Biographic - Sunday February 21, 2010 Comic Strip Licensing and Permissions

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Justin Bieber A couple of years ago, he was just a star-struck kid posting a video of his talent show performance online. Now, following a whirlwind, fairy-tale rise to stardom, 15-year-old Justin Bieber is one of the hottest stars in the pop firmament. The video for his debut single alone has been viewed over 100 million times on youtube! Born in Canada, in Stratford, Ontario, on March 14, 1994, Justin Bieber taught himself to play piano, guitar, trumpet, and drums. He enjoyed his first success as a performer when he entered a local singing contest in 2006, despite competing against kids who had trained with vocal coaches, Justin's natural ability shone through and he entered second place. Justin and his mom began posting videos of him covering songs by the likes of Usher, Ne-yo and Justin Timberlake online so that friends and relatives could also see him. He quickly became a YouTube phenomenon, and those videos attracted hundreds of thousands of views... including some major movers and shakers in the music business. Scott "Scooter" Braun who also guides the career of rap sensation Asher Roth, took Justin under his managerial wing. Soon, Usher and Justin Timberlake were involved in a bidding war to sign the youngster. Usher won out, and in late 2008, 14-year-old Justin put pen to paper on a major label record deal. His two-part debut album "My World" broke records before it was even released! Four pre-album singles, including the lead sinle "One Time" hit the charts, making Justin the first solo artist in history to have four Billboard top 40 hits before the release of a debut album. Justin toured with Taylor Swift and undertook a whirlwind media blitz, becoming a familiar face on all the TV networks. By the end of 2009, which culminated in a televised performance at the White House for the President and First Lady. Justin was a platinum-selling phenomenon destined for global pop superstardom.

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