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A compass rose with east highlighted

East is a noun, adjective, or adverb indicating direction or geography. East is one of the four cardinal directions or compass points. It is the opposite of west and is perpendicular to north and south.

By convention, the right hand side of a map is east.

To go east using a compass for navigation, set a bearing or azimuth of 90°.

East is the direction toward which the Earth rotates about its axis, and therefore the general direction from which the Sun appears to rise.

During the Cold War, "The East" was sometimes used to refer to the Warsaw Pact and Communist China, along with other Communist nations.

Throughout history, the East has also been used by Europeans in reference to the Orient and Asian societies.

Etymology[link]

The word east is derived from the Proto-Germanic *aus-to- or *austra- "east, toward the sunrise" , from PIE *aus- "to shine," or "dawn".^[1] Ēostre, a Germanic goddess of dawn, might have been a personification of both dawn and the cardinal points.

References[link]

Look up east in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

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Cheech Marin
Marin in Vancouver during the 2008 Light up Canada tour
Birth name	Richard Anthony Marin
Born	(1946-07-13) July 13, 1946 (age 65) Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Medium	Stand-up
Nationality	American
Years active	1971–present
Genres	Latin comedy, stoner comedy
Subject(s)	Recreational drug use, drug culture
Influences	Lenny Bruce, George Carlin, Mort Sahl, Bill Cosby, Jonathan Winters
Influenced	Chris Rock, Adam Sandler, George Lopez, Russell Peters, Mitch Hedberg, Ron White, Jackie Martling
Spouse	Darlene Morley (1975-1984), Patti Head (1986-?), Natasha Rubin (2009-present)

Richard Anthony "Cheech" Marin (born July 13, 1946) is an American comedian, actor and writer who gained recognition as part of the comedy act Cheech & Chong during the 1970s and early 1980s, and as Don Johnson's partner, Insp. Joe Dominguez on Nash Bridges. He has also voiced characters in several Disney films, including Oliver and Company, The Lion King, Cars, its sequel and Beverly Hills Chihuahua.

Marin's trademark is his character's thickly Mexican-accented voice. This a part of a comic persona, rather than a natural accent (Marin was born and raised in the U.S.).

Early life[link]

Marin, a Mexican American,^[1][2] was born in Los Angeles, California, the son of Elsa (née Meza), a secretary, and Oscar Marin, a policeman in the LAPD.^[3] Marin was born with a cleft lip, which has long since been repaired. Although he speaks Spanish and uses it in some of his movies, he is not particularly fluent.^[4]

Marin's nickname "Cheech" is short for "chicharron", a fried pork skin that is a popular snack in Mexican cuisine^[5] and a favorite of marijuana smokers afflicted with "the munchies", and the nickname's alliteration with Chong's surname made "Cheech and Chong" an obvious choice for the name of the duo. The name of this character gave rise to the popular term "cheeched", meaning "under the influence of marijuana, usually at a relatively high dose".

Marin graduated from Bishop Alemany High School, located in California's San Fernando Valley, as well as from California State University Northridge, where he was a member of Phi Sigma Kappa. Marin auditioned to sing for Frank Zappa in 1967, but moved to Vancouver, British Columbia in September to avoid the U.S. draft during the height of the Vietnam War.^[6] In Vancouver, Marin met his future comedic partner Tommy Chong.

Career[link]

Comedy albums and films[link]

As a part of the highly successful comedy duo Cheech & Chong, Marin participated in a number of comedy albums and feature film comedies in the 1970s and 1980s. Tommy Chong directed four of their films, while co-writing and starring in all seven with Cheech Marin.

Later films and television work[link]

After he and Tommy Chong went their separate ways in 1985, Marin starred in a number of films as a solo actor, most notably Born in East L.A., Tin Cup, and Once Upon a Time in Mexico.

Marin made the transition to full-time television work when he co-starred on the short-lived The Golden Girls spin-off The Golden Palace (1992–1993), and later with Don Johnson, Jaime P. Gomez and Yasmine Bleeth in the police show Nash Bridges (1996–2001), in which they played San Francisco police-detective partners. In recent years he has been active in playing supporting roles in films and performing voice overs for animated features. After appearing in a supporting role in Judging Amy, playing an independently wealthy landscape designer, Marin starred in the CBS sitcom Rob, with Rob Schneider.

