JUSTIN BIEBER FACTS:
Genre: Pop, R&B
Hometown: Stratford, Ontario, Canada
Albums: My World (EP) (2009); My World 2.0 (2010)
Awards: 5 Teen Choice Awards
Hits: "Baby"
Other: Discovered on YouTube at the age of 13.
As one of the most recognizable recording artists in the world, there are few people out there who haven't heard of Justin Bieber. The young pop star's rise to fame is a surprisingly opportunistic one paved with hard work and a bit of good luck along the way. Bieber, born in Stratford, Ontario, won a series of singing competitions in his hometown and began to post some of his samples on YouTube in the hope of building a fanbase. Luckily for him, Bieber caught the attention of talent agent Scooter Braun, who managed to get Bieber an impromptu audition with pop and hip-hop star Usher. After being very impressed by Bieber's talent, Usher and Island/Def Jam signed him to a recording contract and his career skyrocketed from there.
Bieber's first single, "One Time," proved to be a smashing success in both Canada and the U.S., reaching platinum status and getting additional support by an appearance by Usher in the music video. By the time Bieber's first album, My World, was released, Bieber already had a plethora of fans who helped boost the initial success of the record. The album was technically an EP with only seven songs, but vaulted into the Top 10 on the Billboard 200 Albums chart and sold more than 1 million copies. Later, in 2009, Bieber returned with a 10-song version of the album, dubbed My World 2.0, which jumped to the top spot in the Billboard rankings and solidified Bieber's status as a bonafide pop star. An acoustic version of the album, My Worlds Acoustic, was also released and charted well on the pop rankings.
Just when it seemed that Bieber's star couldn't soar any higher, the singer released his highly successful and critically acclaimed documentary, Never Say Never, at the end of 2010. The movie grossed more than $30 million and nearly took the top spot at the box office soon after its release. Following the rise of Bieber through his teen years to his role as a full-fledged entertainer, the movie was released along with Never Say Never: Remixes, featuring a selection of remastered versions of his songs with collaborators like Kanye West, Miley Cyrus and Usher. In late 2011, Bieber made waves on the charts by releasing his first Christmas album, Under the Mistletoe, which peaked at No. 2 on the Holiday Songs chart.
In 2012, Bieber outdid himself with his third studio album, Believe, which peaked at No. 11 on the Billboard 200 Albums chart and yielded the hit single "Boyfriend." The album also featured collaborations with other popular artists like Nicki Minaj, Ludacris, Drake and many others. The album's sales were also boosted by the epic BelieveTour, which was one of the highest-grossing tours of 2012 and brought many more "Beliebers" into the fold. Ever since his meteoric rise to fame, Bieber has transformed from teen heartthrob to full-fledged pop star, and with his amazing talent and marketing ability, the young singer has only scratched the surface of his enormous potential.