It feels like years since Bieber Fever first struck the world, but if Justin Bieber’s career was a person, it would still be considered a minor. 16 years ago, Scooter Braun accidentally clicked on one of Bieber’s videos on YouTube, and history was made. While Bieber was no small name when his EP My World debuted in 2009, it was truly his song “Baby” in 2010 that launched him to teen-idol status.
Becoming the most viewed video on YouTube until “Gangnam Style” premiered in 2012, “Baby” was a worldwide hit, charting in the top 10 in over 15 countries and peaking at number 5 on the Billboard Top 100. As Justin Bieber grew up over the years, his style shifted completely away from the tween hits that made him famous, creating a more mature pop sound over his later albums. But it’s important to remember that Bieber was a teen himself when he sang “Baby” and was creating music for his age group.
Born in 1994, Bieber won’t even be 30 until 2024. If you roll it back to 2010, that means Justin Bieber was only 16 when “Baby” launched his career to new heights. Considering most 16 year olds are just worried about getting their driver’s license and finding a job at their local mall, it’s quite impressive how large of a career Bieber had at such a young age.
This also explains a lot of the legal troubles Bieber experienced later on in his career, including the infamous mug shots and the video of him urinating into a mop bucket at a club. While his behavior is still unacceptable, the difference between his stupid mistakes and his peers is that his was being reported on by TMZ. Most kids are able to make dumb decisions in private, and leave those mistakes behind come the time they’re adults. Bieber on the other hand has a whole section of his Wikipedia page dedicated to his dumb mistakes as a teen and young adult.
While the Justin Bieber we see today is far from the same kid singing about a breakup on Universal CityWalk in LA, his music career is still seeing a grand amount of success. Bieber saw a number one single with his feature on “Stay” by The Kid LAORI in 2021, the same year his most recent album Justice peaked at number one on the Billboard 200. Bieber also made over $200 million earlier in 2023 after selling his music catalog to a private firm.
