Bieber performing on his Believe Tour in July 2012
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| Background information | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Justin Drew Bieber |
| Born | March 1, 1994 London, Ontario, Canada |
| Origin | Stratford, Ontario, Canada |
| Genres | Pop, R&B, teen pop[1][2][3] |
| Occupations | Singer-songwriter, musician, actor, dancer |
| Instruments | Vocals, guitar, piano, drums,[4] |
| Years active | 2008–present |
| Labels | Island, Teen Island, RBMG, School Boy |
His debut extended play, the seven-track My World, was released in November 2009, and was certified platinum in the United States. He became the first artist to have seven songs from a debut record to chart on the Billboard Hot 100.[10] Bieber's first full-length studio album, My World 2.0, was released in March 2010. It debuted at or near number-one in several countries and was certified platinum in the United States. It was preceded by the single "Baby". He followed up the release of his debut album with his first headlining tour, the My World Tour, the remix albums My Worlds Acoustic and Never Say Never – The Remixes, and the 3D biopic-concert film Justin Bieber: Never Say Never. Bieber released his second studio album Under the Mistletoe in November 2011, when it debuted at number-one on the Billboard 200. Bieber released his third studio album Believe on June 19, 2012, and it became his fourth chart topper in the United States, debuting at number-one on the Billboard 200.
Bieber has received numerous awards, including both Artist of the Year Awards, at the 2010 American Music Awards, and the 2012 American Music Awards, and was nominated for Best New Artist and Best Pop Vocal Album at the 53rd Grammy Awards. With a global fan base, termed as "Beliebers", and over 40 million followers on Twitter, he was named by Forbes magazine in 2012 as the third-most powerful celebrity in the world.[11] He had earned an estimated US$55 million in the previous 12 months. As of May 2012, Bieber had sold 15 million albums.[12]
Contents
Early life
Justin Drew Bieber was born on March 1, 1994, in London, Ontario, at St Joseph's Hospital,[13] and was raised in Stratford, Ontario.[14] He is the son of Jeremy Jack Bieber and Patricia "Pattie" Mallette. Bieber's mother was 17 years old when she became pregnant. His parents were never married, but maintain a close friendship and common goals regarding their son's personal and professional life. Mallette raised her son with the help of her mother, Diane, and stepfather, Bruce.[15] In September 2012, Mallette's memoirs, titled Nowhere but Up, were published. The book tells of her early life and her work with her son to pursue a career in the music industry. In her book, as well as in an interview with the Today show, Mallette talked about how everyone around her tried to push her toward abortion, and how she refused to abort her baby.[16] Mallette worked a series of low-paying office jobs, raising Bieber as a single mother in low-income housing. Bieber has maintained contact with his father, who married another woman and had two children.[17][18]Bieber's paternal great-grandfather was German, and his father's other ancestry is English and Irish.[19][20] Bieber's mother is French Canadian.[21][22] He has stated that he believes that he has some undetermined Aboriginal Canadian ancestry.[23] He attended a French-language immersion elementary school in Stratford, the Jeanne Sauvé Catholic School.[15]
Interested in hockey, soccer, and chess, he kept his musical aspirations to himself.[17] As he grew up, Bieber taught himself to play the piano, drums, guitar, and trumpet.[14][24] In early 2007, aged 12, Bieber sang Ne-Yo's "So Sick" for a local singing competition in Stratford and was placed second.[24][25] Mallette posted a video of the performance on YouTube for their family and friends to see. She continued to upload videos of Bieber singing covers of various R&B songs, and Bieber's popularity on the site grew.[9]
Career
2008–10: career beginnings and My World