Marin is a favorite of director Robert Rodriguez, who has worked with Marin seven times; the last two installments of the Mexico trilogy, the Spy Kids trilogy, From Dusk Till Dawn and Machete. He provided his voice for several Disney animated films, most notably Tito in Oliver & Company (1988), Banzai in The Lion King (1994) and Ramone in Cars (2006) and Cars 2 (2011). He also reprised the Banzai role in Kingdom Hearts II. He made a small appearance as a dockworker in the movie Ghostbusters 2.

Children's music albums[link]

Marin has released two best-selling albums in the children's music genre, My Name is Cheech, the School Bus Driver (1992) and My Name is Cheech, The School Bus Driver "Coast to Coast" (1997). Both albums were released bilingually. In July 2007, Cheech Marin added children's book author to his list of accomplishments with the release of Cheech the School Bus Driver, illustrated by Orlando L. Ramirez (Published by HarperCollins).

Additional television appearances[link]

In late 2006, Marin participated in Simon Cowell's Celebrity Duets, having sung with Peter Frampton, Randy Travis, Clint Black, Aaron Neville, and Al Jarreau. He was the fourth to be eliminated. In that same year, he voiced as Gaspar Gomez in Scarface: The World Is Yours.

In recent years, Marin has had a recurring role in the hit television series Lost, playing David Reyes, Hurley's father.

He was a co-host for WWE Raw on March 1, 2010 with his comedy partner Tommy Chong, in Oklahoma City.

Cheech also sings on the hidden track "Earache My Eye" on Korn's album Follow the Leader.

On March 18, 2010, Marin beat journalist Anderson Cooper and actress Aisha Tyler on Celebrity Jeopardy!'s Million Dollar Celebrity Invitational. Cooper admitted he was "crushed" by Marin.^[7] Marin also won his semifinal round early May but lost in the May 6-7 final to Michael McKean. He had previously won the first Celebrity Jeopardy! tournament in 1992.^[8]

In January 2012, he was one of eight celebrities participating in the Food Network reality series Rachael vs. Guy: Celebrity Cook-Off. He was eliminated on the third week of the competition.^[9]

Other interests[link]

Marin is one of the foremost collectors of Chicano art in the United States, and his private collection is claimed^{[by whom?]} as the most renowned. Two national touring exhibitions have featured works from his collection.

Marin is also an avid golfer, although he initially disliked the sport until he co-starred in Tin Cup.

Personal life[link]

Marin was married in 1975 to Darlene Morley, who co-produced Cheech & Chong's The Corsican Brothers and also played minor roles in earlier Cheech & Chong films under the name Rikki Marin. The couple had one child and divorced in 1984.^[10] Marin married Patti Heid in 1986; they had two children and have since divorced.^[11] Marin married his longtime girlfriend, Russian pianist Natasha Rubin^[12] on August 8, 2009, in a sunset ceremony at their home.

Marin resides in California.^[13]

Filmography[link]

Films[link]

Television credits[link]

• Mother Goose Rock 'n' Rhyme (TV) (1990) ... Carnival Barkera
• Great Performances (TV) ... El Cosmico (1 episode, 1991)
• Ring of the Musketeers (TV)(1992) .... Burt Aramis
• The Golden Palace (TV)...Chuy Castillos (24 episodes, 1992–1993)
• Tales from the Crypt (TV)... Dr. Beneloy (1 episode, 1993)
• The Cisco Kid (TV)(1994) ... Pancho
• Married with Children (3 episodes, 1991–1994)...Buck's Voice
• Dream On (1994)... Waiter (1 episode, 1994)
• Santo Bugito (1995) TV Series .... Lencho the Flea (unknown episodes)
• The Courtyard (TV) (1995)... Angel Steiner
• Latino Laugh Festival (TV) (1996)... Host
• Happily Ever After: Fairytales For Every Child (TV) Character- "Hansel and Gretel"
• Tracey Takes On... (1996–1998).... Carlos (starred in only 2 episodes)
• Funny Flubs & Screw-Ups V (TV) (2000)...Host
• The 26th Annual People's Choice Awards (TV) (2000)...Host
• Resurrection Blvd. (TV) (2000)...as Hector Archuletta
• South Park (TV) (2000)...voiced as Carlos Ramirez (voiced in 1 episode \"Cherokee Hair Tampons\")
• Nash Bridges (TV) (2001)...as Inspector Joe Dominguez (1996–2001)
• Tracey Ullman in the Trailer Tales (TV) (2003)...as Himself
• George Lopez (TV) (2003)...as Lalo (Starred in the episode titled Guess Who's Coming to Dinner, Honey)
• Lost (TV) (2007–2009)...as David Reyes (Hurley's Dad in the episodes Tricia Tanaka Is Dead, There's no Place Like Home and The Lie)
• Mind of Mencia (2008)...Gay man's father
• Grey's Anatomy (2008)...Otis (episode "Where the Wild Things Are")
• MADtv (2009) Himself
• WWE Raw (TV) (2010)...as Himself (Guest Host)
• Off the Map (TV) (2011)...as Papa
• The Simpsons (2011)...as Himself (Guest voice)
• Lopez Tonight (TV) (2011)...as Himself, George's celebrity father
• Rob (2012)...as Fernando
• Rachael vs. Guy: Celebrity Cook-Off (2012)...as Himself (celebrity contestant)

