ustin Drew Bieber (/ˈbiːbər/ BEE-bər; born March 1, 1994)[1][2] is a Canadian singer and songwriter.

Regarded as a pop icon, he is known for his multi-genre musical performances.[3][4] He was discovered
by Scooter Braun in 2008 and brought to the U.S. by Usher, both of whom formed RBMG Records to sign
Bieber in October of that year. His debut extended play, My World (2009), was met with international
recognition and established him as a teen idol.

Bieber rose to mainstream fame with his debut album, My World 2.0 (2010), which topped the
US Billboard 200 — making him the youngest solo male to do so in 47 years.[5] Its lead single, "Baby"
(featuring Ludacris), became one of the best selling singles in the U.S.[6] His second album, Under the
Mistletoe (2011), became the first Christmas album by a male artist to debut atop chart.[7] Bieber
explored dance-pop on his third album, Believe (2012); its acoustic re-release made him the first artist
in Billboard history to have five US number-one albums by the age of 18.[8]

Bieber explored EDM with his 2015 single "Where Are Ü Now", which won the Grammy Award for Best
Dance/Electronic Recording.[9][10] This influenced his fourth album, Purpose (2015), which yielded the
singles "Love Yourself", "Sorry", and "What Do You Mean?" — all three peaked the Billboard Hot 100,
and simultaneously entered the top three spots on the UK singles chart — making him the first musical
act to do so in the chart's history. Two of his 2017 guest appearances — on DJ Khaled's "I'm the One"
and Luis Fonsi's "Despacito" — peaked atop the Billboard Hot 100, making him the first artist to replace
himself atop chart with different songs in two consecutive weeks;[11] the latter won him a Latin Grammy
Award.

His fifth and sixth albums, Changes (2020) and Justice (2021), both topped the Billboard 200; the latter
included his seventh US-number one single "Peaches" and made him break Elvis Presley's 1965 record
for the youngest solo act to have eight US number-one albums. Also in 2021, he released his eighth US
number-one single, "Stay" (with the Kid Laroi). Bieber's seventh album and its reissue, Swag and Swag II,
were released in 2025.

Bieber is one of the best-selling music artists of all time, with over 150 million units sold worldwide and
five diamond certifications from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).[12] His
accolades include two Grammy Awards, one Latin Grammy Award, eight Juno Awards, two Brit Awards,
26 Billboard Music Awards, 18 American Music Awards, and 22 MTV Europe Music Awards (the most
wins for any artist). Time named him one of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2011,
and Forbes' listed him among the top ten most powerful celebrities from 2011 to 2013.
[13]
Billboard ranked him the eighth-greatest pop star of the 21st century.

Early life

Justin Drew Bieber was born on March 1, 1994, at St. Joseph's Hospital in London, Ontario,[14] and was
raised in Stratford.[15] His parents Jeremy Jack Bieber and Pattie Mallette were both 18 when Bieber was
born and split up not long after his birth.[16] Pattie worked a series of low-paying office jobs, raising
Bieber as a single mother in low-income housing. Mallette's mother Diane and stepfather Bruce helped
her raise Bieber.[17] Bieber has maintained contact with his father.[18] Bieber's ancestry
includes French, Irish, English, Scottish and German.[19][20][21]

Bieber has three younger half-siblings; the four have the same father, Jeremy Bieber. Jeremy Bieber and
his ex-girlfriend, Erin Wagner,[22] who broke up in 2014 after seven years together, have two children,
daughter Jazmyn and son Jaxon.[23] Jeremy married his girlfriend Chelsey in February 2018, and they have
a daughter named Bay.[24][25] Bieber also has a stepsister named Allie, the daughter of his stepmother.
[26]
Bieber attended two French-language immersion elementary schools in Stratford, Jeanne Sauvé
Catholic School[17] and Bedford Public School. In grades 7 and 8, he attended Stratford Northwestern.
Former teacher, Kim Booker often recalled fond memories of Bieber as her student, and is featured in
several interviews. He attended Stratford's St. Michael Catholic Secondary School, and graduated in
2012[27] with a 4.0 GPA.[28]

Growing up, he learned to play the piano, drums, guitar, and trumpet.[15][29] In early 2007, aged 12, Bieber
performed Ne-Yo's "So Sick" for a local singing competition in Stratford, in which he placed second.[29]
[30]
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.[31] In the same year, Bieber busked shows in front of the Avon Theatre steps with a rented
guitar during tourism season.[32]

Career

2007–2009: Career beginnings and My World

Bieber at a signing event in 2009

While searching for videos of a different singer, Scooter Braun, a former marketing executive of So So Def
Recordings, clicked on one of Bieber's 2007 YouTube videos by accident, where he was covering Ne-Yo's
"So Sick".[18][33] Impressed, Braun tracked down Bieber's school, the theatre Bieber was performing at,
and finally contacted his mother Mallette, who was initially reluctant because of Braun's Judaism. She
remembered praying, "God, I gave him to you. You could send me a Christian man, a Christian label!",
and, "God, you don't want this Jewish kid to be Justin's man, do you?" However, church elders convinced
her to let Bieber go with Braun. At age 13, Bieber went to Atlanta, Georgia, with Braun to record demo
tapes.[18] Bieber began singing for Usher one week later.[34] Bieber soon signed with Raymond Braun
Media Group (RBMG), a joint venture between Braun and Usher.[35] Justin Timberlake was reportedly also
in the running to sign Bieber but lost the bidding war to Usher, partly due to the idea that two associated
singers of the same name would confuse the market.[35][36]
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 L.A. Reid of the Island Def Jam Music Group.[37] 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 could manage Bieber's career at
the label.[38][31][35][37] Bieber then moved to Atlanta with his mother to pursue further work
with Braun and Usher.[35] Braun became Bieber's manager in 2008.[31]

Bieber's first single, "One Time", was released to radio while Bieber was still recording his debut album.
[39]
The song reached number 12 on the Canadian Hot 100 during its first week of release in July 2009,
[31]
and peaked at number 17 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in the United States. During fall 2009, it had
success in international markets.[40] The song was certified platinum in Canada and the US and gold in
Australia and New Zealand.[41][42][43] His first release, an extended play titled My World, was released on
November 17, 2009. The album's second single, "One Less Lonely Girl", and two promotional singles,
"Love Me" and "Favorite Girl", were released exclusively on the iTunes Store and charted within the top
40 of the US Billboard Hot 100.[40] As a result, 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.[44]

"One Less Lonely Girl" was later also released to radio and peaked within the top 20 in Canada and the
US, and was certified gold in the latter.[40] Following the release of My World, Bieber became the first
artist to have seven songs from a debut album chart on the Billboard Hot 100.[45] My World was
eventually certified platinum in the US and double platinum in both Canada and the United Kingdom.[46]
[47][48]
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,[49][50] 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. Bieber also guest starred in an episode of True Jackson,
VP in late 2009.[51] Bieber performed Ron Miller and Bryan Wells's "Someday at Christmas" for US
president Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama at the White House for Christmas in
Washington, which aired on December 20, 2009, on US television broadcaster TNT.[52]

2010–2011: My World 2.0, Never Say Never, and Under the Mistletoe

Bieber performing at the 2010 White House Easter Egg Roll

Bieber was a presenter at the 52nd Annual Grammy Awards on January 31, 2010. He was invited to be a
vocalist for the remake of the charity single "We Are the World" 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.[53] 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.[54]

In January 2010, "Baby" was released from his debut album, My World 2.0. The song featured Ludacris,
and became an international hit. It charted at number five on the US Billboard Hot 100, peaked at
number three on the Canadian Hot 100[55] and reached the top ten in several international markets.
[40]
Promo singles, "Never Let You Go" and "U Smile", were top 30 hits on the US Hot 100, and top 20 hits
in Canada.[40] The album has received generally favourable reviews.[56] It debuted at number one on the
US Billboard 200, making Bieber the youngest solo male act to top the chart since Stevie Wonder in
1963.[5] 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[40] and reached the top 10 of fifteen
other countries.[57][58]

To promote the album, Bieber appeared on live programs including The View, the 2010 Kids' Choice
Awards, Nightline, Late Show with David Letterman, The Dome and 106 & Park.[59] Sean
Kingston appeared on the album's next single, "Eenie Meenie". The song reached the top ten in the UK
and Australia, and the top 20 of most other markets. The following single from My World 2.0,
"Somebody to Love", was released in April 2010, and a remix was released featuring Bieber's
mentor Usher. On June 23, Bieber went on his first official headlining tour, the My World Tour, to
promote My World and My World 2.0. In May 2010, Bieber featured in rapper Soulja Boy's song "Rich
Girl".[60] In July, it was reported that Bieber was the most searched-for celebrity on the Internet.[61] That
same month, his video for "Baby" surpassed Lady Gaga's "Bad Romance" (2009) as the most viewed, and
most disliked, YouTube video at the time.[62][63] In September, it was reported that Bieber accounted for
3% of traffic on Twitter, according to an employee of the social-networking site.[64]

Bieber performing in Indonesia during his My World Tour in 2011

On My World 2.0, Bieber's voice was noted to be deeper than it was in his debut EP, due to puberty.[65] In
April 2010, the singer remarked regarding his vocals: "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 any more.
We have to lower the key when I sing live."[66] Bieber guest-starred in the season premiere of
the CBS American 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 of the series, which aired on February 17, 2011,
in which his character is killed.[67] Bieber performed a medley of his singles "U Smile", "Baby", and
"Somebody to Love", and briefly played the drums, at the 2010 MTV Video Music Awards on September
12, 2010.[68] Bieber announced in October 2010 that he would be releasing an acoustic album, called My
Worlds Acoustic.[69] It was released on November 26, 2010, in the United States and featured acoustic
versions of songs from his previous albums, and accompanied the release of a new song titled "Pray".
[70]
In October 2010, Bieber released his first book, Justin Bieber: First Step 2 Forever: My Story, an
autobiography with text from Bieber and photographs from Robert Caplin.[71]

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 M. Chu. It topped the box office with an
estimated gross of $12.4 million on its opening day from 3,105 theatres.[72] It grossed $30.3 million for
the weekend and was narrowly beaten by the romantic comedy Just Go with It, which grossed $31
million.[73] Never Say Never reportedly 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.[74] Never Say Never grossed
a total of $99,034,125 worldwide, becoming the highest-grossing concert or performance film at the
global box office.[75][76] 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.[77] Bieber was a
participating player in the 2011 NBA All-Star Celebrity Game, held on February 18, 2011, and was named
the Most Valuable Player (MVP), scoring eight points (3–11 FG) with two rebounds and four assists.[78] In
June 2011, an album track from Never Say Never titled "That Should Be Me" (featuring Rascal Flatts),
won him his first award in country music for Collaborative Video of the Year at the CMT Music
Awards. Time magazine named Bieber one of the 100 most influential people in the world on their
annual list.[79] In June 2011, Bieber was ranked No. 2 on the Forbes list of Best-Paid Celebrities under 30.
He is the youngest star, and 1 of 7 musicians on the list, having raked in $53 million in a 12-month
period.[80] The same month, his collaborative single "Next to You" with American singer Chris Brown was
released. The unfinished video for that song was leaked online on June 6, and the official video was
released on June 17.

On November 1, 2011, Bieber released the Christmas-themed Under the Mistletoe, his second studio
album.[81] It became the first Christmas album by a male artist to debut at No. 1 on the Billboard 200, and
sold 210,000 copies in its first week of release.[7] On November 19, 2021, the album was listed among
the Greatest of All Time Top Holiday Albums chart by Billboard.[82] The first single from the album,
"Mistletoe", peaked at number one on the US Billboard Holiday 100 and Holiday Digital Songs charts.
[83]
Bieber released "All I Want for Christmas Is You (SuperFestive!)" as the second single from the album,
which is a re-recorded version of Mariah Carey's original single, "All I Want for Christmas Is You", with
Carey providing vocals on the track.[84] Billboard listed the album and its singles, among the
greatest Holiday albums and songs of all time, respectively.[85]

2012–2014: Believe, Journals, and other appearances

 Bieber at the 2012 NRJ Music Awards in Cannes, France

In late 2011, Bieber began recording his third studio album, titled Believe.[86] The following week, Bieber
appeared on The Ellen DeGeneres Show to announce that the first single would be called "Boyfriend",
and was released on March 26, 2012.[87] The song debuted at number two on the US Billboard Hot 100,
selling a total of 521,000 digital units, the second-highest-ever debut digital sales week.[88] Bill Werde
of Billboard noted that it failed to debut at number one because the digital download of the track was
available only through the iTunes Store, "restricting the buying option for those [who] do not frequent
the Apple retail store".[89] "Boyfriend" became Bieber's first single ever to reach the top position on
the Canadian Hot 100 by debuting at number one and staying on for one week.[88] Bieber was featured
on American hip-hop group Far East Movement's song "Live My Life", from their fourth studio
album, Dirty Bass, in February 2012. The song emerged online five days before its scheduled release date
and peaked within the top 30 of the Billboard Hot 100.[90] The first promotional single from the album,
"Die in Your Arms", was released on May 29, 2012, and the second promotional single, "All Around the
World" (featuring American rapper Ludacris), followed the next week.[91][92] The second single
from Believe, "As Long as You Love Me" (featuring Big Sean), was released on June 11, 2012. It peaked at
number six on the Billboard Hot 100.[93]

His third studio album, Believe, was released on June 19, 2012, by Island Records. The album marked a
musical departure from the teen pop sound of his previous releases, and incorporated elements
of dance-pop and R&B genres.[94] Intent on developing a more "mature" sound, Bieber collaborated with
a wide range of urban producers for the release as well as some long-time collaborators,
including Darkchild, Hit-Boy, Diplo, and Max Martin. Entertainment Weekly praised Bieber's musical shift,
calling the album both a "reinvention and a reintroduction".[95] Rolling Stone noted the deeper voice and
more "intense" beats found on the album, although it lampooned one of his euphemisms for newfound
sexual maturity ("If you spread your wings, you can fly away with me").[96] Believe debuted at number
one on the Billboard 200, becoming his fourth number-one album.[97][98][99] The album sold 57,000 copies
in its first week in Canada, debuting atop the Canadian Albums Chart.[100] In September 2012, Bieber was
featured on "Beautiful", a song from Carly Rae Jepsen's second studio album, Kiss.[101] In October 2012,
the third single from Believe, "Beauty and a Beat" (featuring Nicki Minaj), was released. The music video
held the record for the most video views in 24 hours when it was released, with 10.6 million views.[102]
 Bieber performing during his Believe Tour in October 2012

The Believe Tour, which further promoted the album, began in September 2012 in Glendale, Arizona.
[103]
On December 14, 2012, Bieber appeared on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, where he announced plans
to release an acoustic album titled Believe Acoustic, which was released on January 29, 2013.[104] The
album debuted at number one on the Billboard 200, making Bieber the first artist in history to have five
number-one albums in the US before turning 19.[8]

Bieber returned to Saturday Night Live as the host and musical guest on the February 9, 2013, episode.
His appearance was panned by critics[105][106] and cast members, including Kate McKinnon, who said
Bieber was not comfortable with his hosting duties, and Bill Hader, who said he did not enjoy the
presence of Bieber or his entourage. Hader added that in his eight years on the television program,
Bieber was the only host who lived up to his reputation.[107][108]

On March 7, 2013, Bieber fainted backstage at London's O2 Arena after complaining of breathing
problems throughout his concert performance and was taken to the hospital.[109] Bieber cancelled his
second Lisbon, Portugal concert at the Pavilhão Atlântico, which was to be held on March 12, because of
low ticket sales. The concert held in the same venue on March 11 did go on as scheduled.[110] In mid-
August 2013, a remixed duet version of Michael Jackson's previously unreleased song "Slave to the
Rhythm", featuring Bieber, leaked online.[111] In response to criticism over this remix, the Michael Jackson
Estate stated that it had not authorized the release of this recording, and has since made attempts to
remove the song from as many web sites and YouTube channels as possible.[112] Later, a song titled
"Twerk" by rapper Lil Twist, featuring Bieber as well as Miley Cyrus, also leaked.[113] In September, Bieber
was featured in Maejor Ali's song "Lolly" with rapper Juicy J.[114] A music video for "Melodies", the debut
single of American singer Madison Beer, was released in the same month featuring Bieber in a cameo
appearance.[115]

On October 3, 2013, Bieber announced that he would release a new song every Monday for 10 weeks as
a lead-up to the film Justin Bieber's Believe, which entered production in May 2012 and was released on
December 25, 2013. The film is a follow-up to Bieber's first theatrical film Justin Bieber: Never Say Never,
with Jon M. Chu returning as director.[116][117][118] The first song of Music Mondays, "Heartbreaker", was
released on October 7. The second song, "All That Matters", was released on October 14, followed by
"Hold Tight" on October 21, "Recovery" on October 28, "Bad Day" on November 4, and "All Bad" on
November 11. The seventh song, "PYD" (featuring R. Kelly), was released on November 18; it was
followed by "Roller Coaster" on November 25, and "Change Me" on December 2. The final song,
"Confident" (featuring Chance the Rapper), was released on December 9, 2013. That same day, it was
announced that all 10 tracks would be featured on the compilation album Journals, which would also
feature five additional unreleased songs, a music video for "All That Matters", and a trailer
for Believe. Journals was only available for purchase via iTunes for a limited time: from December 23,
2013, to January 9, 2014. The titles of the five new additional songs are: "One Life", "Backpack"
(featuring Lil Wayne), "What's Hatnin'" (featuring Future), "Swap It Out", and "Memphis" (featuring Big
Sean and Diplo).[119] Bieber released a song titled "Home to Mama" (featuring Cody Simpson) in
November 2014.[120] The same month, Bieber topped Forbes magazine's Forbes 30 Under 30 annual
ranking, which lists the highest-earning celebrities under 30 for that year.[121]

Because of the disbanding of Universal Music's division, The Island Def Jam Music Group, in April 2014,
Bieber and a number of artists were subsequently transferred to another Universal Music-related
division, Def Jam Recordings, causing Bieber to no longer be signed to Island Records.[122][123]

2015–2017: Purpose

Bieber and his manager Scooter Braun in Rosemont, Illinois, in

2015

In February 2015, Bieber released "Where Are Ü Now", a collaboration with Jack Ü.[124] The song peaked
at number eight on the Billboard Hot 100 and reached number one on Billboard's Hot Dance/Electronic
Songs chart.[125] It earned Bieber his career-first Grammy Award for Best Dance/Electronic Recording at
the 58th Annual Grammy Awards.[126] In March 2015, Bieber made an appearance in the music video
for Carly Rae Jepsen's single "I Really Like You".[127] In March 2015, Bieber was the featured roastee
in Comedy Central's annual roast special, and was a contestant on the reality competition series Lip Sync
Battle.[128] Bieber filmed an episode for the Fox TV reality series Knock Knock Live, and aired before the
show was cancelled after two episodes.[129]

On August 28, 2015, Bieber released a new single titled "What Do You Mean?" as the lead single from his
fourth studio album, Purpose. The song is a blend of teen pop, electronic dance music and acoustic R&B.
[130]
It debuted at number one on the US Billboard Hot 100 and became Bieber's first number-one single
in the country.[131] He set a Guinness World Record by becoming the youngest solo male artist to debut at
the top of the Hot 100.[132] It also broke the record for the fastest song to reach number one on US
iTunes, reaching the top spot in under 5 minutes.[133] On September 4, 2015, Bieber was co-featured
alongside Young Thug on the album track "Maria I'm Drunk", from Travis Scott's debut studio
album, Rodeo. On October 23, 2015, Bieber released the album's second single, titled "Sorry", which
debuted at number two on the Billboard Hot 100. After eight non-consecutive weeks at number two, 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.[134]
The third single from Purpose, "Love Yourself" also peaked at number one in the US, making Bieber the
first male artist in almost a decade to have three number-ones from an album since Justin Timberlake,
who did it previously with his second studio album, FutureSex/LoveSounds, in 2006–07.[135] He also
became the first solo artist to chart three solo songs in the top five of the Billboard Hot 100
simultaneously, and the first as a lead act since the Beatles in 1964.[136] "Love Yourself" topped Billboard's
Year-End Hot 100 chart in 2016, followed by "Sorry" at number two, and made 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.[137] An album track on Purpose, "Company", was announced as the fourth single on
March 8, 2016.[138] On February 12, 2016, Bieber's first four albums were released on vinyl for the first
time.[139]

Bieber performing in Kraków, Poland, during the Purpose World Tour in

2016

Purpose was released on November 13, 2015, and debuted at number one on the Billboard 200,
becoming Bieber's sixth album to debut at the top of that chart.[140][141] It was the fourth best-selling
album of 2015 with worldwide sales of 3.1 million copies.[142] As of June 2016, it had sold 4.5 million
copies globally.[143] On November 11, 2015, Bieber announced that he would embark on the Purpose
World Tour. The worldwide concert tour started in Seattle, Washington, on March 9, 2016.[144]

On January 8, 2016, Bieber made UK chart history by becoming the first artist to occupy the entire top
three of the UK Singles Chart. He achieved this feat as "Love Yourself", "Sorry" and "What Do You
Mean?" charted at positions 1, 2 and 3 simultaneously.[145] On May 13, 2016, he was co-featured
alongside Towkio on the album track "Juke Jam", from Chance the Rapper's third mixtape Coloring Book.
On July 22, 2016, Bieber released a new single with EDM trio Major Lazer and Danish singer MØ titled
"Cold Water". It debuted at number two on the Billboard Hot 100, becoming Bieber's third number-two
debut on the ranking, passing Mariah Carey's record to become the artist with the most number-two
debuts in the US at the time.[146] In August 2016, Bieber was featured on French DJ DJ Snake's single "Let
Me Love You". The song peaked at number four on the Billboard Hot 100.[147] Bieber was also featured on
American rapper Post Malone's single "Deja Vu", which later appeared as the fourth single from the
latter's debut studio album, Stoney, in September 2016.[148] Bieber then appeared in the
documentary Bodyguards: Secret Lives from the Watchtower (2016).[149] At the 59th Annual Grammy
Awards, Purpose was nominated for Album of the Year and Best Pop Vocal Album, whereas "Love
Yourself" received nominations for Song of the Year and Best Pop Solo Performance respectively.
2017–2019: Collaborations

On January 28, 2017, Bieber starred in the 2017 NHL Celebrity All-Star Game as a participating player,
coached by Wayne Gretzky.[150] On April 17, 2017, Puerto Rican singers Luis Fonsi and Daddy
Yankee released a remix for their song "Despacito" featuring Bieber. It was the first song by Bieber in
which he sings in Spanish.[151] The remix became a worldwide success and broke major chart records
around the world. The song reached number one in the US and joined "Macarena" (1996) as the only
English/Spanish songs to reach number one on the Billboard Hot 100.[152] It tied the then-record for
the most weeks at number one in Billboard Hot 100 history. The song spent a record 56 weeks at
number one on Billboard's Hot Latin Songs chart and broke the then-record for most weeks at number
one on the Digital Songs Sales chart. The remix is the most viewed song of all time on the crowdsourced
media knowledge base Genius, with 23.3 million views.[153] The song earned Bieber his first career Latin
Grammy.[154] As of September 2021, "Despacito" holds the number-one position on the Greatest of All
Time Hot Latin Songs chart and number-five on the Greatest of All Time Songs of the Summer chart
by Billboard.[155][156]

Bieber, along with rappers Quavo, Chance the Rapper, and Lil Wayne, provided vocals on DJ Khaled's
single "I'm the One", released on April 28, 2017. The song debuted at number one on the Billboard Hot
100, becoming Bieber's second number-one debut and his fourth song to top the chart.[157] One week
later, "Despacito" topped the charts in the US, which became his fifth number-one single and made
Bieber the first artist in history to notch new No. 1s in back-to-back weeks.[158] "I'm the One" also reached
number one on Billboard's Hot Rap Songs and Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs charts.[159] On June 9, 2017,
French DJ David Guetta released "2U", in which Bieber was featured. The first music video for "2U"
features Victoria's Secret models lip synching to the song.[160][161][162] On July 24, 2017, Bieber cancelled
the remaining dates of the Purpose World Tour due to "unforeseen circumstances".[163][164] According
to Pollstar, the tour had a total gross of $257 million and 2.8 million in attendance in 162 shows,
becoming one of the highest-grossing concert tours of both 2016 and 2017.[165][166]

On August 17, 2017, Bieber released the single "Friends" with American record producer and
songwriter BloodPop. Julia Michaels and Justin Tranter contributed as songwriters, having previously
worked with him on "Sorry" in 2015.[167] At the 60th Annual Grammy Awards, "Despacito" received three
nominations for Record of the Year, Song of the Year, and Best Pop Duo/Group Performance respectively.
[168]
Bieber did not attend the show to perform the nominated song, claiming that he would not make any
award show appearances until his next album was finished.[169] Bieber was a participating player in
the 2018 NBA Celebrity All-Star Game, marking his second appearance at the event.[170] In July 2018,
Bieber reunited with DJ Khaled in "No Brainer", co-featuring again with Chance the Rapper and Quavo.
The single peaked in the top five of the Hot 100 and reached number one on Billboard's Hot R&B
Songs chart.[171] He was also featured in the accompanying music video.[172]

On April 21, 2019, 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.[173] On May 10,
2019, British singer Ed Sheeran and Bieber released the single "I Don't Care", from Sheeran's album No.6
Collaborations Project. The pair had previously collaborated, with Sheeran co-writing Bieber's 2015 song
"Love Yourself", and 2016 song "Cold Water" with Major Lazer. "I Don't Care" became a worldwide hit,
reaching number-one in 26 countries, while peaking at number two in the United States.[174] Bieber later
featured on a remix of Billie Eilish's breakthrough single "Bad Guy", which was released on July 11.[175] On
October 4, 2019, Bieber and country music duo Dan + Shay released the song "10,000 Hours", which
peaked at number four on the US Billboard Hot 100.[176][177] It became the highest-charting non-holiday
country song in the history of the Billboard Streaming Songs chart and spent 21 weeks at number one
on Billboard's Hot Country Songs chart. As a result, Bieber became the first act in history to reach
number one on seven multi-metric charts: Hot 100, Hot Country Songs, Hot Dance/Electronic Songs, Hot
Latin Songs, Hot R&B Songs, Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, and Hot Rap Songs.[178] It earned Bieber his
second Grammy Award for Best Country Duo/Group Performance at the 63rd Annual Grammy Awards.
[179]
On October 14, 2019, Bieber became the youngest solo male artist to spend 200 cumulative weeks in
the top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100.[180]

2020–2022: Changes and Justice

On December 24, 2019, Bieber announced he would be releasing his fifth studio album and embarking
on his fourth concert tour in 2020.[181] The album's first single, "Yummy", was released on January 3,
2020. It debuted at number two on the Billboard Hot 100.[182] On December 31, 2019, Bieber released a
trailer announcing his 10-part YouTube Originals docu-series Justin Bieber: Seasons, which focused on an
array of themes: his life post-hiatus from music, marriage, preparation for new music, and battle against
Lyme disease.[183] The docu-series amassed 32.6 million views within its first week, breaking the record
for the most-viewed premiere in its first week of all YouTube Originals.[184] Appearing on The Ellen
DeGeneres Show on January 28, 2020, Bieber confirmed the release date of his fifth studio
album, Changes, to be February 14.[185] He released a promotional single for the album, "Get Me"
featuring Kehlani.[186] On February 7, 2020, Bieber released "Intentions", as the second single from the
album. The song peaked at number five on the Billboard Hot 100.[187] Changes was released on February
14, debuting at number one on the UK and US Billboard 200 charts, making Bieber the youngest solo
artist to have seven number-one albums in the US.[188] On May 8, 2020, American singer Ariana
Grande and Bieber released the single "Stuck with U", to help raise funds for the first responders of
the COVID-19 pandemic. The song debuted atop the Billboard Hot 100, becoming his sixth number-one
single in the US.[189] On September 4, 2020, Bieber played a starring role in the music video for DJ
Khaled's single "Popstar".[190]