While searching for videos of a different singer, Scooter Braun, a former marketing executive of So So Def, clicked on one of Bieber's 2007 videos by accident. Impressed, Braun tracked down the theater Bieber was performing in, located Bieber's school, and finally contacted Mallette, who was reluctant because of Braun's Jewish religion; she remembered praying, "God, I gave him to you. You could send me a Christian man, a Christian label!" and "God, you don’t want this Jewish kid to be Justin’s man, do you?"[17] However, after praying with her church elders and receiving their encouragement, she permitted Braun to fly Bieber, then 13,[9] to Atlanta, Georgia, to record demo tapes.[17] A week after arriving, Bieber sang for R&B singer/songwriter Usher.[26]Bieber was soon signed to Raymond Braun Media Group (RBMG), a joint venture between Braun and Usher.[8] Justin Timberlake was also reportedly in the running to sign Bieber, but lost the bidding war to Usher.[8][27] Usher then sought assistance in finding a label home for the artist from then manager Chris Hicks, who helped engineer an audition with his contact Antonio "L.A." Reid of The Island Def Jam Music Group.[28] Reid signed Bieber to Island Records in October 2008 (resulting in a joint venture between RBMG and Island Records) and appointed Hicks as executive Vice-President of Def Jam where he would be able to manage Bieber's career at the label.[4][8][9][28] At that point, Bieber and his mother moved to Atlanta temporarily, also the home of Usher and Braun, to record and get counseling from Braun.[8] Braun became Bieber's manager.[9]
Bieber's first single, "One Time", was released to radio while Bieber was still recording his debut album.[29] The song reached number 12 on the Canadian Hot 100 during its first week of release in July 2009,[9] and later peaked at number 17 on the Billboard Hot 100. During fall 2009, it had success in international markets.[30] The song was certified Platinum in Canada and the US and Gold in Australia and New Zealand.[31][32][33] His first release, an extended play entitled My World, was released on November 17, 2009. The album's second single, "One Less Lonely Girl", and two promo singles, "Love Me", and "Favorite Girl", were released exclusively on the iTunes Store and charted within the top forty of the Billboard Hot 100.[30]
"One Less Lonely Girl" was later also released to radio and peaked within the top fifteen in Canada and the US, being certified Gold in the latter.[30] My World was eventually certified Platinum in the US and Double Platinum in both Canada and the UK.[34][35][36] To promote the album, Bieber performed on several live shows such as mtvU's VMA 09 Tour, European program The Dome, YTV's The Next Star, The Today Show,[37][38] The Wendy Williams Show, Lopez Tonight, The Ellen DeGeneres Show, It's On with Alexa Chung, Good Morning America, Chelsea Lately, and BET's 106 & Park with Rihanna. Bieber also guest starred in an episode of True Jackson, VP in late 2009.[39]
Bieber performed Stevie Wonder's "Someday at Christmas" for U.S. President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama at the White House for Christmas in Washington, which was broadcast on December 20, 2009, on US television broadcaster TNT.[40] Bieber was also one of the performers at Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve with Ryan Seacrest on December 31, 2009.[41] Bieber was a presenter at the 52nd Grammy Awards on January 31, 2010. He was invited to be a vocalist for the remake of "We Are the World" (a song written by Michael Jackson and Lionel Richie) for its 25th anniversary to benefit Haiti after the earthquake. Bieber sings the opening line, which was sung by Lionel Richie in the original version.[42]
On March 12, 2010, a version of K'naan's "Wavin' Flag" recorded by a collective of Canadian musicians known as Young Artists for Haiti was released. Bieber is featured in the song, performing the closing lines.[43]
2010–11: My World 2.0, Never Say Never, and Under the Mistletoe
"Baby", the lead single from his debut album, My World 2.0, which features Ludacris, was released in January 2010 and became an international hit. It charted at number five on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 and reached the top ten in several international markets.[30] Two promo singles "Never Let You Go", and "U Smile" were top thirty hits on the U.S. Hot 100, and top twenty hits in Canada.[30] According to review aggregator Metacritic, the album has received "generally favorable reviews".[44] It debuted at number one on the U.S. Billboard 200, making Bieber the youngest solo male act to top the chart since Stevie Wonder in 1963.