L.A. Reid
L.A. Reid and Mariah Carey, September 23, 2005
Background information
Birth name	Antonio Reid
Born	(1956-06-07) June 7, 1956 (age 56)
Origin	Cincinnati, Ohio, U.S.
Occupations	Record executive, Record producer, songwriter

Antonio "L.A." Reid (born June 7, 1956) is a US record executive, songwriter, and record producer. Best known as the co-founder of LaFace Records, he is responsible for signing and helping bring Avril Lavigne, Death Grips, Mariah Carey, Pink, Justin Bieber, Rihanna, Kanye West, Toni Braxton, Kerli, Nicki Minaj, TLC, Usher, Ciara, OutKast, and Dido to multi-platinum album sales.^[1] He has won three Grammy Awards.^[2]

He is the President and chief executive of Hitco Music Publishing, based in Atlanta and was the chairman and chief executive officer of Island Def Jam Music Group until 2011, when he signed up to appear as a judge on the 2011 U.S. version of The X Factor.^[3][4] He is currently the Chairman and CEO of Epic Records.^[5][6]

Early life[link]

Reid was born in Cincinnati, Ohio. He is one of four children of Emma Reid, a seamstress and interior decorator. His father was mostly absent. He was raised in the Mount Auburn and Madisonville neighborhoods in Cincinnati's east side.^[7] Antonio gained the nickname "L.A." as a young musician when a guitar player in his band called him "L.A." because he was wearing a T-shirt that said “L.A.” in reference to the Los Angeles Dodgers, who were competing against the Cincinnati Reds at the time.^[8] His first drum lessons were with his uncle, Albert Baldwens.

Career[link]

Reid's first appearance on record was with Cincinnati funk rock outfit Pure Essence who released one solitary 45 in the middle 1970s as well as garnering an appearance on local FM rock radio station WEBN's second annual LP compilation, this time as Essence. Reid then became a member of the 1980s R&B band The Deele, best known for their 1988 hit "Two Occasions", a song on the remake by LA Production and Recording Studio Music Intersection. The band had broken up before the success of the single, then reunited to promote "Two Occasions" as it rose up the charts. The song peaked at number 10 on the Billboard Hot 100.

1989–2004: LaFace Records and Arista years[link]

After The Deele disbanded, Reid and band mate Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds founded LaFace in 1989 through a joint venture with Arista Records, with funding from Arista Records creator Clive Davis.^[9] The label soon became one of the premiere destinations for popular African-American entertainers who created Black Pop music that was easily accessible to both Urban and Top 40 radio formats. Reid signed 14 year old Usher to the label, whose six album releases have sold 65 million units worldwide.^[10] Other popular acts on the label during its peak include Toni Braxton, TLC, and Outkast. Initially headquartered in Atlanta, the label played a role in building the current landscape of the Atlanta music industry.^[9]

In May 2000, Edmonds and Reid sold their remaining 50% stake in LaFace to parent company BMG. The label became an imprint of Arista Records, with Arista taking on sales, marketing, and promotional duties for its acts. At this time, Reid also succeeded his mentor, Clive Davis, as President of Arista Records. This happened after Davis refused to name a successor at the request of Arista parent company, BMG, due to the fact that Davis, who was 67, was beyond the company's mandatory retirement age.^[11] Davis went on to find success creating another BMG imprint named J Records, which signed global superstars such as Alicia Keys, Luther Vandross and Rod Stewart. Reid then took a six week executive course at the Harvard Business School^[7][12] in order to prepare himself to become CEO and President of Arista.

As President of Arista Records, Reid brought the company great success by signing artists such as P!nk, Ciara and Avril Lavigne, whose debut album Let Go sold 6 million copies in the United States. Under Reid's tenure at Arista, Usher (whom Reid originally signed at LaFace) completed production on his multi-platinum hit 2004 album Confessions, which went on to spawn 4 #1 hit singles and sell 10 million copies in the United States alone. Outkast's Speakerboxx/Lovebelow also went on to sell 10 million copies and won a Grammy Award for Album of the year.