On September 18, 2020, Bieber released "Holy" featuring Chance the Rapper as the first single from his
upcoming sixth studio album;[191] it peaked at number three on the Billboard Hot 100. On October 15,
2020, he released the album's second single "Lonely" in collaboration with Benny Blanco, which peaked
at number 12 on the Billboard Hot 100.[192] On November 6, 2020, Bieber and J Balvin were featured on a
remix of 24kGoldn's single "Mood".[193] On November 20, 2020, Shawn Mendes and Bieber released
"Monster";[194] it peaked at number eight on the Billboard Hot 100. On January 1, 2021, Bieber released
the third single "Anyone", which peaked at number six on the Billboard Hot 100.[195] On February 14,
2021, Bieber performed "Journals Live" in collaboration with TikTok, which marked the first live
performance of his 2013 album Journals; it was the first long-form concert event on the platform and
broke the record for the most-viewed single-artist livestream in the platform's history.[196] On February
26, 2021, Bieber announced his sixth studio album would be titled Justice.[197] On March 5, 2021, he
released the album's fourth single, "Hold On", which peaked at number 20 on the Billboard Hot 100.
[198]
On March 19, 2021, Bieber released Justice and its fifth single, "Peaches".[199][200] The album was met
with generally positive reviews and received 8 nominations at the 64th Annual Grammy Awards.[201] It
debuted at number one on the Billboard 200, becoming Bieber's eighth number-one project, while
"Peaches" debuted atop the Billboard Hot 100, becoming his seventh number-one single, respectively.
[202]
As a result, Bieber became the youngest solo artist to attain eight US number-one albums, breaking a
56-year-old record held by Elvis Presley, and the first solo male artist to simultaneously debut a song and
an album at number one in the US.[203] He also became the first male act to have his first six studio
albums debut at number one on the Billboard 200.[204]

On Easter 2021, Bieber surprise-released Freedom, a gospel-inspired EP consisting of six songs.[205] On

May 10, 2021, Bieber was featured on the single "Let It Go" by DJ Khaled and starred in the
accompanying music video.[206] On July 9, 2021, Bieber released a collaboration with the Kid Laroi titled
"Stay". The song reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 in its fourth week, becoming his eighth
number-one single in the US.[207] "Stay" also became his 100th career entry on the chart, making him the
then-youngest solo artist to chart 100 songs on the Billboard Hot 100.[208] "Stay" was the most-streamed
song globally on Apple Music in 2022.[209] On July 24, 2021, Bieber headlined the "Freedom Experience"
show at the SoFi Stadium.[210] On August 13, 2021, Bieber released a remix to Nigerian singer Wizkid's
song "Essence", which peaked at number nine on the Billboard Hot 100.[211][212] A week later, he released
a collaboration with Skrillex and Don Toliver titled "Don't Go".[213] On September 4, 2021, Bieber
headlined the 2021 Made in America Festival at the Benjamin Franklin Parkway. On October 8, 2021,
Bieber released the documentary film Justin Bieber: Our World, showcasing his preparation for his 2020
"New Year's Eve Live".[214] On October 29, 2021, he released "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree", a cover
of Brenda Lee's holiday classic.[215] On November 15, 2021, Bieber announced the international dates of
his upcoming fourth concert tour, the Justice World Tour.[216] On December 5, 2021, Bieber was the
headlining performer at the 2021 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.[217]

On January 1, 2022, Bieber set the then-record for the most monthly listeners on Spotify, with a peak of
94.7 million listeners, later surpassed by The Weeknd.[218] On March 28, 2022, the sixth single
from Justice, "Ghost", peaked at number five on the Billboard Hot 100, marking his 20th career top-five
hit on the chart.[219] The single reached number one on Billboard's Pop Songs chart, making Bieber the
first solo male artist to attain 10 number-one singles in the chart's history.[220] On March 30, 2022, Bieber
was featured on the single "Up at Night" by Kehlani.[221] On April 15, 2022, Bieber delivered a surprise
performance with Daniel Caesar at the 2022 Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival.[222] On April 29,
2022, Bieber released "Honest" featuring Don Toliver and an accompanying music video directed by Cole
Bennett.[223] On August 27, 2022, Bieber released "Beautiful Love" as an exclusive single for the battle
royale game Garena Free Fire.[224]

2023–present: Hiatus, Swag and Swag II

In January 2023, Bieber sold his music publishing rights and recording catalogue shares, up to the end of
2021, to Hipgnosis Songs Fund—a sale valued at over $200 million.[225] Bieber was reportedly offered to
be a headlining performer at Coachella 2023, but declined to focus on his seventh studio album.[226] On
February 24, 2023, Don Toliver released the single "Private Landing" with Bieber co-featured
alongside Future.[227] He joined Toliver on stage at the 2023 Rolling Loud festival to deliver a surprise
performance of the song.[228] On September 15, 2023, Bieber released an acoustic version of the single
"Snooze" by SZA and starred in its music video as the latter's love interest.[229]

In April 2025, NetEase Cloud Music named Bieber as the most streamed European/American artist in the
platform's 12-year history with more than 11.9 billion streams.[230] On July 10, 2025, Bieber released his
seventh studio album titled Swag shortly after teasing an upcoming project through billboards in Iceland,
earlier that same day.[231] It debuted at number two on the Billboard 200 with 163,000 equivalent album
units earned in the US in its opening week.[232] The album's lead single "Daisies" debuted at number two
on the Billboard Hot 100 and became his 27th top ten single in the US, tying Janet Jackson for the tenth-
most in history.[232] On September 4, Bieber announced his album Swag II would be released the next
day.[233]

Artistry

Influences

Bieber cites Michael Jackson, Chris Brown, and Justin Timberlake as some of his main musical
inspirations.