[45] My World 2.0 also debuted at number one on the Canadian Albums Chart, Irish Albums Chart, Australian Albums Chart, and the New Zealand Albums Chart[30] and reached the top ten of fifteen other countries.[46][47]To promote the album, Bieber appeared on several live programs including The View, the 2010 Kids Choice Awards, Nightline, Late Show with David Letterman, The Dome and 106 & Park.[48] Bieber collaborated with Sean Kingston on his single "Eenie Meenie" which also appeared on Bieber's debut album. The song reached the top ten in the United Kingdom and Australia, and the top-twenty of most other markets. On April 10, 2010, Bieber was the musical guest on Saturday Night Live.[49] On July 4, 2010, Bieber performed at the Macy's Fourth of July Fireworks Spectacular in New York City.[50] The second single from My World 2.0, "Somebody to Love", was released in April 2010, and a remix was released featuring Bieber's mentor Usher. On June 23, 2010, Bieber went on his first official headlining tour, the My World Tour, starting in Hartford, Connecticut, to promote My World and My World 2.0.[51] In July 2010, it was reported that Bieber was the most searched for celebrity on the Internet.[52] That same month his music video, "Baby", surpassed Lady Gaga's "Bad Romance" to become the most viewed, and most disliked YouTube video ever.[53] It remained the most viewed video until November 2012. In September 2010, it was reported that Bieber accounted for three percent of all traffic on Twitter, according to an employee of the social-networking site.[54]
A 3-D part-biopic, part-concert film starring Bieber entitled Justin Bieber: Never Say Never, was released on February 11, 2011, directed by Step Up 3D director Jon Chu. It topped the box office with an estimated gross of $12.4 million on its opening day from 3,105 theaters.[61] It grossed $30.3 million for the weekend and was narrowly beaten by the romantic comedy Just Go with It, which grossed $31 million.[62] Never Say Never reportedly exceeded industry expectations, nearly matching the $31.1 million grossed by Miley Cyrus's 2008 3-D concert film, Hannah Montana & Miley Cyrus: Best of Both Worlds Concert, which holds the record for the top debut for a music-documentary.[63] Never Say Never grossed a total of $98,441,954 worldwide.[64] The film is accompanied by his second remix album, Never Say Never – The Remixes, released February 14, 2011, and features remixes of songs from his debut album, with guest appearances from Miley Cyrus, Chris Brown, and Kanye West, among others.[65]
In June 2011, Bieber was ranked #2 on the Forbes list of Best-Paid Celebrities under 30. He is the youngest star, and 1 of 7 musicians on the list, having raked in $53 million in a 12-month period.[66] On November 1, 2011, Bieber released Under the Mistletoe, his second studio album. It debuted at #1 on the Billboard 200, selling 210,000 copies in its first week of release.[67]
2012–present: Believe, Journals and Justin Bieber's Believe
His third studio album, Believe was released on June 19, 2012, by Island Records. The album marks a musical departure from the teen pop sound of his previous releases, and incorporates elements of dance-pop and R&B genres. Intent on developing a more mature sound, Bieber collaborated with a wide range of urban producers for the release as well as some long-time collaborators, including Darkchild, Hit-Boy, Diplo and Max Martin. Entertainment Weekly praised Bieber's evolution, calling the album both a "reinvention and a reintroduction."[73] Rolling Stone noted the deeper voice and more intense beats found on the album, although it lampooned one of his euphemisms for newfound sexual maturity ("If you spread your wings, you can fly away with me").[74] Believe debuted at number one on the Billboard 200, becoming his fourth number-one album.[75][76][77] The album sold 57,000 copies in its first week in Canada, debuting atop the Canadian Albums Chart.[78]
The Believe Tour, which further promoted the album, began in September 2012 in Glendale, Arizona.[79][80] On December 14, 2012, Bieber appeared on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, where he announced plans to release an acoustic album titled Believe Acoustic, which was released on January 29, 2013.[81] He stated on Twitter that he will be hosting and performing as the musical guest on Saturday Night Live some time in 2013.[82] He hosted and performed on February 9, 2013.
