Justin Bieber

Canadian-born Justin Bieber took his first steps into the music industry in 2007 by posting covers on YouTube. Then just 13 years old, Bieber caught the attention of talent agent Scooter Braun who later introduced the teen to R&B star Usher. Alongside Island/Def Jam’s L.A. Reid, the pair signed Justin at the age of just 15. 

In 2009, Bieber released his first single, ‘One Time’, and a music video which featured Usher. The song performed well in both Bieber’s home country, Canada, and in the US. The single featured on the teen star’s first EP, My World, which topped the Canadian Albums Chart. Less than a year later, Bieber released the follow-up My World 2.0 which featured the smash hit song ‘Baby’, a collaboration with the rapper Ludacris. The single entered the US charts at number one and landed in the top 10 in the UK charts. 

By the end of 2010, Bieber released My Worlds Acoustic, a record that featured acoustic versions of nine songs that appeared on the predecessor. Shortly after, Bieber released the 3D documentary Never Say Never which topped the box office, grossing over $12.4million on its opening day in US theatres. The film coincided with the release of the album Never Say Never - The Remixes which featured appearances from Miley Cyrus, Chris Brown and Kanye West. 

In 2011, Bieber released his Christmas song, ‘Mistletoe’, followed by the album Under the Mistletoe. It debuted at No.1 on the Billboard 200 and included a re-recording of Mariah Carey’s festive anthem, ‘All I Want for Christmas Is You’, featuring the female powerhouse. Naturally, tracks from Bieber’s festive album have returned to the charts every Christmas. 

The following year, Bieber released his album Believe and another acoustic album featuring a similar setlist. The album included hit songs like ‘Boyfriend’, ‘As Long As You Love Me’, and ‘Beauty and a Beat’ featuring Nicki Minaj. By the end of 2012, Bieber released his second documentary, Believe, in theatres. 

After a brief hiatus, Bieber returned with a new sound in 2015 with collaborations with Diplo and Skrillex on the track ‘Where Are Ü Now’ which became a hit around the world. Bieber followed that with the release of his own tracks ‘What Do You Mean?’, ‘Sorry’ and ‘Love Yourself’. These tracks were all featured on his fourth album, Purpose, which received four Grammy nominations for Best Pop Vocal Album, Best Pop Solo Performance, Song of the Year, and Album of the Year. 

Between 2016 and 2020, Bieber worked on a string of singles with other artists including Major Lazer, Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee, DJ Snake, David Guetta, Khaled and Ed Sheeran. These releases kept the singer in the charts as he worked on his next album. 

That album eventually arrived in 2020 and again featured a lengthy list of collaborators. Again, his album was nominated for four Grammys with Best Pop Vocal Album, Best Pop Solo Performance, and Best Pop/Duo Performance, and Best Country Duo/Group Performance for his collaboration with Dan + Shay on ‘10,000 Hours’. Bieber’s album Justice arrived in 2021 and again topped both the US and Canadian charts.