieber influence an honour, say Boyz II Men

Boyz II Men have said that they are proud of having influenced Justin Bieber's music career.

Talking to MTV News, the 'Motown Philly' musicians recalled meeting Bieber early in his career, when the teen revealed that he was inspired by the group.

"We met him in the hotel, at the Le Montrose, in LA and the dude, he had a cast on at the time. And he stepped up and said, 'Oh my God! Boyz II Men, you're my favourite group!'" singer Wanya Morris recalled.

"And we're like, 'Oh, okay,' and at the time, we didn't know who he was. He was a new dude, and the next thing you know, he's huge. And I'm like, 'That's the same guy!' He told us his mum didn't want him to sing 'I'll Make Love to You,' so he'd sneak and go sing it somewhere."

Morris went on to say that Boyz II Men are happy to be among Bieber's early role models, adding: "It's also good to know we've influenced such a good artist. It's something that makes us feel we've accomplished [something and] we're doing our job, [that] a guy so young and so into his craft [is] influenced by three guys from Philadelphia that love to sing."

Boyz II Men recently collaborated with Bieber on a track for his forthcoming Christmas album, an experience which the Never Say Never star said made him feel "honoured and blessed".

Watch Justin Bieber's video for 'One Less Lonely Girl' below: