Sarah Parvis - Justin Bieber

Produced by

Justin Bieber copyright 2010 by Downtown Bookworks Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission except in the case of reprints in the context of reviews.

Andrews McMeel Publishing, LLC
an Andrews McMeel Universal company
1130 Walnut Street, Kansas City, Missouri 64106

Cover design: Brian Michael Thomas
Cover photo: Kevin Mazur/WireImage/Getty Images
Back cover: George Pimentel/WireImage/Getty Images

E-ISBN: 978-1-4494-0623-3

Library of Congress Control Number: 2010927039
www.andrewsmcmeel.com

ATTENTION: SCHOOLS AND BUSINESSES
Andrews McMeel books are available at quantity discounts with bulk purchase for educational, business, or sales promotional use. For information, please e-mail the Andrews McMeel Publishing Special Sales Department:

What happens when a small-town singer from Canada bumps into a chart-topping hip-hop artist on the streets of Atlanta? An international superstar is born. Okay, it may not happen every time a young Canadian crooner meets a rap star, but when the dynamic duo is Justin Bieber and Usher, magical events are set in motion.

Justin Biebers lightning-swift rise to the top of the pop charts began with a very simple decision. He had some videos of himself singing and wanted to share them with others. He decided to post those videos on YouTube. Soon the homemade clips were being viewed not just by Justins family but also by random people around the world. And many of them liked what they saw. They recommended them to their friends, who in turn passed the videos on to even more people. Long before Justin had a recording contract and before many of his friends had even seen his YouTube videos, he had a fan base. And with a voice as smooth as his and a smile as warm as his, it was only a matter of time before Justin Bieber became a household name. Read on to uncover more about the next big thing in pop music.

J ustin Bieber was a music lover from an early age. He was born on March 1, 1994, in Stratford, a small city in Ontario, Canada. His parents, Pattie and Jeremy, divorced when he was a young boy. Justin stayed with his mother, who went back to using her maiden name, Pattie Mallette. As a single mom, Pattie often struggled to make ends meet. Talking about his childhood in an interview, Justin shared, Im so blessed. I didnt have a lot of money, but I didnt know that. Being young, I had everything I wanted. I played sports. I had clothes. A positive person, he sees the upside to not being raised in a rich family. I grew up below the poverty line, he said. I didnt have as much as other people did. I think it made me stronger as a person. It built my character. Now that he has made it big, he hopes he can be an inspiration to others. My message is you can do anything if you just put your mind to it.

Church played a big role in the life of Justin and his mother. Not only did they find friends and support in their local church, but it was there that Justin unearthed his musical talent. Percussion was his first love. An energetic three-year-old, he would bang on anything he could get his hands on. Countertop or couch cushion, it didnt matter to young Justin. His mom took notice, and with help from the kind folks at church, she bought him his very first drum kit. He was only four years old when he sat down and taught himself how to play. He also picked up tips from the other musicians in his church choir.

Justin is fluent in French. So, start practicing now! Je taime, Justin! is how you say, I love you, Justin in French. It sounds like this:zhe tem.

The drums were only the beginning! When Justin was about eight years old, he tried his hand at the guitar. He is left-handed, which had been a bit of a challenge when he was learning the drums, but it was even more of an issue with the guitar. Justin explained, When I started playing the guitar, I picked up a right-handed guitar because that was all my mom had in the house. He would hold the instrument one way and strum the strings with his left hand, then hand it back to his mother. She would flip the guitar around and play with her right hand. It was tricky, but he figured out how to imitate the movements of his moms hands. It was difficult because its backwards, he recalled. Finally, his mom bought him a left-handed guitar for his birthday, and it got easier for him to learn chords from watching others. In addition to the drums and the guitar, he also taught himself keyboard and trumpet.

Im kind of a perfectionist, so
I always like to do my best.

When Justin was around 10 years old, he set his creative sights on a new musical skill. He began singing and discovered that he loved it! Though his choir offered him many opportunities to show off his vocal talent, he never had any formal training. At 12, he decided to perform for a larger audience. He entered a local singing competition known as Stratford Idol. Hed been nervous going into the competition because so many of the other singers had been studying music for years. They had vocal coaches and more experience than Justin did. But his fears were unfounded. He completely wowed audiences with his incredible range, singing Aretha Franklins beloved Respect, Matchbox 20s 3 A.M., Alicia Keyss Fallin, and So Sick by Ne-Yo. In the end, his sweet voice won out against all but one of his competitors. He won second place!