2004–2011: Island Def Jam Music Group[link]

Following the merger of Sony and BMG, L.A. Reid was released from his contract at Arista in 2004 and quickly became the Chairman and CEO of The Island Def Jam Music Group in February 2004. Reid is noted for bringing Mariah Carey's career back to prominence with her multi-platinum 2005 album The Emancipation Of Mimi after her career had stalled from 2001-2003 with less than stellar sales and general lack of public interest for her two previous projects Glitter and Charmbracelet.

Reid has also played a role in the recent successes of artists such as Amerie, Kanye West, Rihanna (alongside Jay-Z), Bon Jovi, and most recently teenage pop phenomenon Justin Bieber. In the last few years, L.A. Reid has also been responsible for the recent high profile signings of major Pop music artists such as Janet Jackson (who left the company after her 2008 album, Discipline), Utada (who also left the company in 2010), as well as former Bad Boy rapper Shyne to the record company. However, in 2006, Reid's label dropped Lady Gaga after three months of signing her. This would eventually be the inspiration of Gaga's Marry The Night video. Reid stepped down as CEO and Chairman of Def Jam in March 2011.

[edit] 2011–present: The X Factor and Epic Records

Reid became a judge on the U.S. version of the British singing competition The X Factor, alongside its creator and former American Idol judge Simon Cowell, 80s pop star Paula Abdul and former Pussycat Dolls singer Nicole Scherzinger (who replaced British pop star Cheryl Cole).^[3][4] In July 2011, Reid became the Chairman and CEO of Epic Records which also includes various former Jive Records artists.^[5][6][13]

Reid was assigned the Boys category throughout the competition, which was announced to him by phone whilst working in New York City, New York. He was aided by friend and singer Rihanna at the Judges' Houses stage of the competition in The Hamptons. His final four acts were Marcus Canty, Chris Rene, Astro and Phillip Lomax. Lomax was eliminated on week one of the Live Shows, with Astro being eliminated on week six. Marcus Canty came fourth in the competition and was eliminated by the public vote in the semi-final (week eight). Chris Rene was Reid's most successful act who came third overall in the competition, bested by Josh Krajcik (who was mentored by Nicole Scherzinger) in second place and Melanie Amaro (mentored by Simon Cowell) who won the show. After the season has ended, Reid is now working with Astro, Marcus Canty and Chris Rene on their music careers.

In January 2012, it was confirmed by Cowell and Fox that major changes would be made to The X Factor for season 2. It was later confirmed that Nicole Scherzinger and Paula Abdul had been axed from the panel, with Steve Jones being axed as host. Reid is expected to return for season two.

Other ventures[link]

With the belief that good songwriting is essential to the success of recording artists, Reid formed the Hitco Publishing Group in 1996, as a joint venture with Windswept Music.^[14] While starting up Hitco, Reid was looking to connect to a wholly new market of producers and songwriters and talent spotted the young Shakir Stewart whom he saw as someone with a "a finger on the pulse of the next generation of hot producers in the Atlanta music scene".^[15] He gave the future senior vice president of Island Def Jam Music Group his first position as an inter-level creative person at Hitco.^[15]

In 2008, Reid joined the advisory board of the cosmetics line named Le Métier de Beauté, which is sold at upscale retailers such as Bergdorf Goodman and Neiman Marcus.^{[citation needed]}

Awards/Accolades[link]

On August 30, 2006, L.A. Reid, along with Babyface, was honored as a BMI Icon at the 6th annual BMI Urban Awards. As of 2006, he has won 18 BMI awards.^[16] Together with Babyface, Reid has produced and/or co-written penning numerous R&B hits, racking up 33 No. 1 singles.^[17]

Discography[link]

