Justin Drew Bieber was born in Stratford, Ontario, Canada and raised by his mother. At age 12 he entered a singing competition and came in second place. His mother uploaded videos of him performing on YouTube, and his success caught the attention of talent agent Scott Braun. Braun introduced Bieber to a record producer, who signed him.
In 2012, Bieber’s first album, Believe, was released and produced by Dan Kanter, with guest appearances from Usher and Nicki Minaj. The album was a massive worldwide hit and earned him many awards including Artist of the Year on the Kids Choice Awards, and he won the Grammy Award for Best Dance Recording for his single “Where Are U Now” with electronic Music DJ-duo Skrillex and Diplo in 2016.
On the following album, Purpose (2015), he sounded penitent and regretful, disavowing the person fame had made him into and singing lissome songs of apology. He followed the album with a Purpose world tour, and appeared in a remix of Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee’s hit “Despacito.”
In March 2024, he announced that he had rediscovered his passion for music and released the song Ghost in collaboration with producers Jon Bellion and Monsters & Strangerz (Jordan K. Johnson and Stefan Johnson). The single has a catchy pop hook with R&B vocals that are soothing, tender although maybe slightly tentative. It topped the charts in the United States and achieved global success.
The music video is a colorful, upbeat dance clip with a 90’s vibe. It was directed and choreographed by New Zealander Parris Goebel and features a group of skateboarders called The Royal Family Dance Crew and the ReQuest Skateboard Team. It has garnered over 1.7 billion views on YouTube.
Bieber’s small circle of trust seems to consist mostly of his wife, Hailey Baldwin Bieber, and a handful of people who work with him closely. Whether loitering in the studio while he records, zipping him into and out of a hyperbaric chamber to de-stress, or reminding him to take his medications, Hailey is almost always there for him.
As for the rest of the world, it’s largely been left to the Biebers themselves to navigate, and the results are often entertaining. One of their more memorable public interactions was in December 2017, when Hailey and her father were pulled over on suspicion of speeding while driving through Los Angeles, prompting the Canadian star to improvise a Back to the Future-style hoverboard escape. That’s just the latest in a long list of high-profile escapades that have kept the tabloids happy, and the haters, for years.