Justin Bieber

Justin Bieber stands out as a versatile pop artist whose chart successes, whether leading or supporting others, draw from R&B-tinged pop, tropical house, reggaeton, and modern country sounds. As a singer and songwriter he achieved worldwide fame through the buoyant debut EP My World in 2009, which earned multi-platinum status in his home country of Canada along with several additional markets. Still only fifteen at release, Bieber moved rapidly into a lasting commercial run. Inside the next three years he delivered My World 2.0 in 2010 and Believe in 2012, plus various remix, acoustic, live, and holiday projects. The Juno-winning opening release included “Baby,” the performer’s initial global Top Ten single. Its successor returned him to the summit of multiple national rankings. After a short dip in visibility Bieber resurfaced via the Skrillex and Diplo team-up “Where Are Ü Now,” which earned his first Grammy, followed closely by Purpose in 2015. That album housed “What Do You Mean,” “Sorry,” and “Love Yourself,” each reaching number one on the pop charts in Canada and the United States. By the close of the decade Bieber expanded his résumé through partnerships on a Latin Grammy-winning rework of Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee’s “Despacito,” DJ Khaled’s “I’m the One,” Ed Sheeran’s “I Don’t Care,” and another Grammy recipient, Dan + Shay’s “10,000 Hours.” His artistic growth persisted on Changes in 2020 and Justice in 2021, optimistic and heartfelt collections that preserved his run of number-one albums. He has since reclaimed the top pop spots in Canada, the U.S., and beyond alongside the Kid LAROI on “Stay.”

Born in London, Ontario and brought up in nearby Stratford, Bieber edged closer to fame by placing second in a 2007 local vocal contest before uploading his performances to YouTube. Those clips drew notice from Scooter Braun, a talent agent and former So So Def marketing executive, who secured Bieber an unexpected tryout with R&B artist Usher. Usher, together with Island/Def Jam chairman L.A. Reid, swiftly offered the fifteen-year-old a recording deal. Bieber issued his debut single “One Time” in May 2009. Backed by a popular video that included a cameo from Usher, the track attained platinum certification in both Canada and the U.S., a milestone repeated later that year with My World. Although technically an EP containing just seven tracks, the project led the Canadian Albums Chart and climbed to number six on the Billboard 200.

Less than twelve months after his first outing Bieber followed with the “second half” of My World, a ten-song set titled My World 2.0. Highlighting the marketing strength of both artist and team, more than 8,000 fans who pre-ordered received their portraits incorporated into a photo mosaic shaped like Bieber’s likeness and printed on the reverse of the booklet. Powered by the Ludacris-assisted “Baby”—Bieber’s first single to enter the Top Ten of the Canadian and U.S. Hot 100—the album debuted at number one on both the Canadian and U.S. charts. Weeks afterward a combined edition of My World and My World 2.0, released as My Worlds, surfaced in select territories.

Toward the end of 2010 Bieber put out My Worlds Acoustic, which offered acoustic renditions of nine songs from the My World releases plus one new track. The next February the 3-D documentary Never Say Never reached theaters. Issued only days after the film, the seven-track Never Say Never: The Remixes kept the momentum of new material and showcased guests including Kanye West, Usher, and Miley Cyrus. Timed for the 2011 holiday season, Under the Mistletoe arrived with multiple celebrity duets and the original “Mistletoe” as its lead single, which opened at number two on the Holiday Songs chart.

In 2012 Bieber unveiled the true successor to My World 2.0 under the title Believe. Carrying a more grown-up tone rooted in dance-pop and R&B, the project featured contributions from Darkchild, Diplo, and Max Martin. Believe became another Canadian and U.S. number-one album, driven by singles such as “Boyfriend,” “As Long as You Love Me” featuring Big Sean, and “Beauty and a Beat” with Nicki Minaj. Believe Acoustic, the follow-up to My Worlds Acoustic, appeared in 2013. Late that year Bieber began a weekly series of singles, nearly all of which charted and included Top 40 entries in Canada and the U.S. for “All Around the World” featuring Ludacris and “Heartbreaker.” These and additional tracks were gathered into Journals, a digital-only album withheld from sales tracking and therefore unranked on charts. Two days later, on December 25, the documentary Justin Bieber’s Believe premiered in theaters.

A joint release with Cody Simpson, “Home to Mama,” served as Bieber’s sole charting track in 2014, a period when non-musical headlines overshadowed his work. The following year marked a strong return. A tropical house remix of the My World 2.0 bonus track “Where Are You Now,” credited to Diplo and Skrillex Present Jack Ü and retitled “Where Are Ü Now,” reached the Top Ten in Canada and the U.S. Later “What Do You Mean?,” a song that reinforced Bieber’s tropical house link, topped both national charts. This success cleared the path for Purpose, the singer’s fourth straight Canadian and U.S. number-one album, supported by the equally strong singles “Sorry” and “Love Yourself.” Bieber later received nominations in two of the “big four” Grammy categories—Song of the Year for “Lose Yourself” plus Album of the Year—along with Best Pop Vocal Album and Best Pop Solo Performance.

After touring in support of Purpose through the first half of 2016, Bieber joined Major Lazer and MØ on the hit “Cold Water” and, shortly afterward, DJ Snake on “Let Me Love You.” In 2017 he appeared on a Grammy-nominated remix of the worldwide reggaeton-pop success “Despacito” by Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee, the first occasion he performed in Spanish. That same month he secured consecutive number ones when DJ Khaled’s “I’m the One” was followed at the summit of the U.S. Hot 100 by “Despacito.” Additional featured appearances on David Guetta’s “2U,” Khaled’s “No Brainer,” Ed Sheeran’s “I Don’t Care,” and Dan + Shay’s “10,000 Hours” sustained his visibility while he prepared the next album.

Preceded by early segments of the Seasons documentary and the lead singles “Yummy” and “Intentions”—both eventual Top Ten hits in Canada and the U.S.—Changes landed in February 2020 and extended his streak of number-one albums in those territories. Further singles as lead, co-lead, and featured artist continued to succeed. Bieber contributed to four more 2020 releases that reached the top of the Canadian pop chart: “Stuck with U” with Ariana Grande, “Holy” featuring Chance the Rapper, “Lonely” with Benny Blanco, and “Monster” alongside Shawn Mendes. He earned four Grammy nominations announced in March 2021, including Best Pop Vocal Album for Changes, Best Pop Solo Performance for “Yummy,” and Best Pop/Duo Performance for “Intentions,” while he and Dan + Shay claimed Best Country Duo/Group Performance for “10,000 Hours.”

By the time Bieber released Justice in March 2021 he had added two more Top Ten Canadian singles with “Anyone” and “Hold On.” Like each of his five prior studio albums, Justice led both the Canadian and U.S. charts. Afterward he concentrated on collaborative efforts. With the Kid LAROI he achieved another global number one on “Stay.” Later in 2021 came “Don’t Go,” uniting him with Skrillex and Don Toliver, followed by a featured spot on the posthumous Juice WRLD single “Wandered to LA.,” which peaked at number 29 in Canada. In the next year Bieber led another Toliver collaboration, the number-21 Canadian single “Honest,” and was enlisted for recordings with Omah Lay on “Attention” and Kehlani on “Up at Night.” He appeared on Toliver’s “Private Landing” in 2023.