9781422286609

Introduction In 2007, a 12-year-old boy entered the Stratford Idol singing competition, a youth center contest inspired by American Idol .

Performing a cover of Ne-Yo’s So Sick , the young Justin Bieber impressed the judges and won second place, despite having no formal musical or vocal coaching. Justin and his mother, Pattie Mallette, had wanted to share the young singer’s musical talents with friends and family and began uploading home videos on to YouTube . Little did they know that this simple act would be the start of a global phenomenon. With a rich talent at such a tender age, more and more people began subscribing to Bieber’s YouTube channel and asked for more. Fast-forward a year and Scooter Braun, a former marketing executive, stumbles across the YouTube videos of a bright, good-looking teen with a pure and clear voice singing his heart out. Realizing that there was untapped talent right in front of him, he made contact with the Bieber family and a meeting was arranged. Scooter Braun organized to fly Justin out to Atlanta to record a demo and meet with R&B singer-songwriter Usher. Justin then went on to sign to Raymond Braun Media Group (RBMG) before signing to Island Records in the fall of 2008. After bursting onto the music scene in the summer of 2009, Justin Bieber quickly became a household name who was adored by millions and was especially popular with his teen following: The “Beliebers.” His fame reached dizzying

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