The more we learn about Justin Bieber‘s upcoming Christmas album, the clearer it becomes that it won’t be just another quickie cash-in holiday release. Bieber’s bringing all-new original material to the table and lining up some special guests to help him share the yuletide spirit.

One example: ’90s R&B mainstays Boyz II Men, who Bieber invited to join him for a track titled ‘Falalalala.’

The vocal group sat down with MTV News recently to discuss their time with Bieber, revealing that their first meeting with the young star actually took place some time ago. “We met him in the hotel, at the Le Montrose, in LA and the dude, he had a cast on at the time,” recalled Boyz II Men’s Wanya Morris. “And he stepped up and said, ‘Oh my God! Boyz II Men, you’re my favorite group!’ And we’re like, ‘Oh, okay,’ and at the time, we didn’t know who he was. He was a new dude.”

Of course, it didn’t take long before Bieber was just another ‘new dude’ — as Morris remembers, “And the next thing you know, he’s huge. And I’m like, ‘That’s the same guy!”

Given his longtime love of the group’s music, Bieber knew Boyz II Men would be a natural fit for his Christmas project, so he reached out. As group member Shawn Stockman explains it, “He thought we’d be perfect for it. And we went in and locked in.”

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