• 1984: Street Beat - The Deele - Drums, Vocals (Background)
• 1985: Material Thangz - The Deele - Percussion, Drums, Producer, Programming
• 1986: Lovers – Babyface - Mixing, Producer, Composer
• 1988: Don't Be Cruel - Bobby Brown - Producer
• 1988: Karyn White - Karyn White - Vocals (Background), Drums, Producer, Percussion
• 1988: Pebbles – Pebbles - Producer, Vocals (Background), Musician
• 1988: Forever Your Girl - Paula Abdul - Producer, Percussion Programming, Drums, Composer
• 1989: Lover in Me - Sheena Easton - Producer, Percussion, Drums, Mixing, Composer
• 1989: Tender Lover – Babyface - Percussion, Stylist, Executive Producer, Producer, Drums, Composer
• 1989: After 7 - After 7 - Technical Assistance, Producer, Programming, Mixing, Drums, Percussion, Executive Producer
• 1990: Always – Pebbles - Vocal Arrangement, Executive Producer, Rhythm Arrangements, Drums, Remixing, Mixing, Percussion, Vocals (Background), Composer, Producer
• 1990: Boys - The Boys - Mixing
• 1990: Dance!...Ya Know It! - Bobby Brown - Remixing, Producer, Composer
• 1990: Father's Day - Father MC - Producer, Vocals (Background), Arranger, Keyboards
• 1990: I'm Your Baby Tonight - Whitney Houston - Percussion, Mixing, Rhythm Arrangements, Drums, Vocal Arrangement, Producer, Rhythm, Vocals, Arranger
• 1990: Johnny Gill [1990] - Johnny Gill - Drums, Producer, Executive Producer, Mixing, Percussion
• 1990: Shut Up and Dance: Dance Mixes - Paula Abdul - Producer
• 1991: Damian Dame - Damian Dame - Producer, Percussion, Vocal Arrangement, Drums, Reissue Producer, Executive Producer, Mixing, Rhythm Arrangements
• 1991: MTV Party to Go, Vol. 1 - Various Artists - Producer
• 1991: Cooleyhighharmony - Boyz II Men - Composer, Producer
• 1991: Bobby Brown - Bobby Brown - Composer
• 1992: Arthur Siegel Sings Arthur Siegel - Arthur Siegel - Composer
• 1992: Bobby - Bobby Brown - Instrumental, Producer, Composer
• 1992: Bodyguard - Original Soundtrack - Producer, Composer
• 1992: Takin' My Time - After 7 - Drums
• 1992: You Said - Jermaine Jackson - Programming, Drum Programming, Mixing, Executive Producer, Remixing, Producer, Percussion
• 1992: Ooooooohhh... On the TLC Tip – TLC - Executive Producer, Drums, Percussion, Mixing, Composer
• 1992: Boomerang - Original Soundtrack - Executive Producer, Producer, Percussion, Composer, Drums
• 1992: 1746DCGA30035 - Highland Place Mobsters - Executive Producer, Producer
• 1992: Humpin' Around - Bobby Brown - Composer
• 1993: Queen of the Night - Whitney Houston - Producer
• 1993: Remixes N the Key of B - Bobby Brown - Producer, Remixing
• 1993: Provocative - Johnny Gill - Producer, Drums
• 1993: Poetic Justice - Original Soundtrack - Producer
• 1993: Hootie Mack - Bell Biv DeVoe - Multi Instruments, Producer
• 1993: Toni Braxton - Toni Braxton - Producer, Executive Producer, Drums, Mixing
• 1993: Toni Braxton [Bonus Track] - Toni Braxton - Drums, Mixing, Composer, Producer
• 1993: For the Cool in You – Babyface - Producer, Drums
• 1993: LaFace Family Christmas [Arista] - La Face Artists - Producer, Drums, Drum Programming, Executive Producer
• 1994: When Can I See You Again – Babyface - Producer
• 1994: 30th Anniversary Anthology - The Whispers - Producer
• 1994: Tribute to Curtis Mayfield [Warner Bros.] - Various Artists - Mixing, Percussion, Producer, Drums
• 1994: Greatest Hits (1980-1994) - Aretha Franklin - Drum Programming, Producer
• 1994: Greatest Hits - The Deele - Composer
• 1994: Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik – OutKast - Executive Producer
• 1994: II - Boyz II Men - Producer
• 1994: Usher – Usher - Executive Producer
• 1994: Ultimate Dance Hits '94 - Various Artists - Remixing, Executive Producer, Producer
• 1994: CrazySexyCool – TLC - Producer
• 1995: Many Ways - Usher Raymond - Executive Producer
• 1995: Take a Dip - A Few Good Men - Drum Programming, Executive Producer, Mixing, Drums, Percussion
• 1995: Brainchild - Society of Soul - Executive Producer
• 1995: Words - Tony Rich - Producer
• 1995: Soul Food - Goodie Mob - Executive Producer
• 1996: Every Time I Close My Eyes – Babyface - Producer
• 1996: In the Hood - Donell Jones - Executive Producer
• 1996: Knocks Me Off My Feet [#1] - Donell Jones - Executive Producer
• 1996: Knocks Me Off My Feet [#2] - Donell Jones - Executive Producer
• 1996: Last Night [US #2] - Az Yet - Executive Producer
• 1996: My Heart - Donell Jones - Executive Producer
• 1996: Rhythm of the Games: 1996 Olympic Games Album - Various Artists - Executive Producer
• 1996: Secrets - Toni Braxton - Vocal Arrangement, Executive Producer, Vocal Arrangement
• 1996: You're Makin' Me High [US] - Toni Braxton - Executive Producer
• 1996: ATLiens – OutKast - Executive Producer
• 1996: Az Yet - Az Yet - Executive Producer
• 1996: Un-Break My Heart - Toni Braxton - Vocal Arrangement, Executive Producer
• 1997: After 12, Before 6 - Sam Salter - Executive Producer
• 1997: Ultimate Rock Collection Gold and Platinum, Vol. 6: 1989-1995 - Various Artists - Composer
• 1997: 1997 Grammy Nominees - Various Artists - Vocal Arrangement
• 1997: For You - Kenny Lattimore - Composer
• 1997: Very Best of After 7 - After 7 - Producer, Remixing
• 1997: I Don't Want To [#1] - Toni Braxton - Executive Producer
• 1997: What About Us [#1] – Total - Executive Producer
• 1997: My Way – Usher - Executive Producer
• 1997: Nice & Slow [#1] – Usher - Executive Producer
• 1997: It's on Tonight - Sam Salter - Executive Producer
• 1997: Favorites - Johnny Gill - Producer, Drums, Composer, Mixing, Percussion
• 1997: Songbook, Vol. 1: The Songs of Babyface - The Whispers - Composer
• 1997: We're Not Making Love No More - Dru Hill - Executive Producer
• 1998: They Don't Dance No Mo' - Goodie Mob - Executive Producer
• 1998: Nice & Slow [#2] – Usher - Executive Producer
• 1998: Hymns - Corey Glover - Executive Producer
• 1998: Still Standing - Goodie Mob - Executive Producer
• 1998: Birdseye - Tony Rich - Executive Producer
• 1999: FanMail – TLC - Executive Producer
• 1999: Shanice – Shanice - Executive Producer
• 1999: Live – Usher - Executive Producer, Composer
• 1999: Crown Royal - Run-D.M.C. - Executive Producer
• 1999: R&B: From Doo Wop to Hip Hop - Various Artists - Producer