On March 7, 2013, Bieber fainted backstage at London's O2 Arena after complaining of breathing problems throughout his performance and was taken to the hospital.[83][84] Bieber cancelled his second Lisbon, Portugal concert at the Pavilhão Atlântico, which was to be held on March 12, due to low ticket sales. The concert on March 11 went on.[85] In mid-August 2013, a remixed duet version of Michael Jackson's previously unreleased song "Slave To The Rhythm", featuring Justin Bieber appeared online.[86] Later, a song titled "Twerk" by rapper Lil Twist, featuring Bieber as well as Miley Cyrus, also leaked.[87]
On October 3, 2013, Bieber announced that he would release a new song every Monday for 10 weeks as a lead-up to the film Justin Bieber's Believe, which entered production in 2012 and was released on December 25, 2013. The film is a follow-up to Justin Bieber: Never Say Never, and Jon M. Chu returned to direct.[88][89][90][91] The first song of Music Mondays, "Heartbreaker", was released on October 7. The second song, "All That Matters", was released on October 14, followed by "Hold Tight" on October 21, "Recovery" on October 28, "Bad Day" on November 4, and "All Bad" on November 11. The seventh song, "PYD" featuring R. Kelly, was released on November 18; it was followed by "Roller Coaster" on November 25, and "Change Me" on December 2. The final song, "Confident" featuring Chance The Rapper, was released on December 9, 2013. That same day, it was announced that all 10 tracks will be featured on an upcoming collection called Journals. It will reportedly feature five additional unreleased songs, a music video for "All That Matters", and a trailer for Believe. Journals will only be available for purchase via iTunes for a limited time only: from December 23, 2013 to January 9, 2014. The titles of the five new additional songs are: "One Life", "Backpack" featuring Lil Wayne, "What's Hatinin" featuring Future, "Swap It Out", and "Memphis" featuring Big Sean and Diplo.[92]
On December 24, 2013, Bieber said on Twitter that he is "officially retiring". However, his management team subsequently denied it by releasing a statement saying that "he was kidding."[93][94]
Artistry
Vocal style
His voice marks the transition from his puberty to adulthood, as his voice drop from boy soprano to a high tenor.[95][96][97][98]Influences
Bieber was heavily influenced by Michael Jackson, Usher, Ne-Yo, Boys II Men, Stevie Wonder, Justin Timberlake, New Kids on the Block, Tupac, and The Beatles.[99][100]Style, image and fans
According to Jan Hoffman of The New York Times, part of Bieber's appeal stems from his YouTube channel. Long before he released his EP, My World, in mid-November of 2009, the YouTube videos attracted millions of views.[17] Braun recognized the appeal. Before flying him to Atlanta, Braun wanted to "build him up more on YouTube first" and had Bieber record more home videos for the channel. "I said: 'Justin, sing like there’s no one in the room. But let's not use expensive cameras.' We'll give it to kids, let them do the work, so that they feel like it's theirs", recalled Braun.[17] Bieber continues to upload videos to the same channel and has opened a Twitter account, from which he interacts with fans regularly;[9] his account was reported in November 2010 to have more than six million followers.[101] Since then, he has been consistently gaining followers at an average of 24,000 per day.[102] The accounts also serve marketing purposes; for example, Bieber's music video for "One Time" only began selling quickly after it was uploaded to YouTube.[103]
Bieber is often featured in teen magazines such as Tiger Beat,[17] and has been labeled as a "teen heartthrob".[105] Wax statues of Bieber are on display at Madame Tussauds wax museums in New York, Amsterdam and London.[106] His change of hairstyle in 2010, and the consequent alterations to Bieber products, led to it being called 'the most expensive musical haircut of all time;[107] one company spent $100,000 to fix its dolls for the 2011 Christmas season.[108]
In 2010, Bieber was consistently criticized for looking and sounding younger than his age,[109] and the following year for his androgynous appearance, which has been frequently noted in the media, including when he appeared on the cover of LOVE magazine's androgyny issue in 2011.[110] His teen-pop music, image (especially as a heart-throb to young teenage girls), and the media attention he receives have additionally been criticized,[109] and he has been a frequent target of Internet bloggers and message board posters, notably by users of Internet message board 4chan and users of YouTube.[111] Nick Collins of The Daily Telegraph said that "Bieber's character appears to strike a particularly sour note with his Internet critics" who have questioned his manner of speech, among other things.[109]
