How Justin Bieber built a successful career. Explore key moments that defined the journey.
Justin Bieber is a Canadian singer and pop icon known for his genre-spanning music. Discovered in 2008 by Scooter Braun, he was signed to RBMG Records through Usher. His debut EP, My World (2009), gained him international recognition and established him as a teen idol.
In 2007, Scooter Braun accidentally clicked on one of Justin Bieber's YouTube videos where he was covering Ne-Yo's "So Sick". Impressed, Braun tracked down Bieber and contacted his mother, eventually leading to Bieber going to Atlanta to record demo tapes.
In early 2007, at age 12, Justin Bieber performed Ne-Yo's "So Sick" for a local singing competition in Stratford, placing second. His mother then posted a video of the performance on YouTube, leading to more videos and growing popularity.
In October 2008, Justin Bieber signed with Island Records after L.A. Reid, from the Island Def Jam Music Group, signed Bieber to Island Records.
In 2008, Justin Bieber was discovered by record executive Scooter Braun, who then brought him to the US to meet Usher. Together, they formed the record label RBMG Records and signed Bieber.
In July 2009, Justin Bieber's first single, "One Time", was released to radio and reached number 12 on the Canadian Hot 100 during its first week. It was certified platinum in Canada and the US.
In November 2009, long before the release of his album My World, Justin Bieber's YouTube videos had already attracted millions of views, contributing to his early fanbase.
On November 17, 2009, Justin Bieber's first release, an extended play titled "My World", was released. He became the first solo artist to have four singles chart in the top 40 of the Hot 100 before the release of a debut album.
In 2009, Justin Bieber's debut EP, "My World", was released, achieving international recognition and establishing him as a teen idol.
In 2009, at the age of 15, Justin Bieber's popularity surged following the release of his singles "One Time" and "One Less Lonely Girl", leading to appearances on shows like The Ellen DeGeneres Show.
In January 2010, the song "Baby" featuring Ludacris was released from Justin Bieber's debut album, "My World 2.0". It became an international hit.
On January 31, 2010, Justin Bieber was a presenter at the 52nd Annual Grammy Awards. He also participated as a vocalist for the remake of "We Are the World" to benefit Haiti.
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. Justin Bieber is featured in the song, performing the closing lines.
In April 2010, Justin Bieber acknowledged his voice was changing due to puberty, causing cracking and preventing him from hitting certain notes he previously could, such as those in "Baby".
On June 23, 2010, Justin Bieber started his first official headlining tour, the My World Tour, in Hartford, Connecticut.
On September 12, 2010, Justin Bieber performed a medley of "U Smile", "Baby", and "Somebody to Love" and briefly played the drums at the MTV Video Music Awards.
On September 23, 2010, Justin Bieber guest-starred in the season premiere of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, playing a "troubled teen".
In October 2010, Justin Bieber announced the release of his acoustic album, My Worlds Acoustic. In October 2010, he also released his first book, Justin Bieber: First Step 2 Forever: My Story.
On November 26, 2010, Justin Bieber released his acoustic album, My Worlds Acoustic, which included acoustic versions of previous songs and a new song, "Pray".
In 2010, Justin Bieber released "My World 2.0", his teen pop debut studio album. It debuted atop the US Billboard 200, making him the youngest solo male act to do so in 47 years.
In 2010, Justin Bieber signed a deal with Proactiv and partnered with Nicole by OPI to launch a nail polish line "The One Less Lonely Girl Collection", expanding his brand beyond music.
In 2010, Justin Bieber supported a campaign for People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) by urging fans to adopt abandoned pets from shelters.
In 2010, Justin Bieber was awarded the MTV Award for Best New Artist, marking his early recognition in the music industry.
In 2010, Justin Bieber was named the top-trending star on Twitter as his fans frequently discussed him on the network, marking his early influence on social media.
On February 11, 2011, Justin Bieber's 3-D concert film, Justin Bieber: Never Say Never, was released and topped the box office.