Cheech and Chong comedy albums[link]

• Cheech and Chong (1971)
• Big Bambu (1972)
• Los Cochinos (1973)
• Cheech & Chong's Wedding Album (1974)
• Sleeping Beauty (1976)
• Up In Smoke (1978)
• Let's Make Another Dope Deal (1980)
• Get Out Of My Room (1985)

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Cheech Marin

• Official website
• Cheech Marin at the Internet Movie Database

Ryan Tedder
Tedder in Austria, 2010
Background information
Birth name	Ryan Benjamin Tedder
Also known as	Alias Ryan "Alias" Tedder
Born	(1979-06-26) June 26, 1979 (age 32)
Origin	Tulsa, Oklahoma, United States
Genres	Pop rock, R&B, alternative rock, teen pop, cello rock
Occupations	Singer, musician, songwriter, record producer, multi-instrumentalist
Instruments	Vocals, guitar, piano, organ, bass, drums, synthesizers, clarinet, glockenspiel, vibraphone
Years active	1999 – present
Labels	Columbia Records Interscope Records (2007–present)
Associated acts	OneRepublic, Far East Movement, Adele
Website	myspace.com/aliastheproducer

Ryan Benjamin Tedder (born June 26, 1979) is a Grammy Award winning singer-songwriter and record producer.^[1][2] He is best known as the frontman of the pop rock band, OneRepublic, though he has an independent career as songwriter and producer for various artists such as Adele, Jennifer Lopez, Beyoncé, Kelly Clarkson, Far East Movement, Adam Lambert, Jordin Sparks, Leona Lewis, Gavin DeGraw, Demi Lovato, Sebastian Ingrosso, Maroon 5, and Paul Oakenfold.^[3]

Early life and education[link]

Born in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and was raised by an extended family of missionaries and pastors.^[4] He began learning to play the piano at the age of three via the Suzuki method.^[4] His early interest in music was prompted by his musician father and school-teacher mother, who coaxed their young son into practicing piano in exchange for candy corn.^[4] Tedder started singing at the age of seven.^[2] A self-taught vocalist, Tedder began honing this skill at the age of twelve by imitating his favorite artists, who ranged from The Beatles to acts as diverse as Peter Gabriel, Stevie Wonder and Sting. He has commented, "I sang for two hours a day every day of my life until I was eighteen."^[4] He continued to perform musically during his adolescence through church, school, and personally formed groups.^[2]

In his senior year, he moved to Colorado Springs, Colorado.^[5] There he met and became friends with future OneRepublic band-mate Zach Filkins on their soccer team at the Colorado Springs Christian School. He attended Oral Roberts University in Oklahoma and began to showcase his own material there. Tedder completed his college education and graduated from ORU in 2001 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Public Relations and Advertising.^[6]

Career[link]

Early musical career[link]

For years Tedder worked as a waiter, and also as a shop assistant at Pottery Barn, before securing an internship at DreamWorks SKG in Nashville, singing on demos to break into the music scene. He produced demos for songwriters and labels, charging $300 to $400 a track.^[4] Tedder claims that DreamWorks offered him his first publishing deal shortly after his arrival; however, he was intent on pursuing a career as an artist and his first venture in that arena came via a different route all together.