• 1999: Ultimate Grammy Box: From the Recording Academy's Collection - Various Artists - Producer
• 2000: Can't Take Me Home - P!nk - Producer
• 2000: Greatest Hits - Whitney Houston - Producer, Composer
• 2000: Greatest Hits – Pebbles - Composer, Drums, Percussion
• 2000: Heat - Toni Braxton - Producer
• 2000: Shaft [2000] - Original Soundtrack - Producer
• 2000: Best of Bell Biv DeVoe - Bell Biv DeVoe - Producer
• 2000: Greatest Hits - Paula Abdul - Composer
• 2000: Spanish Guitar [Import CD #1] - Toni Braxton - Producer
• 2000: Collection of His Greatest Hits – Babyface - Drums, Drum Programming, Percussion, Producer
• 2000: Could I Have This Kiss Forever [Australia CD] - Whitney Houston - Producer
• 2000: Platinum Christmas - Various Artists - Producer
• 2000: Platinum Collection [La Face] - Various Artists - Executive Producer, Vocal Arrangement
• 2000: Soul Food - Original TV Soundtrack - Executive Producer
• 2001: Love Songs – Babyface - Drums, Producer, Percussion
• 2001: Supernova - Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes - Executive Producer
• 2001: Face2Face – Babyface - Executive Producer
• 2001: Weekend - Kenny Lattimore - Executive Producer, Composer
• 2001: Snowflakes - Toni Braxton - Drums, Producer, Executive Producer
• 2001: Even in Darkness - Dungeon Family - Executive Producer
• 2001: So Blu - Blu Cantrell - Executive Producer
• 2001: Love, Whitney - Whitney Houston - Executive Producer, Vocal Arrangement, Producer
• 2001: M!ssundaztood - P!nk - Executive Producer
• 2001: Big Boi and Dre Present...Outkast – OutKast - Executive Producer
• 2001: Bridget Jones's Diary, Vol. 2 - Various Artists - Producer, Executive Producer
• 2002: Cee-Lo Green and His Perfect Imperfections - Cee-Lo Green - Executive Producer
• 2002: Ultimate Collection - Johnny Gill - Producer
• 2002: Don't Let Me Get Me [Australia CD] - P!nk - Executive Producer
• 2002: Let Go - Avril Lavigne - Executive Producer
• 2002: Life Goes On - Donell Jones - Executive Producer
• 2002: Full Circle - Boyz II Men - Executive Producer
• 2002: Left of Self-Centered - Butch Walker - Executive Producer
• 2002: Complicated - Avril Lavigne - Executive Producer
• 2002: Last Night [US #1] - Az Yet - Executive Producer
• 2002: Whatchulookinat - Whitney Houston - Executive Producer
• 2002: 20th Century Masters - The Millennium Collection: Motown 1980s, Vol. 2 - Various Artists - Producer, Composer
• 2002: Paradise - Kenny G - Executive Producer
• 2002: 3D – TLC - Executive Producer
• 2002: Girl Talk – TLC - Executive Producer
• 2002: Game of Love [Australia CD] – Santana - Executive Producer
• 2002: Wishes: A Holiday Album - Kenny G - Executive Producer
• 2002: More Than a Woman - Toni Braxton - Executive Producer
• 2002: Family Portrait - P!nk - Executive Producer
• 2002: Just Whitney - Whitney Houston - Executive Producer
• 2003: Things That Lovers Do - Kenny Lattimore - Executive Producer
• 2003: My So-Called Life - From Zero - Executive Producer
• 2003: Essential Babyface – Babyface - Producer, Percussion, Drums
• 2003: Ultimate Kenny G - Kenny G - Executive Producer
• 2003: So Damn Happy - Aretha Franklin - Executive Producer