Some of his fanbase are known as "Beliebers", which the Chicago Tribune included as one of the top buzzwords of 2010.[112] The early Bieber fanbase developed on YouTube, and predated the release of Bieber's first album.[113][114] Bieber's popularity is partly a result of the Internet, with a large segment of the fan community actively continuing to use it to communicate with their fellow fans.[113][115] Bieber's management team makes an effort to mobilize and coordinate Bieber's fans into taking actions related to Bieber, such as greeting him at airports.[116]
Bieber's first arrest in January 2014, coupled with a string of brushes with the law and controversial incidents in 2013, led to comments that his image has been transformed from "boy-next-door" to "bad boy".[117][118][119]
Personal life
Bieber is a practicing Christian, and has said he believes he has a relationship with Jesus, that he talks to him and that "he's the reason I'm here".[120][121]In September 2012, Bieber vomited on stage while performing a concert in Arizona. The incident was captured on video and spread quickly around the internet. He blamed drinking milk for the incident, stating on his Twitter, "Milk was a bad choice!"[122] His mentor, Usher, has urged Bieber to follow him in a vegan diet for health reasons. He stated that this is because he wants Bieber to have more energy while on tour.[123]
Bieber made comments in a February 2011 interview to Rolling Stone.[124] With regard to sexual abstinence during the interview, Bieber responded, "I don't think you should have sex with anyone unless you love them." He added that he does not "believe in abortion" and that it is "like killing a baby".[125] He described sexual orientation as "everyone's own decision,"[126] and has contributed to the It Gets Better Project,[127] which aims to prevent suicide among LGBT youth.[128]
Now residing in the United States on an O-1 visa,[129] Bieber has said he is not interested in obtaining U.S. citizenship and has criticized America's health care system. Praising Canada as being "the best country in the world", he cited its health care system as a model example.[125]
Bieber says the Jewish prayer Shema Yisrael and performs other Jewish customs before every show he gives.[130][131][132]
Bieber started dating actress and singer Selena Gomez in December 2010. They confirmed their relationship while attending the Vanity Fair Oscar Party in February 2011.[133][134] In early November 2012, it was reported that Bieber and Gomez had ended their relationship after approximately two years of dating.[135][136] The couple reconciled later that month.[137] However, in January 2013, it was reported that they had broken up again.[138] In March 2014, it was reported that they were again seen together in Texas.[139] Their reconciliation was confirmed when Bieber uploaded an intimate dance video with Selena.[140]
Legal issues
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This article lends undue weight to certain ideas, incidents, or controversies. (February 2014) |
On January 23, 2014, Bieber was arrested in Miami Beach, Florida, on suspicion of driving under the influence (DUI), driving with an (over six months) expired licence and for resisting arrest without violence.[143][149][150] According to police, Bieber was driving a Lamborghini and R&B singer Khalil, who was also arrested, was driving a Ferrari.[151] He was released on a $2,500 bond.[152] A post-arrest drug test conducted by police allegedly found that Bieber had THC (a component in marijuana) and the anti-anxiety medication Xanax in his system at the time of his arrest.[153][154] On January 29, 2014, Bieber surrendered to Toronto police, who charged him with assaulting a limousine driver in Toronto in December 2013.[155][156][157]
Other ventures
Endorsements
Aside from his career as a musician, Bieber ventured into the business world by becoming a venture capitalist and technology investor. Bieber made his first startup investment in 2009. Since then, he has been quietly investing millions in a dozen small technology company startups that include Stamped, Spotify, and game-for-good company SoJo Studios. He has said that he isn't going to invest in something he doesn't like, as he has to believe in the product.[158][159]Philanthropy
Bieber supports Pencils of Promise,[160] a charity founded by Adam Braun, the younger brother of Bieber's manager. The organization builds schools in developing countries, and Bieber became manager for the organization's campaign in Guatemala. He has served as a celebrity spokesman for the organization[161] by running ads for the charity and its campaign "Schools4All",[162][163] and promising to visit schools that donate the most funds to the organization.[164][165] He takes part in the charity's fund-raising galas and donates parts of proceeds of his concerts and line of fragrances "Someday"[166] and various merchandising to the charity.Bieber appeared in an animal welfare PSA for PETA encouraging people to volunteer at and adopt from animal shelters instead of buying pets from breeders or pet stores.[167] Bieber had adopted a papillon named Sam from a shelter.
