Way back in 2012, when he was still new to the pop-music scene, Austin Mahone told MTV News he was "flattered" to be compared to Justin Bieber. After all, not that many people knew who the fresh-faced singer from San Antonio, Texas, was -- so he admitted that being compared to the superstar was "not that bad of a thing."

But now -- with a fanbase that has grown by the millions and a handful of ubiquitous tracks under his belt -- it's all starting to get on his nerves. (Surely, Bieber's bout of legal troubles and racist video leaks don't have him welcoming the comparisons, either.)

"I can kind of see where they're coming from, but at the same time, it's kind of obnoxious," he told the Associated Press on Thursday (June 5).

Granted, there are some striking similarities between the two: Both rose to fame all on social media and YouTube, both seem to be constantly surrounded by a throng of screaming female fans. And then there's the hair, of course. But according to Mahone, the similarities end there.

"They see a young kid who sings and dances and...they're like, `Oh, another Justin Bieber.' Like, you don't even know," he said. "You don't know me. You don't know my music. You're just making assumptions."