Bieber has come a long way from posting YouTube covers to selling millions of albums and holding sold-out concerts worldwide. He has a line of clothing and has released three documentary-style movies about his life.
In addition to his musical career, Bieber is involved in many charitable endeavors and has even launched a foundation. But what really sets him apart is his ability to comfort others, especially those who are in a dark place in their lives.
He does this by offering hope, a hug or a kind word. He also does it through his music, which he writes and produces himself. He is the youngest solo male artist to have seven songs from a debut album chart in the top 10 of the Billboard 200.
In 2010, Bieber went on the My World tour, performing in arenas and amphitheatres across North America for several months. He then followed that up with the Believe tour in 2012. In 2013, he took his show overseas to Europe, Asia, South America and Australasia.
Then, in 2015, he surprised fans with his Purpose album, which made him the youngest male artist to have five songs reach number one on the Billboard 200. He has since topped the charts with another record-setting album, Changes.
Bieber is a professed Christian who says he tries to follow the teachings of Jesus. But that’s not always easy, especially when he’s criticized for questionable behavior. He was the subject of a paternity suit filed in November 2011 and a murder plot that same year, both from women who were older than him. On April 15, 2013, he caused controversy by visiting a museum that pays tribute to Anne Frank and writing that the Holocaust victim “would have been a Belieber.”
As for his personal life, Bieber is in a committed relationship with Hailey Baldwin. The couple has a house in the Toronto area and have started their own foundation to help young people.
Bieber’s mother, Pattie Mallette, raised him by himself after his father Jeremy left the family when he was four. They lived in low-income housing in Stratford, Ontario. But he had a knack for music, and taught himself how to play drums, piano, guitar and trumpet. He placed second in a local singing competition at age 10, and his mom posted video clips of him performing on YouTube for friends and family who couldn’t attend. That’s when Scooter Braun stumbled upon the videos and became Bieber’s manager. Braun helped the teen star nab a deal with Usher’s label within two years of his initial breakthrough.