At the age of twenty-one, Tedder competed in a singer-songwriter competition and was selected by 'N Sync singer Lance Bass as one of five finalists to perform on a one-hour special on MTV, performing original material in front of millions of viewers.^[7] The prize for the winner was a music contract with Bass's now-defunct management company, Free Lance Entertainment.^[7] The contestants performed live and were then rated by judges and the audience; the highest scoring artist winning the contract. Tedder's performance of one of his songs, "The Look", received the most votes from the judges and fans, and he won the competition; however, a contract with a recording label was not finalized and no album was released.^[7] Tedder later revealed the record and publishing deal he was offered "wasn't real. It was just a bunch of hype that didn't turn into anything."^[8]

Producing and writing[link]

One year after winning the MTV competition, Tedder caught the attention of the hip hop producer Timbaland.^[9] Tedder commented that he was with Timbaland from 2002-2004 to develop as an artist while producing for other artists at the time.^[8] Tedder's work crossed many musical genres (ranging from hip hop, R&B, rock, pop to dance/techno) and he has had many chart successes both in America and the United Kingdom with a number of artists. In June 2007, Tedder signed a worldwide publishing administration deal with Kobalt Music Publishing. The deal included Tedder's new works and all songs not performed by OneRepublic.

Tedder performing on stage, 2009

Tedder is the writer of the worldwide smash hit, "Apologize", performed by his band OneRepublic, which as of 2008 is the best-selling and charting single of the decade.^[10] The song broke the US Top 40 Radio Airplay Record with 10,331 spins in one week. It was the number-one most played song for five months until May 7, 2008 when Leona Lewis's "Bleeding Love" (a song that Tedder co-wrote and produced), broke the record previously set by "Apologize", with 10,665 spins in one week.^[11] "Bleeding Love" was the best-selling single of 2007 in the United Kingdom, topping the UK charts for seven weeks and was the fastest selling CD of 2007 receiving the most radio airplay worldwide prior to its US debut. The song also earned a Best British Single award nomination at the Brit Awards in February 2008 and reached number one in over 35 countries. Tedder and co-writer Jesse McCartney received an ASCAP award for writing the song. Tedder is also credited for writing the treatment for the second music video that was filmed for the US release of "Bleeding Love". It also earned a Record Of The Year nomination at the February 2009 Grammy awards.^[12]

Tedder has written and produced singles with artists such as Jennifer Lopez, Adele, Carrie Underwood, Leona Lewis, Jennifer Hudson, Alexandra Burke, Backstreet Boys, Beyoncé, Monrose, David Cook, Jordin Sparks, AJ McLean, Chris Cornell, Ashley Tisdale, Ludacris, Gavin Degraw, James Blunt, James Morrison, Paula DeAnda, Hilary Duff, Timbaland, Bubba Sparxxx, Dima Bilan, Shayne Ward, Lemar, Esmee Denters, Clay Aiken, t.A.T.u., Menudo, Ashanti, Natasha Bedingfield, Whitney Houston, Westlife, Charice, Varsity Fanclub, Sugababes, Daughtry, Mario, DJ Tiesto and a number of songs with various rock acts in the US and abroad.^[13] He worked with Jennifer Lopez on her 2007 single Do It Well from her album Brave, then worked with Kelly Clarkson on her 2009 album All I Ever Wanted, penning the songs "If I Can't Have You", "Impossible", "Save You", "Tip Of My Tongue" and "Already Gone", which features vocals from Ryan. He also worked with Beyoncé on her album I Am… Sasha Fierce, penning the song "Halo." The similarity between the songs "Already Gone" and "Halo" prompted Clarkson to publicly state that she did not know about "Halo" and that both songs were co-written by Tedder.^[14] Tedder's work with Beyoncé also earned him two Grammy nominations with Record Of The Year for "Halo" and Album Of The Year for I Am...Sasha Fierce at the January 2010 Grammy Awards. Tedder worked extensively on Leona Lewis's second album Echo, writing and producing many songs with her, three of which have made the album, including the first single "Happy", "You Don't Care" which features vocals from Ryan and "Lost Then Found", which features OneRepublic. Tedder co-wrote and produced Jordin Sparks' lead single "Battlefield" from her second album of the same name. Tedder worked on American Idol Season 8 runner up, Adam Lambert's debut album For Your Entertainment.

More recently, Ryan is credited with writing and producing hits from some of 2011's most anticipated albums, including Adele's "21," Beyoncé's "4," Colbie Caillat's "All Of You," Gavin Degraw's "Sweeter," among others.

In late 2009 Tedder launched his own record company, Patriot Records. Recently signed buzz artist My Name Is Kay, will release her debut EP through Interscope in 2012. Nikki Flores' single "City Lights" was released in the Fall of 2010 on Universal/Republic Records. Tedder also formed his own publishing company, Patriot Games Publishing, in 2009 in alliance with Kobalt Music Publishing Worldwide. To date he has a stable of top notch writers and producers, (Inflo, Noel Zancanella, and Brent Kutzle of OneRepublic) all of whom have upcoming songs by themselves with major artists and alongside Tedder himself.