On February 14, 2011, Justin Bieber released his second remix album, Never Say Never – The Remixes, featuring remixes and guest appearances.
On February 17, 2011, the episode of CSI aired where Justin Bieber's character was killed.
On February 18, 2011, Justin Bieber participated in the NBA All-Star Celebrity Game and was named the Most Valuable Player (MVP).
In March 2011, Justin Bieber donated his hair to Ellen DeGeneres, with the proceeds benefiting the animal rescue charity, The Gentle Barn.
In May 2011, Justin Bieber donated proceeds from his concerts in Japan to Japanese Red Cross.
In June 2011, Justin Bieber won his first country music award at the CMT Music Awards for "That Should Be Me." Also in June 2011, he was ranked No. 2 on Forbes list of Best-Paid Celebrities under 30.
On November 1, 2011, Justin Bieber released his Christmas-themed album Under the Mistletoe, which debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200.
In December 2011, Justin Bieber donated $100,000 to Whitney Elementary School in Las Vegas to provide students from low income families.
In 2011, Justin Bieber launched his debut fragrance, Someday, which grossed over three million US dollars in sales at Macy's in just under three weeks.
In 2011, Justin Bieber released "Under the Mistletoe", his second studio album. It became the first Christmas album by a male artist to debut atop the chart and saw continued success.
In 2011, Justin Bieber was included on Forbes' list of the top ten most powerful celebrities.
In February 2012, Justin Bieber was featured on Far East Movement's song "Live My Life".
On March 26, 2012, Justin Bieber released his single "Boyfriend", which debuted at number two on the US Billboard Hot 100.
In May 2012, production of Justin Bieber's Believe film began.
On May 29, 2012, Justin Bieber released the first promotional single "Die in Your Arms" from his upcoming album.
On June 11, 2012, Justin Bieber released the second single from Believe, "As Long as You Love Me" (featuring Big Sean).
In June 2012, Justin Bieber launched his second fragrance, Girlfriend, building on the success of his debut fragrance.
On June 19, 2012, Justin Bieber released his third studio album, Believe, marking a musical departure towards dance-pop and R&B.
In September 2012, Justin Bieber began the Believe Tour in Glendale, Arizona, to further promote the album Believe.
In September 2012, Justin Bieber was featured on "Beautiful", a song from Carly Rae Jepsen's second studio album, Kiss.
In October 2012, Justin Bieber released the third single from Believe, "Beauty and a Beat" (featuring Nicki Minaj).
On December 14, 2012, Justin Bieber announced plans to release an acoustic album titled Believe Acoustic.
In 2012, Justin Bieber endorsed Adidas, beside Derrick Rose and Venus Williams.
In 2012, Justin Bieber explored dance-pop with his third studio album, "Believe". Its acoustic re-release made him the first artist in Billboard history to have five US number-one albums by the age of 18.
In 2012, Justin Bieber was included on the Forbes annual list, recognizing him as one of the top celebrities.
On his birthday in 2012, he launched his campaign to urge his followers to donate on Twitter to Charity: Water.
In January 2013, Justin Bieber surpassed Lady Gaga as the most-followed person on Twitter for the first time, holding the record for 11 months.
On January 29, 2013, Justin Bieber released "Believe Acoustic", which debuted at number one on the Billboard 200.
On February 9, 2013, Justin Bieber hosted and performed as a musical guest on Saturday Night Live, receiving negative reviews from critics and cast members.
In July 2013, Justin Bieber launched his third fragrance, The Key, continuing his ventures in the fragrance industry.
In August 2013, a remixed duet version of Michael Jackson's "Slave to the Rhythm", featuring Justin Bieber, leaked online, sparking controversy.
On October 3, 2013, Justin Bieber announced that he would release a new song every Monday for 10 weeks leading up to the release of his film Justin Bieber's Believe.
On December 9, 2013, Justin Bieber released the final song of Music Mondays, "Confident", and announced the compilation album Journals.
On December 23, 2013, Justin Bieber's "Journals" album released only via iTunes.