• 2003: Speakerboxxx/The Love Below – OutKast - Executive Producer
• 2003: Ultimate Toni Braxton - Toni Braxton - Live Mixing, Producer, Composer
• 2003: Try This - P!nk - Executive Producer
• 2003: Best of After 7 - After 7 - Composer
• 2004: The Greatest Hits of TLC – TLC - Compilation Producer, Audio Production
• 2004: Confessions [Special Edition] – Usher - Executive Producer
• 2005: Pleasure & Pain – 112 - Executive Producer
• 2005: Breathe Again: Toni Braxton at Her Best - Toni Braxton - Composer
• 2005: 20th Century Masters - The Millennium Collection: The Best of Bobby Brown - Bobby Brown - Producer, Composer, Audio Production
• 2005: Let's Get It: Thug Motivation 101 - Young Jeezy - Executive Producer
• 2005: I'll Make Love to You - Boyz II Men - Producer, Composer
• 2005: Best of Soul Love: Luther Vandross/Marvin Gaye - Various Artists - Composer
• 2005: 20th Century Masters - The DVD Collection: The Best of Bobby Brown - Bobby Brown - Composer, Producer
• 2005: Other Side of Cool – Babyface - Remixing, Composer
• 2005: The Emancipation of Mimi - Mariah Carey - Executive Producer
• 2006: Definitive Collection - Bobby Brown - Composer, Producer
• 2006: Gold - Gladys Knight - Composer
• 2006: Collection [3 Disc] - Toni Braxton - Vocal Arrangement, Producer
• 2006: Ultimate Collection – Shalamar - Producer, Composer
• 2006: Coming Home - Lionel Richie - Executive Producer
• 2006: Bobby - Original Soundtrack - Audio Production, Producer
• 2006: Kingdom Come - Jay-Z - Executive Producer
• 2007: Essential Toni Braxton - Toni Braxton - Composer, Producer
• 2007: I Am - Chrisette Michele - Audio Production, Executive Producer
• 2007: Ultimate Collection - Whitney Houston - Producer
• 2007: American Gangster - Jay-Z - Executive Producer
• 2007: Super Hits - The Jackson 5 - Composer, Producer
• 2007: Song for You: Live - Whitney Houston - Composer
• 2008: Super Hits – Babyface - Producer, Composer
• 2008: E=MC2 - Mariah Carey - Executive Producer
• 2008: Year of the Gentleman - Ne-Yo - Executive Producer
• 2008: Nas – Nas - Executive Producer, Audio Production
• 2008: Recession - Young Jeezy - Executive Producer
• 2008: Tender Lover/For the Cool in You – Babyface - Percussion, Drums, Stylist, Producer, Composer
• 2009: From the Heart – Babyface - Producer
• 2009: This Is the One - Utada - Executive Producer
• 2009: Can You Feel It: The Jacksons Collection - The Jackson 5 - Composer
• 2009: Gold - Bobby Brown - Producer, Remixing
• 2009: Just Go - Lionel Richie - Executive Producer
• 2009: Whitney Houston Smooth Jazz Tribute - Various Artists - Composer
• 2009: In Love & War - Amerie - Executive Producer
• 2009: Live from the Royal Albert Hall - The Killers - Executive Producer
• 2009: My World - Justin Bieber - Executive Producer
• 2009: Rated R – Rihanna - Executive Producer
• 2010: My World 2.0 - Justin Bieber - Executive Producer
• 2010: Loud - Rihanna - Executive Producer
• 2010: My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy - Kanye West - Executive Producer
• 2010: Libra Scale – Ne-Yo - Executive Producer
• 2011: Love? - Jennifer Lopez - Executive Producer