The size of Bieber and Lady Gaga's follower bases are cited as a reason why marketers should pay attention to Twitter,[181] due to their ability to reach millions of people with a single tweet.[181] 8.3% of tweets mentioning "bieber" were semi-automated and probably Twitter-related spam.[182] Research done about Twitter and the 2011 Egyptian revolution includes Bieber as he made tweets about the topic at a time when he had roughly 8 million followers. His multiple tweets resulted in 32,000 responses each, which made Bieber's Twitter account one of the single largest nodes for discussion about the uprising on Twitter.[183]
Discography
Main article: Justin Bieber discography
- My World 2.0 (2010)
- Under the Mistletoe (2011)
- Believe (2012)
Tours
- 2010–11: My World Tour
- 2012–13: Believe Tour
Filmography
Film and television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | Cubed | Pizzi's Best Friend | TV series (1 episode) |
| 2010–2011 | CSI: Crime Scene Investigation | Jason McCann | TV series (2 episodes: "Shock Waves" and "Targets of Obsession") |
| 2011 | Justin Bieber: Never Say Never[184] | Himself | 3D Concert film/Biopic |
| 2012 | Katy Perry: Part of Me | Cameo[185] | |
| Zendaya: Behind the Scenes | |||
| 2013 | Justin Bieber's Believe | Concert film/Biopic |
Guest appearances
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | True Jackson, VP | Himself | TV series (1 episode); TV and acting debut |
| My Date With... | Guest star | ||
| 2010 | Silent Library | TV series (1 episode) | |
| School Gyrls | Cameo | ||
| Saturday Night Live | Performer | Season 35, episode 18 | |
| American Idol | Season 9, episode 40 | ||
| Hubworld | Guest star | Season 1, episode 1 | |
| The X Factor UK | Performer | Season 7, week 8 | |
| 2011 | Extreme Makeover: Home Edition | Guest star[186] | |
| Khloé & Lamar | Himself (uncredited) | TV series (1 episode: "The Father in Law") | |
| Dancing with the Stars | Performer | Week 7 Result Show | |
| So Random! | Himself | ||
| Disney Parks Christmas Day Parade | Guest star | Performed at Walt Disney World Resort | |
| The X Factor UK | Performer | Series 8, week 9 | |
| The X Factor USA | Season 1, Week 9, Final | ||
| 2012 | Punk'd | Punker | TV series (1 episode: "Taylor Swift, Rob Dyrdek, Sean Kingston") |
| Ridiculousness | Himself | Season 2, episode 1 | |
| Dancing with the Stars | Performer | Week 1 Result Show | |
| Make Your Mark: Shake It Up Dance Off 2012 | Guest | ||
| 2013 | Saturday Night Live | Himself | Host and musical guest Season 38, Episode 13 (February 9, 2013) |
| The Simpsons | Cameo, voice role[187] |
Awards
Main article: List of awards and nominations received by Justin Bieber
On November 23, 2012, Bieber was presented with the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal by the Prime Minister of Canada, Stephen Harper.[188] In 2013, Bieber received a Diamond award from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) to recognize his single "Baby" as the highest-certified digital song of all time.[189][190]
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