On December 25, 2013, Justin Bieber's second theatrical film, Justin Bieber's Believe, was released.
In 2013, Justin Bieber launched his online #GiveBackPhilippines campaign for helping the victims of Typhoon Haiyan and travelled to the Philippines after raising $3 million.
In 2013, Justin Bieber received a Diamond award from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for his single "Baby", which became the highest-certified digital single of all time.
In 2013, Justin Bieber was included on the Forbes annual list, recognizing him as one of the top celebrities.
On January 9, 2014, Justin Bieber's "Journals" album was no longer available.
In April 2014, due to the disbanding of The Island Def Jam Music Group, Justin Bieber was transferred to Def Jam Recordings.
On August 13, 2014, Justin Bieber's January DUI case was settled with a plea bargain. He pleaded guilty to resisting an officer and driving without due care and attention. Bieber was fined $500, ordered to attend anger management and a program about the impact of drunken driving, and contributed $50,000 to Our Kids, a children's charity.
In November 2014, Justin Bieber topped Forbes magazine's Forbes 30 Under 30 annual ranking as one of the highest-earning celebrities under 30.
In 2014, Justin Bieber launched his latest fragrance, Justin Bieber Collector's Edition, expanding his fragrance line.
In 2014, Justin Bieber was included on the Forbes annual list, recognizing him as one of the top celebrities.
In February 2015, Justin Bieber released "Where Are Ü Now", a collaboration with Jack Ü.
In March 2015, Justin Bieber made an appearance in the music video for Carly Rae Jepsen's single "I Really Like You".
In June 2015, Justin Bieber teamed up with StarShop, a new shopping app launched by Kevin Harrington, expanding his business ventures.
On August 28, 2015, Justin Bieber released "What Do You Mean?" as the lead single from his fourth studio album, Purpose. The song debuted at number one on the US Billboard Hot 100, becoming Bieber's first number-one single in the country.
On September 4, 2015, Justin Bieber was featured alongside Young Thug on the album track "Maria I'm Drunk" from Travis Scott's debut studio album, Rodeo.
On October 23, 2015, Justin Bieber released "Sorry", the second single from his album Purpose. The song debuted at number two on the Billboard Hot 100.
On November 11, 2015, Justin Bieber announced that he would embark on the Purpose World Tour.
On November 13, 2015, Justin Bieber's album Purpose was released and debuted at number one on the Billboard 200.
On December 6, 2015, Justin Bieber was the headliner at the Jingle Bell Ball held by Capital FM.
In 2015, Justin Bieber explored EDM on "Where Are Ü Now" (with Jack Ü), which won the Grammy Award for Best Dance/Electronic Recording. The genre also influenced his fourth album, "Purpose".
In 2015, Justin Bieber released his EDM-driven album 'Purpose', which was considered beyond the moment and trends of that period and signaled his evolution as a serious creative artist.
In 2015, Justin Bieber released the EDM-fueled album Purpose, collaborating with Skrillex and exploring serious themes through "feel-good music".
On January 8, 2016, Justin Bieber made UK chart history by becoming the first artist to occupy the entire top three of the UK Singles Chart with "Love Yourself", "Sorry", and "What Do You Mean?".
On the week charting January 23, 2016, "Sorry" climbed to the top of the chart and became Bieber's second number-one single on the Billboard Hot 100.
On February 12, 2016, Justin Bieber's first four albums were released on vinyl for the first time.
On March 8, 2016, "Company", an album track on Purpose, was announced as the fourth single.
On March 9, 2016, the Purpose World Tour started in Seattle, Washington.
On May 13, 2016, Justin Bieber was co-featured alongside Towkio on the album track "Juke Jam" from Chance the Rapper's third mixtape Coloring Book.
As of June 2016, Justin Bieber's album Purpose had sold 4.5 million copies globally.
On July 22, 2016, Justin Bieber released a new single with EDM trio Major Lazer and Danish singer MØ titled "Cold Water".
In August 2016, Justin Bieber was featured on French DJ DJ Snake's single "Let Me Love You".