References[link]

External links[link]

• L.A. Reid: A Day in the Life of a Music Mogul
• Antonio "L.A." Reid - Making of an Industry Mogul
• L.A. Reid at bmi.com
• L.A. Reid discography at AllMusic.com

Justin Bieber
Justin Bieber at the NRJ Music Awards in Cannes, France in 2012
Background information
Birth name	Justin Drew Bieber[1]
Born	(1994-03-01) March 1, 1994 (age 18)[2] London, Ontario, Canada
Origin	Stratford, Ontario, Canada
Genres	Pop, R&B, teen pop[3][4][5]
Occupations	Singer-songwriter, musician, actor
Instruments	Vocals, guitar, piano, percussion,[6] trumpet[7]
Years active	2008–present
Labels	Island, RBMG
Associated acts	Usher, Ludacris
Website	justinbiebermusic.com

Justin Drew Bieber ( /ˈbiːbər/ BEE-bər, born March 1, 1994)^[2] is a Canadian Pop/R&B singer-songwriter, musician, and actor.^[3][5] 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.^[6][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, that nearly matched the record for the biggest opening weekend gross 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 such awards as Best New Artist and Best Pop Vocal Album at the 53rd Grammy Awards. In 2012, Bieber was named Forbes 3rd most powerful celebrity in the world, earning $55 million. As of May 2012, Bieber has sold 15 million albums.^[13]

Early life[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 elementary school in Stratford called Jeanne Sauvé Catholic School.^[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.^[6][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]

Career[link]

[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.^{[6][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 gross 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] Never Say Never grossed a total of $98,441,954 worldwide.^[61] 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.^[62]

[edit] 2011–present: Under The Mistletoe and Believe

On February 27, 2011, Bieber attended the 2011 Vanity Fair Oscar Party with American actress and singer Selena Gomez,^[63] confirming several months of media speculation about a romantic relationship between the pair.^{[64][65][66][67][68][69]}

In June 2011, Bieber was ranked number 2 on the Forbes list of Best-Paid Celebrities under 30. He is the youngest star and 1 of 7 musicians on the list raking in with $53 million earned in a 12 month period.^[70] On November 1, 2011, Bieber released Under the Mistletoe, his second studio album.^[71] It debuted at number one on the Billboard 200, selling 210,000 copies in its first week of release.^[72]

In late 2011, Bieber began recording his third studio album, entitled Believe. Kanye West and Drake are confirmed to be featured on the album.^[73] On February 22, 2012, Bieber announced via Twitter that the first single off Believe will be released in March 2012.^[74] The following week, Bieber appeared on The Ellen DeGeneres Show to announce that the first single will be called "Boyfriend" and was released on March 26, 2012.^[75] The song was co-written by Mike Posner.^[76] The second single, Die In Your Arms, was released on May 29th, 2012. ^[77]

Image[link]

Justin Bieber has a higher score on the Klout online "influence" scale than Barack Obama or The Dalai Lama.^[78] According to Jan Hoffman of The New York Times, part of Bieber's appeal stems from his YouTube channel. Long before he released his EP, My World, in mid-November, the YouTube videos attracted millions of views.^[18] Braun recognized the appeal. Prior to flying him to Atlanta, Braun wanted to "build him up more on YouTube first" and had Bieber record more home videos for the channel. "I said: 'Justin, sing like there’s no one in the room. But let's not use expensive cameras.' We'll give it to kids, let them do the work, so that they feel like it's theirs", recalled Braun.^[18] Bieber continues to upload videos to the same channel and has opened a Twitter account, from which he interacts with fans regularly;^[10] his account was reported in November 2010 to have over 6 million followers.^[79] Since then he has been consistently gaining followers at an average of 24,000 per day.^[80] The accounts also serve marketing purposes; for example, Bieber's music video for "One Time" only began selling quickly after it was uploaded to YouTube.^[81]

Bieber performing "Favorite Girl" in Zurich, Switzerland April 2011.

Usher comments that while he and Bieber were both signed at the same age, "I had the chance to ramp up my success, where this has happened to Bieber abruptly." As a result, Usher, Braun, Bieber's bodyguard Kenny, and other adults surrounding Bieber constantly coach him on handling fame and his public image.^[18] After signing Bieber, Usher appointed one of his former assistants, Ryan Good, to be Bieber's road manager and stylist. Good, once nicknamed Bieber's "swagger coach", created a "streetwise look" for the singer which consisted of baseball caps, hoodies, dog chains and flashy sneakers. Amy Kaufman of The Los Angeles Times comments, "Though a product of a middle-class suburban upbringing in Stratford, Ontario, Bieber's manner of dress and speech ("Wassup man, how you doin'?" or "It's like, you know, whateva' ") suggest he's mimicking his favorite rappers."^[82]

