Justin Bieber: I'm a target

Los Angeles  - Teen heartthrob Justin Bieber is finding out the price of fame.

The Canadian singer, 17, has spent the past week trying to promote his new Christmas album while denying claims that he fathered a baby after a brief backstage encounter last year with a young California fan.

"They (the allegations) are definitely, 100% not true," he told celebrity website TMZ.com in a phone interview on Friday. "It is the first time something like this has happened. So it's kind of like, really crazy. I am sure it won't be the last."

"I just know there are going to be people who will make stuff up. I know I am a target," he added. "It is something that comes with the territory."

Bieber was responding to a lawsuit filed on Monday by a 20 year-old San Diego woman, claiming the teen singer was the father of a baby boy she gave birth to in July 2011 after having sex following a concert in Los Angeles in October 2010.

Paternity test

The woman wants Bieber to undergo a paternity test and pay child support, and the singer has been ordered to appear in court on December 15.

The "Baby" singer, who has been dating Disney Channel star Selena Gomez for several months, also denied the allegations in an appearance on Friday on the Today TV show.

"I'd just like to say basically that none of those allegations are true," he said. "I know that I'm going to be a target, but I'm never going to be a victim."

Earlier this week, Bieber said in a Twitter post that he was "going to ignore the rumors ... and focus on what is real. an opportunity to help by doing what i love. Judge me on the music!"

Bieber released his new, festive album "Under the Mistletoe", featuring duets with Mariah Carey, Usher and others, on Tuesday.