In September 2016, Justin Bieber was featured on American rapper Post Malone's single "Deja Vu".
On December 9, 2016, Justin Bieber was the headlining act at the 2016 iHeartRadio Jingle Ball and gave a closing performance.
In 2016, "Love Yourself" topped Billboard's Year-End Hot 100 Chart, followed by "Sorry" at number two, and made Justin Bieber only the third artist in history to hold the top-two positions of the Billboard Year-End Hot 100, after the Beatles in 1964 and Usher in 2004.
In 2016, Justin Bieber was included on the Forbes annual list, recognizing him as one of the top celebrities.
In 2016, Justin Bieber was named the "Greatest Pop Star of 2016" by Billboard. He was also Billboard's Year-End Top Male Artist for 2016 and placed number seven on the magazine's Decade-End Top Artists Chart for the 2010s.
On April 17, 2017, Puerto Rican singers Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee released a remix for their song "Despacito" featuring Justin Bieber. It was the first song by Bieber in which he sings in Spanish.
On June 9, 2017, French DJ David Guetta released "2U", in which Justin Bieber was featured.
On July 24, 2017, Justin Bieber cancelled the remaining dates of the Purpose World Tour due to "unforeseen circumstances".
On August 17, 2017, Justin Bieber released the single "Friends" with American record producer and songwriter BloodPop.
In September 2017, Justin Bieber donated $25,000 to the American Red Cross to help people in Texas after the severe destruction caused by Hurricane Harvey.
In 2017, Justin Bieber was included on the Forbes annual list, recognizing him as one of the top celebrities.
In 2017, Justin Bieber's guest singles "I'm the One" by DJ Khaled and "Despacito" by Luis Fonsi both peaked on the Billboard Hot 100, making him the first artist to replace himself atop the chart with new songs in two consecutive weeks. He also earned a Latin Grammy Award for the latter.
In February 2018, Justin Bieber trademarked the name for his company, which would later be used for his clothing line.
In July 2018, Justin Bieber reunited with DJ Khaled in "No Brainer", co-featuring again with Chance the Rapper and Quavo.
In January 2019, Justin Bieber launched his own clothing line called "Drew House", featuring a yellow smiley-face logo with the text "drew".
On April 21, 2019, Justin Bieber delivered a surprise performance at the 2019 Coachella music festival, marking his first live performance in two years, and teased his return to music with a new album.
On May 10, 2019, British singer Ed Sheeran and Justin Bieber released the single "I Don't Care", from Sheeran's album No.6 Collaborations Project.
In September 2019, Justin Bieber released his deodorant line, "Here + Now", designed for sensitive skin, after a year-long collaboration with Schmidt's Naturals CEO, Michael Cammarata.
On October 4, 2019, Justin Bieber and country music duo Dan + Shay released the song "10,000 Hours".
On October 14, 2019, Justin Bieber became the youngest solo male artist to spend 200 cumulative weeks in the top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100.
On December 24, 2019, Justin Bieber announced that he would be releasing his fifth studio album and embarking on his fourth concert tour in 2020.
On January 3, 2020, Justin Bieber released "Yummy", the first single from his upcoming fifth studio album.
On January 28, 2020, Justin Bieber confirmed the release date of his fifth studio album, Changes, to be February 14, 2020, while appearing on The Ellen DeGeneres Show. He also released a promotional single, "Get Me".
On February 7, 2020, Justin Bieber released "Intentions" (featuring Quavo), as the second single from the album Changes.
On February 14, 2020, Justin Bieber's album Changes was released, debuting at number one on the UK and US Billboard 200 charts.
In February 2020, Justin Bieber made a donation to Beijing Chunmiao Children Aid Foundation in China to support COVID-19 relief.
On May 8, 2020, American singer Ariana Grande and Justin Bieber released the single "Stuck with U" to help raise funds for the first responders of the COVID-19 pandemic and their families.
Justin Bieber and Ariana Grande collaborated on the single "Stuck With U", released in May 2020 to support the COVID-19 pandemic, and all net proceeds from the song went to the First Responders Children's Foundation.