Bieber has cited Chris Brown, Craig David, Michael Jackson, the Beatles, Boyz II Men, Justin
Timberlake, Stevie Wonder, Tupac, Usher and Kanye West as his musical inspirations.[234][235][236][237][238]
[239]
In 2012, Bieber said, "music is music, and I'm definitely influenced by Michael Jackson and Boyz II
Men and people who were black artists—that's what I like."[240] Believe was influenced by Timberlake, for
which Bieber was trying to "create a new sound that people aren't really used to hearing ... like when
Timberlake did FutureSex/LoveSounds: It was a new sound... acoustic guitar over hard drums."[241] In
2019, Bieber called Chris Brown the "best entertainer of all time".[242][243]
Musical style

Bieber incorporates a variety of genres in his music, focusing mainly on pop,[244][245] R&B,[245][246] and
occasionally dance-pop or EDM.[244] In 2010, Jody Rosen of Rolling Stone asserted that the content of his
music was "offering a gentle introduction to the mysteries and heartaches of adolescence: songs flushed
with romance but notably free of sex itself".[247] During the initial years of his career, his musical style was
noted for being aimed to a more teen pop and "bubblegum-ish" direction.[248]

In January 2012, Bieber told V magazine: "I want to do it at my own pace. I don't want to start singing
about things like sex, drugs and swearing. I'm into love, and maybe I'll get more into making love when
I'm older. But I want to be someone who is respected by everybody."[249] But since then, Bieber gradually
altered his artistry, with Peter Gicas of E! Online describing "PYD" as "sexed-up", while In Touch
Weekly magazine said that his song with Maejor Ali and Juicy J "Lolly" might make his fans a bit
uncomfortable because of its lyrics that refer to oral sex.[250][114] In 2015 Bieber released the EDM-fuelled
album Purpose, where he collaborated with Skrillex,[251] and explored serious themes such as "life
experiences", through "feel-good music".[252]

Voice

Bieber initially sang with a boy soprano voice,[253] before his voice broke, as was evidenced during the
debut performance of "Pray" at the 2010 American Music Awards. Sean Michaels of The
Guardian described puberty as "the biggest threat to his career" at the time.[254] Jody Rosen commented
that Bieber sings with "swing and rhythmic dexterity" on his debut album, noting his tone to be "nasal".
[247]
Bieber started to receive voice coaching from Jan Smith in 2008.[255]

As an adult singer, Bieber's voice type is tenor, with a vocal range spanning from the baritone A2 to the
high tenor F5.[256][257] In a review of his Purpose album, Neil McCormick of The Daily
Telegraph complimented his "soft, supple and seductive singing".[258] Caroline Sullivan of The
Guardian also praised Bieber's "affectedly breathy voice", noting that "the voice soon palls, but the
songs are often interesting."[259] Reviewing his 2021 album, Justice, Pitchfork commented: "Bieber is not a
powerhouse vocalist, but he is a compelling one, casually dropping in a stray yodel here, a Mariah Carey–
indebted set of runs there. His voice has a palatable smoothness; he's mastered push-and-pull dynamics,
and he swings effortlessly from a placid chest voice to a zephyr of a falsetto."[260]

Achievements

Main article: List of awards and nominations received by Justin Bieber

Throughout his career, Bieber has sold an estimated 150 million records worldwide, making him one of
the best-selling music artists of all time.[261][262]

In 2011, Bieber was honoured with a star in front of Avon Theater in Stratford, Ontario, Canada, where
he used to busk when he was younger. On November 23, 2012, Bieber was presented with the Queen
Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal by the former Prime Minister of Canada, Stephen Harper. He was
one of 60,000 Canadians to receive the Diamond Jubilee medal that year.[263] In 2013, Bieber received
a Diamond award from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for his single "Baby", which
at the time became the highest-certified digital single of all time.[264][265] Bieber is credited with
five Diamond certifications from the RIAA.[12] Bieber has won two Grammy Awards out of 23
nominations,[266] one Latin Grammy Award,[267] eight Juno Awards,[268] two Brit Awards,[269]
[270]
26 Billboard Music Awards,[271] 18 American Music Awards,[272] 22 MTV Europe Music Awards (the
most wins for any artist),[273] 23 Teen Choice Awards (the most wins for a male individual),
[274]
eight iHeartRadio Music Awards, and six MTV Video Music Awards. At age 19, Bieber received the
Milestone Award at the 2013 Billboard Music Awards in recognition for breaking boundaries with his
creativity and contribution to the musical landscape.[275][276] As of 2024, all of Bieber's studio projects are
certified Platinum or higher by the RIAA and have received numerous accolades.[277]

Following the release of his fourth studio album, Purpose, Bieber set major milestones globally. He
became the first artist, since Elvis Presley in 2005, to replace his own song as number one on the UK
Singles Chart.[278] He is the first artist in history to occupy the entire top three of the UK Singles Chart. He
achieved this feat as "Love Yourself", "Sorry" and "What Do You Mean?" charted at positions 1, 2 and 3
simultaneously.[145] The singles also peaked at number one in the US, making Bieber the first male artist
since Justin Timberlake in 2007 to have three number-ones from an album.[135] He also became the first
solo artist to chart three solo songs in the top five of the US Billboard Hot 100 simultaneously, and the
first as a lead act since the Beatles in 1964.[136] "Love Yourself" topped Billboard's Year-End Hot 100 Chart
in 2016, followed by "Sorry" at number two, and made 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.[137] As
of 2024, Bieber has set 35 Guinness World Records in his career, including eight that were achieved from
the success of his album Purpose. These records included the most streamed track on Spotify in one
week, the most streamed album on Spotify in one week, the most simultaneous tracks on the
US Billboard Hot 100, and the most simultaneous new entries on the US Billboard Hot 100 by a solo
artist, among others.[279]