Tedder is currently working with Jennifer Lopez, Maroon 5, Ellie Goulding, Trey Songz, The Wanted, K'Naan, Jason Derulo, Lady Antebellum, B.o.B., Carrie Underwood, Marina and the Diamonds, Dan Black, and Lights (musician) on their forthcoming studio albums. He was featured in Far East Movement's hit single "Rocketeer," as well as the current Gym Class Heroes single, "The Fighter (song)."

In 2011 he composed a new song for Vanness Wu, "Is this All" in Taiwan.

Tedder was also a judge for the 10th annual Independent Music Awards to support independent artists' careers.^[15]

OneRepublic[link]

As well as producing, Tedder also sings lead vocals and plays guitar and piano for the band, OneRepublic. The five member band consisting of Tedder, Filkins, Eddie Fisher, Drew Brown, and Brent Kutzle was formed in Colorado Springs, Colorado, in 2002 by Tedder and his high school classmate Zach Filkins.^[16] Tedder has since revealed that the band was formed at a "crossroads" in his life: "I was offered two publishing deals within two months of being in Nashville…I could have just written songs and lived a carefree life, but I knew that I had to be an artist. I wanted to form a rock band and create my own sound."^[4] Based in Los Angeles, OneRepublic started out as an unsigned act on the social networking website, MySpace. Since June 2004, they have accumulated over fifty million plays for their music on the site. As of 2009, they are the number-one band on MySpace and have been in the MySpace Music's Top Artists since the summer of 2006.^[17]

The band gained further exposure when their 2007 single, "Apologize", was re-mixed and re-released on Timbaland's compilation album, Timbaland Presents Shock Value. The remix became an international chart hit in the fall of 2007. The song broke records after gaining 10,331 spins in one week. According to SoundScan, "Apologize" is the most legally downloaded song in US digital history with sales of over 4.3 million digital downloads in the US alone.^[18] It is also the second best-selling song of the decade.^[19] OneRepublic's debut album, Dreaming Out Loud, includes both the song's original version and version with Timbaland, and was released on November 20, 2007 on Timbaland's Mosley Music Group imprint via Interscope Records.^[20] The band had previously been signed to Columbia Records, and their album was due to be released in 2006, but this did not occur. Tedder explained, "Crap happened. People got fired. Labels merged and politics abounded".^[21] Subsequently, the band was released from their deal with Columbia, and they were signed by Timbaland in the summer of 2006 becoming the first rock band to be signed to Mosley Music Group.^[21] Tedder has commented on the success of his band's hit single, "Apologize": "The toughest thing to do is write a hit song, but we had a hit song before we had an album… What has happened has been really strange and really great."^[20]

Tedder is a multi-instrumentalist. During OneRepublic's performances, he often switches from singing lead vocals to playing guitar, bass guitar, glockenspiel, tambourine or piano. On rare occasions, he plays drums alongside the band's main percussionist, Eddie Fisher.

The band finished recording their second album, titled "Waking Up" on August 25, 2009, and released their lead single, "All the Right Moves" to radio and iTunes everywhere except Germany and Austria, where "Secrets" was released instead. The album was released on November 17, 2009 in the United States. To date, the second US single, "Secrets" has reached over 2M digital downloads, and third single "Good Life" continues to climb the charts, breaking into the Top 10 on iTunes and radio everywhere.

Other projects[link]

Patriot Records and Patriot Games Publishing/Kobalt were both founded by Tedder. Artist signings at the label include Nikki Flores and newcomer buzz artist, My Name Is Kay. Kay's debut EP is set for release through Interscope in 2012. Nikki Flores' single "City Lights" was released in the Fall of 2010 through Universal/Republic. The Patriot Games Publishing roster includes Noel Zancanella, OneRepublic cellist/bassist, Brent Kutzle, and Inflo. The Patriot team of writers and producers are credited with "I Was Here" by Beyoncé, "Good Life" by OneRepublic, "I Just Had Sex" by The Lonely Island featuring Akon, "Lost Then Found" by Leona Lewis and OneRepublic, "Just a Guy" by BC Jean, "Count on You" by Big Time Rush featuring Jordin Sparks, and "And Then We Dance," the #1 hit single from Australia's Got Talent winners Justice Crew. Patriot Games songs will also be featured on upcoming releases by, Leona Lewis, Cody Simpson, K'naan, Demi Lovato, and B.o.B, among others.

