The Kid LAROI said in a new interview that Justin Bieber played a key role in his decision to release “Stay,” the 2021 single that became one of the biggest songs of both artists’ careers.

In the interview, LAROI said he was unsure about putting the track out because he thought it leaned too far into pop. He said Bieber heard the song and encouraged him to keep it for himself, telling him it had hit potential.

“Stay,” released in July 2021, became LAROI’s first No. 1 single on the Billboard Hot 100 and Bieber’s eighth. The song also reached No. 1 on global charts and became a major streaming success.

The collaboration followed Bieber and LAROI’s earlier work together on “Unstable,” a track from Bieber’s Justice album. LAROI has described Bieber as a mentor figure during his rise in music, alongside other artists who supported him early in his career.