Stratford, ON · pop · r&b

Justin Bieber

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Two decades removed from the YouTube covers, still one of pop's most recognizable voices — lately drifting toward loose, atmospheric R&B.

Justin Bieber was born in 1994 in London, Ontario, and raised in nearby Stratford by his mother, Pattie Mallette, who had him at eighteen and separated from his father, Jeremy Bieber, soon afterward. Mallette raised him alone in low-income housing while working office jobs, with her own mother and stepfather helping out. Bieber attended French-immersion schools in Stratford before enrolling at Stratford Northwestern Secondary School.

He was discovered as a young teenager through homemade performance videos posted to YouTube, and signed after being brought to the attention of manager Scooter Braun and Usher. His debut EP, My World, appeared in 2009, and the following year's My World 2.0 topped the Billboard 200, making him the youngest solo male act to do so in 47 years, on the strength of the single "Baby."

Under the Mistletoe, released in 2011, became the first Christmas album by a male artist to debut at number one, and Believe, in 2012, made him the first artist in Billboard history to reach five US number-one albums before turning 18. His early records leaned on teen pop before Purpose, released in 2015, reframed him around dance and electronic production behind hits including "Sorry" and "What Do You Mean?"

Later albums, among them Changes, Justice and Swag, have moved further toward R&B, with a lighter, more conversational vocal delivery and sparser arrangements. He has also appeared widely as a guest vocalist, most notably on the remix of Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee's "Despacito," which tied the record for most weeks at number one on the Hot 100.

Across his career Bieber has sold more than 150 million records worldwide, with five diamond-certified singles, and has won two Grammy Awards, eight Juno Awards and 26 Billboard Music Awards among other honors. Billboard has ranked him among the most successful pop stars of the twenty-first century.

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