About working with Lovato, Tedder commented, "Demi blew me out of the water vocally! I had no idea how good her voice is. She's one of the best singers I've ever worked with. Literally, that good... I mean, she's a Kelly Clarkson-level vocalist. And Kelly has a set of pipes". He is currently working with Lovato on her third album, Unbroken.

Upon an interview from the 2012 Grammys, Ryan announced that he was half way through working on a third album with his band OneRepublic.

Tedder has also recorded vocal tracks for Sebastian Ingrosso and Alesso's dance music track he also co-wrote, titled "Calling."

Tedder has also produced tracks for Maroon 5's new album Overexposed.

Tedder has also working on tracks for Jennifer Lopez's new untitled 2012 album, one of the songs it's "Clothes Off".

Personal life[link]

Ryan Tedder is married. He openly acknowledged and thanked his wife, Genevieve, in the liner notes of OneRepublic's debut album Dreaming Out Loud. Ryan and Genevieve have a son, Copeland Cruz Tedder, born on August 2, 2010 in Denver, Colorado.^[22] He was raised as a born-again Christian.^[23] Tedder's cousins, Adam, Ashley and Austin Clark comprise the band Sons of Sylvia and were formerly in The Clark Family Experience. He co-wrote their song "Love Left to Lose".^[24]

Writing and production credits[link]

References[link]

Justin Bieber
Justin Bieber at the NRJ Music Awards in Cannes, France in 2012
Background information
Birth name	Justin Drew Bieber
Born	(1994-03-01) March 1, 1994 (age 18)[1] London, Ontario, Canada
Origin	Stratford, Ontario, Canada
Genres	Pop, R&B, teen pop[2][3][4]
Occupations	Singer-songwriter, musician, actor
Instruments	Vocals, guitar, piano, percussion,[5] trumpet[6]
Years active	2008–present
Labels	Island, RBMG
Associated acts	Usher
Website	justinbiebermusic.com

Justin Drew Bieber^[7] ( /ˈbiːbər/ BEE-bər, born March 1, 1994)^[1] is a Canadian pop/R&B singer-songwriter, musician, and actor.^[2][4] Bieber was discovered in 2008 by Scooter Braun,^[8] who came across Bieber's videos on YouTube and later became his manager. Braun arranged for him to meet with Usher in Atlanta, Georgia, and Bieber was soon signed to Raymond Braun Media Group (RBMG), a joint venture between Braun and Usher,^[9] and then to a recording contract with Island Records offered by L.A. Reid.^[5][10] Bieber's debut single, "One Time", was released in 2009 and peaked in the top twenty in Canada and charted in the top thirty in several international markets. His debut album, the seven-track EP My World, followed in November 2009, and was soon certified platinum in the United States. He became the first artist to have seven songs from a debut album chart on the Billboard Hot 100.^[11]

Bieber's first full-length studio album, My World 2.0, was released in March 2010. It debuted at number one or within the top ten in several countries and was certified platinum in the United States. It was preceded by the worldwide top-ten single, "Baby". The music video of "Baby" is currently ranked as the most viewed and most discussed YouTube video.^[12] Bieber followed-up the release of his debut album with his first headlining tour, the My World Tour, the remix albums My Worlds Acoustic and Never Say Never – The Remixes, and the 3D biopic-concert film Justin Bieber: Never Say Never – which had an opening weekend gross that nearly matched the record for the biggest opening weekend for a concert-film. Bieber released his second studio album, Under the Mistletoe in November 2011, which debuted at number one on the Billboard 200. Bieber has received numerous awards, including Artist of the Year at the 2010 American Music Awards – and has been nominated for numerous awards, including Best New Artist and Best Pop Vocal Album at the 53rd Grammy Awards. To date Bieber has sold more than 8 million albums worldwide.^[13]

Life and career[link]

1994–2007: Childhood and youth[link]

Bieber was born on March 1, 1994, in London, Ontario in St Joseph's Hospital,^[14][15] and was raised in Stratford, Ontario.^[16] Bieber's mother, Patricia Lynn "Pattie" Mallette, was 18 years old when she became pregnant. Mallette, originally from Stratford, raised her son with the help of her parents, Bruce and Diane.^[17] Mallette worked a series of low-paying office jobs, raising Bieber as a single mother in low-income housing. Bieber has maintained contact with his father, Jeremy Jack Bieber, who married another woman and had two children.^[18][19][20] Bieber's great-grandfather was from Germany.^[21] Bieber's mother's ancestry is French Canadian.^[22] Bieber attended a French immersion school called the Stratford school Jean Sauve.^[17]

