Justin Bieber is a Canadian singer from London, Canada, born in 1994. He emerges in the late 2000s as a teen idol and becomes one of the most commercially successful pop artists of his generation. His work spans contemporary country, dance-pop, pop, pop rap, R&B and reggaeton.

Early release and breakthrough

Bieber first gains attention with the extended play My World in 2009. His debut studio album, My World 2.0 (2010), reaches number one in the US and makes him the youngest solo male artist to top the Billboard 200 in 47 years. The album’s lead single, Baby, featuring Ludacris, becomes one of the best-selling singles in the United States, and its video draws major attention on YouTube.

Albums and chart success

His second album, Under the Mistletoe (2011), becomes the first Christmas album by a male artist to debut at number one. Believe (2012) continues with a dance-pop direction, and its acoustic re-release makes him the first artist in Billboard history to have five US number-one albums by the age of 18.

In 2015, he moves into EDM with Where Are Ü Now, which wins the Grammy Award for Best Dance/Electronic Recording. His fourth album, Purpose (2015), includes the US number-one singles Love Yourself, Sorry and What Do You Mean?, which hold the top three places on the UK singles chart at the same time.

Later work and record-setting singles

Bieber’s guest appearances on DJ Khaled’s I'm the One and Luis Fonsi’s Despacito both reach number one in the US in 2017. Despacito matches the then-record for the longest-running US number one single, at 16 weeks. His later albums Changes (2020) and Justice (2021) also top the Billboard 200. Justice includes Peaches, his seventh US number-one single, and he becomes the youngest solo artist to achieve eight US number-one albums. Later in 2021, Stay, with the Kid Laroi, becomes his eighth US number-one single. His albums Swag and Swag II are released in 2025.

Recognition

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 RIAA. His awards 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 names him one of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2011, and Forbes places him among the top ten most powerful celebrities from 2011 to 2013. Billboard ranks him as the eighth-greatest pop star of the 21st century.