JUSTIN BIEBER was mobbed by thousands of hysterical Beliebers at the London premiere of his debut movie Never Say Never on Wednesday night.
The film - already a smash hit in the US - was the latest achievement for the superstar who has already flogged ten million albums worldwide.
And this week he scooped a Brit Award for Best International Breakthrough Act. Now, he is believed to be about to bank his first £60million and has become a global phenomenon.
Not bad for a 16-year-old who started out as a YouTube wannabe.
Here, PETE SAMSON gives the rundown of the men and women who helped turn the Canadian schoolboy into a pop sensation and marketing dream.
JUSTIN'S mum Pattie was just 18 when she became pregnant with him.
She raised him as a single mother and worked a string of low-paid jobs to make ends meet in their Canadian hometown of Stratford, Ontario.
When he was 12 Justin sang Ne-Yo track So Sick at a talent competition. He got second prize but his proud mum posted the video on YouTube.
She then continued to post her son's performances on the website - and her efforts would land him a record deal. Throughout his childhood Pattie, now 34, encouraged Justin as he taught himself to play the piano, drums and guitar.
Her born-again Christian values are shared by him and are a big influence on his decisions and self-belief. She said: "My prayer is for Justin to be protected against the temptations of this industry."
While she has barely left his side during his whirlwind career, he remains in contact with his father Jeremy Bieber.
Just as well - Mallette Fever doesn't have the same ring to it.
THE 30-year-old beauty admitted she was struck down with Bieber fever when they met at the White House in April last year.
Justin posted a picture on Twitter and wrote: "Look it's my girlfriend Kim Kardashian."
Then during a magazine photo shoot on a Bahamas beach, Kim tweeted: "I messed up Justin Bieber's hair."
She'd gone too far this time - and later admitted to getting death threats from Bieber's devoted fans.
The LA socialite revealed: "I think they were ten-year-olds that got carried away, so he asked all his Beliebers to stop attacking me."
Justin would be nowhere without his army of female fans - and Kim proves they are not all crazy teens. Katy Perry, 26, also threw her hat into the ring. After she met him at the Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards in March last year, she joked: "Told you I would tap that. Yummy."
But joking aside, these sexy celebs had made it acceptable to have Bieber fever - whatever your age.
AFTER snapping up Justin, Usher made Ryan - one of his former assistants - his road manager and stylist.
But the informal title usually used for the 25-year-old from Palm Beach, Florida, is Justin's "swagger coach".
The streetwise look of baseball caps, trendy trainers and silver dog chains has become his trademark. And, of course, his infamous sweeping hairstyle sparked little clones around the world.
Justin once said: "I have a swagger coach who helps me and teaches me different swaggerific things to do.
"He has helped me with my style and just putting different pieces together and being able to layer and stuff like that."
THE record exec is one of the most powerful men in the music business.
The 54-year-old starmaker has guided the careers of artists including Kanye West, Rihanna, Mariah Carey, Jay-Z and Usher himself.
In October 2008 he signed Justin to Island Def Jam Music Group. The deal means the label takes a chunk of Justin's merchandise, sponsorship, endorsements, concert tickets and royalties plus album sales.
Getting into Reid's office is not easy, especially if you're a teenager who is yet to release a record. But with Usher behind him Bieber was pushed through the door - and he never looked back.
DURING an early session recording demo tapes in a music studio Justin bumped into Grammy Award-winning singer Usher in the car park.
Showing a confidence which would later turn him into a world superstar, Justin asked if he could perform U Got It Bad for the man who made it a chart smash hit.
He wanted to sing for him on the spot but Usher managed to get him inside. There he was floored by the pitch-perfect vocal of the schoolboy.
Usher, 32, said: "He wanted to sing for me right then, right there. When he sang, I realised we were dealing with the real thing - it wasn't a gimmick.
"We had to teach him how to dance and be on stage but he really had a good voice."
Usher and Scooter signed Justin to kick-start his career.
SCOOTER was surfing the web in 2007 when he stumbled across a video of Justin singing in a talent competition.
The aspiring music manager from Atlanta, Georgia, was blown away by the YouTube clip - and Bieber fever had its first victim. Scooter, 29, made it his mission to fly Justin to the States and put him in front of top record bosses. He finally got his way, despite Justin's mum's initial reluctance.
The manager has since become a major player in the US music scene and signed college rapper Asher Roth, 25.
His eye for talent has seen his name been thrown around as a possible future American Idol or X Factor judge.
Source:
No comments:
Post a Comment