During his childhood, Bieber was interested in hockey, soccer, and chess; he often kept his musical aspirations to himself.^[18] As he grew up, Bieber taught himself to play the piano, drums, guitar, and trumpet.^[16][23] In early 2007, when he was twelve, Bieber sang Ne-Yo's "So Sick" for a local singing competition in Stratford and was placed second.^[5][23] Mallette posted a video of the performance on YouTube for their family and friends to see. She continued to upload videos of Bieber singing covers of various R&B songs, and Bieber's popularity on the site grew.^[10] Chris Hicks, Bieber's A&R at Island/Def Jam, explained the young artist's huge online following to HitQuarters by saying:

"He was doing something different. He was an attractive white kid singing very soulful R&B hits. That set him apart immediately from anyone in his range because no one was covering or singing these kind of records. But equally important was that you believed in these songs – it was real. And you wanted to hear more."^[24]

[edit] 2008–09: Discovery and My World

While searching for videos of a different singer, Scooter Braun, a former marketing executive of So So Def, clicked on one of Bieber's 2007 videos by accident.^[18] Impressed, Braun tracked down the theater Bieber was performing in, located Bieber's school, and finally contacted Mallette. Mallette was reluctant because of Braun's Jewish religion; she remembered praying, "God, I gave him to you. You could send me a Christian man, a Christian label! ... you don’t want this Jewish kid to be Justin’s man, do you?"^[18] However, after praying with her church elders and receiving their encouragement, she permitted Braun to fly Bieber, then 13,^[10] to Atlanta, Georgia, to record demo tapes.^[18] A week after arriving, Bieber sang for R&B singer/songwriter Usher.^[25] Bieber was soon signed to Raymond Braun Media Group (RBMG), a joint venture between Braun and Usher.^[9] Justin Timberlake was also reportedly in the running to sign Bieber, but lost the bidding war to Usher.^[9][26] Usher then sought assistance in finding a label home for the artist from then manager Chris Hicks, who helped engineer an audition with his contact Antonio L.A. Reid of Island Def Jam Music Group.^[24] Reid signed Bieber to Island Records in October 2008 (resulting in a joint venture between RBMG and Island Records) and appointed Hicks as executive Vice-President of Def Jam where he would be able manage Bieber's career at the label.^{[5][9][10][24]} At that point, Bieber and his mother moved to Atlanta temporarily, also the home of Usher and Braun, to record and get counseling from Braun.^[9] Braun became Bieber's manager.^[10]

Bieber in September 2009 at the Nintendo World Store

Bieber's first single, "One Time", was released to radio while Bieber was still recording his debut album.^[27] The song reached number 12 on the Canadian Hot 100 during its first week of release in July 2009,^[10] and later peaked at number 17 on the Billboard Hot 100. During fall 2009 it had success in international markets.^[28] The song was certified Platinum in Canada and the US and Gold in Australia and New Zealand.^[29][30][31] Bieber's first release, an extended play entitled My World, was released on November 17, 2009. The album's second single, "One Less Lonely Girl", and two promo singles, "Love Me", and "Favorite Girl", were released exclusively on the iTunes store and charted within the top forty of the Billboard Hot 100.^[28] "One Less Lonely Girl" was later also released to radio and peaked within the top fifteen in Canada and the US, being certified Gold in the latter.^[28] My World was eventually certified Platinum in the US and Double Platinum in both Canada and the UK.^[31][32][33] To promote the album, Bieber performed on several live shows such as mtvU's VMA 09 Tour, European program The Dome, YTV's The Next Star, The Today Show,^[34][35] The Wendy Williams Show, Lopez Tonight, The Ellen DeGeneres Show, It's On with Alexa Chung, Good Morning America, Chelsea Lately, and BET's 106 & Park with Rihanna. Bieber also guest starred in an episode of True Jackson, VP in late 2009.^[36]

Bieber performed Stevie Wonder's "Someday at Christmas" for U.S. President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama at the White House for Christmas in Washington, which was broadcast on December 20, 2009, on U.S. television broadcaster TNT.^[37] Bieber was also one of the performers at Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve with Ryan Seacrest on December 31, 2009.^[38] Bieber was a presenter at the 52nd Grammy Awards on January 31, 2010. He was invited to be a vocalist for the remake of We Are The World (a song written by Michael Jackson and Lionel Richie) for its 25th anniversary to benefit Haiti after the earthquake. Bieber sings the opening line, which was sung by Lionel Richie in the original version.^[39] 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. Bieber is featured in the song, performing the closing lines.