On August 28, 2020, Justin Bieber was featured on the album track "Falling for You" from Jaden's third studio album, CTV3: Cool Tape Vol. 3.
On September 4, 2020, Justin Bieber played a lead starring role in the music video for DJ Khaled's single "Popstar" (featuring Drake).
In September 2020, Justin Bieber and Chance the Rapper announced that they partnered with Cash App and will donate $250,000 to fans who are struggling during the pandemic.
On September 18, 2020, Justin Bieber released a collaboration with Chance the Rapper titled "Holy", which Bieber called the start of his new era and the first single from his upcoming sixth studio album.
On October 15, 2020, Justin Bieber released "Lonely", a collaboration with Benny Blanco as the second single from his upcoming album.
In October 2020, Justin Bieber collaborated with Crocs on a limited edition of the brand's renowned clogs called "Crocs x Justin Bieber".
On November 6, 2020, Justin Bieber and J Balvin were featured on a remix of 24kGoldn's single, "Mood".
On November 20, 2020, Shawn Mendes and Justin Bieber released "Monster", from Mendes' fourth studio album, Wonder.
In 2020, Justin Bieber released his R&B-inspired fifth album, "Changes", which topped the Billboard 200.
On January 1, 2021, Justin Bieber released "Anyone", the third single from his upcoming studio album. The single peaked at number six on the Billboard Hot 100.
On February 14, 2021, Justin Bieber performed "Journals Live" in collaboration with TikTok, marking the first-ever performance of his 2013 album Journals. The event broke records as the most-viewed single-artist livestream on TikTok.
On February 26, 2021, Justin Bieber officially announced that his sixth studio album would be titled Justice.
On March 5, 2021, Justin Bieber released "Hold On", the fourth single from his album Justice. The song peaked at number 20 on the Billboard Hot 100.
In March 2021, Justin Bieber visited the California State Prison in Los Angeles County along with his wife Hailey and pastor Judah Smith and committed to provide buses to transport relatives of the inmates who have been unable to see them due to the COVID-19 pandemic in California.
On March 19, 2021, Justin Bieber released his album Justice and its fifth single, "Peaches". Justice debuted at number one on the Billboard 200, while "Peaches" debuted at number one on the Billboard Hot 100, setting major records in the US.
On April 11, 2021, Justin Bieber's album Justice led the Billboard 200 chart and became his first full-length album to spend more than one week at the top of the chart in over a decade.
On May 10, 2021, Justin Bieber was featured alongside 21 Savage on DJ Khaled's single "Let It Go", from Khaled's album Khaled Khaled. He also appeared in the music video.
On June 11, 2021, Justin Bieber made an appearance on Migos's fourth studio album, Culture III, on the track "What You See".
On July 9, 2021, Justin Bieber released "Stay" in collaboration with the Kid Laroi. The song debuted at number three on the Billboard Hot 100 and later peaked at number one, becoming his eighth number-one single in the US.
On July 24, 2021, Justin Bieber headlined the "Freedom Experience" show at the SoFi Stadium as part of 1DayLA's COVID-19 service event.
On August 13, 2021, Justin Bieber released a remix to Wizkid's song "Essence", marking his first venture into afrobeats. This remix elevated the song's position to number nine on the Billboard Hot 100.
By August 2021, the single "Stuck With U" had raised over $3,500,000.
On September 4, 2021, Justin Bieber headlined the 2021 Made in America Festival held in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
On October 8, 2021, Justin Bieber released a new documentary film titled Justin Bieber: Our World, providing an inside view in preparation for his 2020 "New Year's Eve Live" concert.
On October 29, 2021, Justin Bieber released "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree", a cover of Brenda Lee's classic holiday song, on streaming platforms worldwide.
On November 15, 2021, Justin Bieber announced the international legs of his fourth concert tour, the Justice World Tour, scheduled to begin in San Diego, California, on February 18, 2022.
On November 19, 2021, the album "Under the Mistletoe" was listed among the Greatest of All Time Top Holiday Albums chart by Billboard.