Bieber is often featured in teen magazines such as Tiger Beat,^[18] and has been labeled as a "teen heartthrob".^[83] Bieber has released a collection of nail varnishes to raise awareness for charity.^[84] Wax statues of Bieber are on display at Madame Tussauds wax museums in New York, Amsterdam and London.^[85] His change of hairstyle in 2010, and the consequent alterations to Bieber products, led to it being called 'the most expensive musical haircut of all time;^[86] one company spent $100,000 to fix its dolls for the 2011 Christmas season.^[87]

Bieber has been criticized for looking and sounding younger than his age, his teen-pop music, image, and frequent media attention.^[88] He has been a frequent target of Internet bloggers and message board posters, notably by users of Internet message board 4chan and users of YouTube.^[89] Nick Collins of The Daily Telegraph speculated that "Bieber's character also appears to strike a particularly sour note with his Internet critics, with many remarks commenting on his youthful appearance, his teen-pop songs, his image as a heart-throb to young teenage girls and his manner of speech".^[90]

Personal views and life[link]

Bieber is a Christian,^[91] and said he has a relationship with Jesus, talks to him and that "he's the reason I'm here".^[92]

Bieber's comments in a February 2011 profile in Rolling Stone sparked controversy.^[93] Asked about abstinence, Bieber responded, "I don't think you should have sex with anyone unless you love them." He said he does not "believe in abortion" and that it is "like killing a baby".^[94] He described sexual orientation as "everyone's own decision."^[95] Bieber has contributed to the It Gets Better Project,^[96] which aims to prevent suicide among LGBT youth.^[97]

Bieber has said he is not interested in obtaining United States citizenship and has criticized America's health care system. Praising Canada as being "the best country in the world", he cited its health care system as a model example.^[94]

In May 2012, Bieber purchased a 10,000 square-foot mansion on 1.3 acres of land, located in the community of Calabasas, California, a suburb of Los Angeles.^[98]

Twitter[link]

As of April 2012^[update], Bieber's Twitter account (@justinbieber) is the second most popular celebrity account behind that of Lady Gaga.^[99] By mid-April 2012, he had over 20 million followers.^[100][101] His follower acquisition is one new follower every other second.^[102][103] His popularity on Twitter at one point accounted for three percent of all Twitter related traffic, with a Twitter employee commenting that "racks of servers are dedicated" to Bieber.^{[103][104][105][106][107][108][109][110][111][112]} This resulted in over 180 million page views for the service each month.^[105] Bieber was frequently a trending topic on Twitter when the feature first launched^[105] because his fans frequently discussed him on the network. ^[113] and was named the top trending star on Twitter in 2010;^[114] Klout gave his account a score of 100.^[115][116]

The size of Bieber's and Gaga's follower bases are cited as a reason why marketers should pay attention to Twitter:^[117] with an ability to reach millions of people with a single tweet.^[117] 8.3% of tweets mentioning "bieber" were semi-automated and probably Twitter related spam.^[118] Research done about Twitter and the 2011 Egyptian revolution includes Bieber as he made tweets about the topic at a time when he had roughly 8 million followers. His multiple tweets resulted in 32,000 responses each, which made Bieber's Twitter account one of the single largest nodes for discussion about the uprising one of the largest on Twitter.^[119][120]

In March 2012, Bieber fans launched an unsuccessful attempt to unseat Lady Gaga as the most popular celebrity on Twitter. Neither Bieber nor Lady Gaga discussed their mutual fanbase's campaigns on Twitter.^[121]

Discography[link]

Justin Bieber portal

• My World 2.0 (2010)
• Under the Mistletoe (2011)
• Believe (2012)

Tours[link]

• 2009: Urban Behavior Tour
• 2010–2011: My World Tour
• 2012-2013: Believe Tour

Filmography[link]