[edit] 2010−11: My World 2.0 and Never Say Never film

"Baby", the lead single from his debut album, My World 2.0, which features Ludacris, was released in January 2010 and became his biggest hit thus far, charting at number five in the U.S. and reaching the top ten in seven other countries.^[28] Two promo singles "Never Let You Go", and "U Smile" were top thirty hits on the U.S. Hot 100, and top twenty hits in Canada.^[28] According to review aggregator Metacritic, the album has received "generally favorable reviews".^[40] It debuted at number one on the U.S. Billboard 200, making Bieber the youngest solo male act to top the chart since Stevie Wonder in 1963.^[41] My World 2.0 also debuted at number one on the Canadian Albums Chart, Irish Albums Chart, Australian Albums Chart, and the New Zealand Albums Chart^[28] and reached the top ten of fifteen other countries.^[42][43] To promote the album, Bieber appeared on several live programs including The View, the 2010 Kids Choice Awards, Nightline, The Late Show with David Letterman, The Dome and 106 and Park.^[44] Bieber collaborated with Sean Kingston on his single "Eenie Meenie" which also appeared on Bieber's debut album. The song reached the top ten in the United Kingdom and Australia, and the top-twenty of most other markets.

Bieber performing at the Conseco Fieldhouse, in August 2010

On April 10, 2010, Bieber was the musical guest on Saturday Night Live.^[45] On July 4, 2010, Bieber performed at the Macy's Fourth of July Fireworks Spectacular in New York City.^[46] The second single from My World 2.0, "Somebody to Love", was released in April 2010, and a remix was released featuring Bieber's mentor Usher. The single reached number ten in Canada, number fifteen in the United States, and the top twenty in multiple international countries.

On June 23, 2010, Bieber went on his first official headlining tour, the My World Tour, starting in Hartford, Connecticut, to promote My World and My World 2.0.^[47] In July 2010, it was reported that Bieber was the most searched for celebrity on the Internet.^[48] That same month his music video, "Baby", surpassed Lady Gaga's "Bad Romance" to become the most viewed, and most disliked YouTube video ever.^[49] In September 2010, it was reported that Bieber accounted for three percent of all traffic on Twitter, according to an employee of the social-networking site.^[50]

Bieber began recording his second album in July 2010 in New York City.^[51] At this point, because of puberty, his voice was deeper than it was when he recorded his first album. In April 2010, the singer discussing his vocals remarked, "It cracks. Like every teenage boy, I'm dealing with it and I have the best vocal coach in the world. [...] Some of the notes I hit on "Baby" I can't hit anymore. We have to lower the key when I sing live."^[52]

Bieber performing in Jakarta during his My World Tour.

Bieber guest-starred in the season premiere of the CBS crime drama CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, which aired on September 23, 2010. He played a "troubled teen who is faced with a difficult decision regarding his only brother", who is also a serial bomber. Bieber was also in a subsequent episode which aired on February 17, 2011, in which his character is killed.^[53] Bieber performed a medley of "U Smile", "Baby", and "Somebody to Love" and briefly played the drums at the 2010 MTV Video Music Awards on September 12, 2010.^[54] Bieber announced in October 2010 that he would release an acoustic album, called My Worlds Acoustic.^[55] It was released on Black Friday in the United States and featured acoustic versions of songs from his previous albums, and accompanied the release of a completely new song titled "Pray".^[56]

A 3-D part-biopic, part-concert film starring Bieber entitled Justin Bieber: Never Say Never, was released on February 11, 2011, directed by Step Up 3D director Jon Chu. It topped the box office with an estimated grossing of $12.4 million on its opening day from 3,105 theaters.^[57] It grossed $30.3 million for the weekend and was narrowly beaten by the romantic comedy Just Go With It, which grossed $31 million.^[58] Never Say Never is said to have exceeded industry expectations, nearly matching the $31.1 million grossed by Miley Cyrus's 2008 3-D concert film, Hannah Montana & Miley Cyrus: Best of Both Worlds Concert, which holds the record for the top debut for a music-documentary.^[59][60] The film is accompanied by his second remix album, Never Say Never – The Remixes, released February 14, 2011, and features remixes of songs from his debut album, with guest appearances from Miley Cyrus, Chris Brown, and Kanye West, among others.^[61]