On December 3, 2021, Justin Bieber released "Wandered to LA" in collaboration with Juice Wrld as the second single from the rapper's second posthumous album, Fighting Demons.
On December 5, 2021, Justin Bieber was the headlining performer at the 2021 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix held in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
On December 11, 2021, Justin Bieber headlined the 2021 Jingle Bell Ball held by Capital FM at The O2, London.
As of 2021, Justin Bieber has set 33 Guinness World Records, which include eight that were achieved from the success of his album Purpose and was featured in the 2017 Edition.
In 2021, Justin Bieber released his sixth album, "Justice", which also topped the Billboard 200 and included the successful single "Peaches". This broke Elvis Presley's 1965 record for the youngest solo act to have eight US number-one albums.
In 2021, Justin Bieber won the MTV Award for Artist of the Year, highlighting his longevity and continued success in the music industry.
In a review of his 2021 album, Justice, Pitchfork commented that Justin Bieber is a compelling vocalist, demonstrating a palatable smoothness, push-and-pull dynamics, and a range from chest voice to falsetto.
In fall 2021, Justin Bieber collaborated with Tim Hortons to launch a specialty version of Timbits known as "timbiebs".
On January 1, 2022, Justin Bieber set the then-record for the most monthly listeners in Spotify history, achieving a peak of 94.68 million monthly listeners.
On February 4, 2022, Justin Bieber made a guest appearance on Beam's debut studio album, Alien, on the album track "Sundown".
On February 7, 2022, Justin Bieber starred in Balenciaga's first 2022 campaign alongside Kim Kardashian and Isabelle Huppert.
On February 11, 2022, Justin Bieber headlined the "Homecoming Weekend" bash ahead of the Super Bowl in Los Angeles.
On March 4, 2022, Justin Bieber released a collaboration with Nigerian singer Omah Lay titled "Attention".
On March 28, 2022, "Ghost", the sixth single from Justice, peaked at number five on the Billboard Hot 100, marking Justin Bieber's 20th career top-five hit on the chart. The song also reached number one on Billboard's Pop Songs chart.
On March 30, 2022, Justin Bieber was featured on the single "Up at Night" by Kehlani, as part of the latter's third studio album, Blue Water Road.
On April 15, 2022, Justin Bieber gave a surprise performance with Daniel Caesar at the 2022 Coachella music festival.
In April 2022, Italian brand Vespa revealed its collaboration with Justin Bieber on a new limited edition scooter called the "JUSTIN BIEBER X VESPA".
On April 29, 2022, Justin Bieber released a new single titled "Honest" featuring Don Toliver, accompanied by a music video directed by Cole Bennett.
In May 2022, Justin Bieber and Tim Hortons announced a new collaboration called the "Biebs Brew", a French vanilla cold brew.
On June 6, 2022, the "Biebs Brew", a French vanilla cold brew collaboration between Justin Bieber and Tim Hortons, became available in North American stores.
On August 27, 2022, Justin Bieber released an exclusive single titled "Beautiful Love" for the battle royale game Garena Free Fire.
In December 2022, Justin Bieber launched a clean water technology company called "Generosity" to provide sustainable drinking water.
In January 2023, Justin Bieber sold his music publishing rights and recording catalogue shares (up to the end of 2021) to Hipgnosis Songs Fund for over $200 million.
On February 24, 2023, Justin Bieber was featured on Don Toliver's single "Private Landing" alongside Future, from Toliver's album, Love Sick. Bieber also performed the song with Toliver at the Rolling Loud festival.
On September 15, 2023, Justin Bieber made a guest appearance on the song "Moments" from Diddy's album, The Love Album: Off the Grid. He also released an acoustic version of SZA's "Snooze" and starred in its music video.
In 2023, Generosity fountains, dispensing refillable alkaline water, are expected to be commercially available at major venues and homes.
As of 2024, Justin Bieber is the most-followed musician on Twitter with over 110.3 million followers and the fourth most-followed user.