Bieber has attained success on official charts globally, including the US Billboard charts where he has set
numerous records: he is the first artist in history to chart new number-one singles in consecutive weeks
on the Billboard Hot 100;[158] he is the youngest (21) male soloist to debut at number one on the Hot 100;
[132]
he is the youngest (25) male soloist to spend 200 cumulative weeks in the top 10 of the Hot 100;
[180]
he is the youngest (27) solo artist to have eight number-one albums on the Billboard 200, a record
held by Elvis Presley since 1965;[203] he is the first male soloist to simultaneously debut a song and an
album at number one in the US;[204] he is the first male soloist to spend 59 consecutive weeks in the top
10 of the Hot 100; he is the first artist to reach number one on seven multi-metric Billboard charts: Hot
100, Hot Country Songs, Hot Dance/Electronic Songs, Hot Latin Songs, Hot R&B Songs, Hot R&B/Hip-Hop
Songs, and Hot Rap Songs;[178] he is the solo artist with the most cumulative weeks at number one (163)
on the Billboard Social 50 chart. Additionally, he is the artist with the most number-one debuts (10, tied
with Drake), most number-one singles (13, tied with Drake), and the most cumulative weeks at number
one (56) on the Billboard Canadian Hot 100. Bieber's hit single "Despacito" has spent the most weeks at
number one (56) on Billboard's Hot Latin Songs chart and is ranked as the magazine's greatest Latin song
of all time.[155] He was named the number one artist on Billboard's Social 50 chart for the 2010s and
ranked as the magazine's greatest pop star of 2016.[280][281] He was also named Billboard's top male artist
for 2016 and ranked seventh on the magazine's Top Artists chart for the 2010s.[282][283] In
2021, Billboard ranked him as the 55th greatest artist of all time and the 38th greatest Hot 100 artist of
all time, respectively.[284][285]

Cultural status
Legacy

Bieber being greeted by the US chairman of the Joint

Chiefs of Staff, Mike Mullen, in 2011. Bieber is one of Canada's most successful musical exports.[286]

Bieber has been credited for reinventing pop stardom for over a decade[287] and has been referred to as
the "Prince of Pop"[288] and the "King of Teen Pop"[248] by contemporary journalists. Highlighting his
longevity, he was awarded the MTV Award for Best New Artist in 2010[289] and the MTV Award for Artist
of the Year in 2021.[290] Rolling Stone India referred to him as the "biggest popstar of our age", "one of
the most captivating artists of the century" and "one of the world's most successful artists of all time".
[291]
Bieber is often described as a pop icon, or simply an icon.[292][293][294][295] In a 2011 article comparing the
cultural significance of Bieber to Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg, Orlando Sentinel said that, "Out of
all the cultural icons who influence and inspire today's society, Justin Bieber is without a doubt one of
the most prominent."[296] He is generally credited as an important figure in bridging music and social
media, which rose to prominence in the late 2000s; Variety dubbed him "a once-in-a-generation
superstar who charted a swift and stunning rise from precocious YouTube talent to global
phenomenon."[297]

In an article titled "How Justin Bieber revolutionised careers in the music industry" by The Guardian, Tom
Fazakerley says:

Social media has transformed the way people, brands and musicians communicate. The likes
of Myspace and even more so YouTube, have enabled budding artists to put their music out to a massive
audience at the click of a finger. This has taken down the barriers to the music industry and reshaped the
career path for budding artists ... Nowadays you can be your own artist, producer and promoter-and if
you do this well, like Justin Bieber, you can really make it.[298]

At age 15, following the release of his 2009 singles "One Time" and "One Less Lonely Girl", Bieber's
immediate popularity led him to appear on the likes of The Ellen DeGeneres Show, The Wendy Williams
Show and Good Morning America.[299] He had achieved a global fandom who came to be known as
Beliebers and his popularity was labelled "Bieber Fever",[299] with fan frenzies taking place in Liverpool,
[300]
Barcelona[301] and Paris,[302] among other territories. Bieber's intense fandom was considered to be
reminiscent of "Beatlemania",[303] and his signature wings hairstyle at the time also drew comparisons
to the Beatles' mop top hairstyle.[304] Bieber's adoration from teenage girls was also likened to those
of Frank Sinatra in the 1940s and Elvis Presley in the 1950s.[305]
He's the only person in humanity who's grown up the way he has – with smartphones and cameras on
him 24/7 ... Another kid can go out and have a good night on the town, and no one gives a crap, but
Justin is the most Googled person on the planet – for four years straight!

—Scooter Braun, Bieber's manager, in 2013[306]

Bieber maintained his global popularity during his transition to adulthood, achieving increased artistic
recognition and credit in the process. In respect to Bieber's success as a teenager to a young
adult, Variety said that Bieber is arguably the first mega pop star to come of age entirely in the social
media era and also called him an "Internet icon".[297] The Conversation's Jo Adetunji said that Bieber is
"one of the most successful pop singers of recent years".[307] Regarding his EDM-driven
album Purpose (2015), which reached "beyond the moment and trends" of that period according to
Adetunji, the writer argued that Bieber should be considered a serious creative artist. Adetunji
compared the album to Madonna's Ray of Light (1998), Alanis Morissette's Jagged Little Pill (1995)
and Justin Timberlake's FutureSex/LoveSounds (2006).[307] In an article about Bieber, Hugh McIntyre
of Forbes stated, "You may love him, you may hate him, but no matter how you feel about him, nobody
can argue that Justin Bieber hasn't conquered the pop world ... The Grammy winner can turn essentially
any track into a smash, and nobody can sell a single like he can these days."[308] Also calling Bieber "an
unstoppable force in music", McIntyre lauded Bieber for achieving success in various genres,
including R&B, electronic dance, hip hop and Latin.[308]

Bieber and his work have influenced various recording artists including Shawn Mendes,[309] Why Don't
We,[310] Johnny Orlando,[311] and Niall Horan.[312] Singers Dua Lipa and Charlie Puth have stated that they
were influenced by the discovery of Bieber on YouTube which inspired them to achieve the same.[313][314]
[315]