He was the first superstar discovered on YouTube: Justin Bieber's life and career in photos
In 2007, Justin Bieber was a normal kid from Ontario, Canada whose mum made the decision to post a clip of him performing in a singing contest to YouTube.
That video would catch the attention of a total stranger in another country, a man by the name of Scooter Braun, who helped turn Justin from a teen with a passion for music into an international star.
But rising to fame at just 13 isn't as glamorous as it looks.
Keep reading and dive into Bieber's life and whirlwind career so far.
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Born in Ontario, Canada on March 1, 1994, Justin Drew Bieber was the first and only child of Jeremy Jack Bieber and Pattie Mallette.
Both were just 18 when Bieber was born and they split soon after, with Mallette raising her son as a single mum with support from her own parents.
Jeremy went on to have three other children with other partners, Bieber's half-siblings, and maintained a relationship with his eldest son through his childhood; though he probably never expected the little boy he welcomed into the world as a teenager would turn out to be an international pop star.
Bieber grew up in low-income housing and attended several Catholic schools, where teachers were fond of the studious youngster.
He got good grades and showed a passion for music early on, learning to play everything from piano to trumpet, drums and guitar.
And, to top it all off, Bieber could sing.
When he was just 12, he won second place in a local singing competition in Stratford, Ontario. His proud mum posted a clip of his performance to YouTube so she could send it to family and friends, not knowing how that decision would one day change her son's life.
Braun managed to get in touch with Bieber's school, then his mum Mallette, who initially turned down Braun's offers to help Bieber start a music career.
A deeply religious Christian woman, Mallette would have preferred to put her son's career in the hands of "a Christian man, a Christian label" over Braun, who is Jewish.
Thankfully for Bieber's career, elders at the family's church convinced Mallette to trust Braun. And so she did.
At just 13, Bieber was flown to Atlanta, Georgia to record a series of demos with Braun and just one week later, music icon Usher had taken the teen under his wing as his new protégé.
The next few months were a whirlwind for Bieber, who signed to Island Records in October 2008, then moved to Atlanta with his mum so she could support him through the first stages of his music career.
Braun came on as his manager and Usher was his mentor as he recorded his debut album My World 2.0, though he saw massive success long before the album was actually released.
His first few singles, which included One Time and One Less Lonely Girl, shot up the charts around the world and made him the first solo artist to have four singles chart in the top 40 of the Billboard Hot 100 before releasing a single album.
Bieber also learned the ropes of self-promotion, appearing and performing on a slew of shows including The Ellen DeGeneres Show in 2009 before My World 2.0 even dropped.
Though he had people like Usher to help, well, usher him into this new world of international fame, it was a lot for the then-16-year-old to take in.
He was flying in private jets, rubbing shoulders with celebrities and had millions of adoring fans, and his star was only just rising.
Years later, he would confess the pressure of entering the industry at such a young age took a massive toll on his mental health, but at the time he seemed to be on top of the world.
In January 2010, Bieber's fame well and truly exploded when he released the single Baby and it hit the top 10 on charts all around the world.
Just a few weeks later, he was invited to sing with music legends from Celine Dio, to Barbara Streisand, Fergie, Snoop Dogg and many more on the track We Are The World 25 Years for Haiti.
The charity single was intended to help raise funds for relief efforts after the magnitude 7 earthquake that struck Haiti earlier that year.
But photos from the event painted a clear picture of Bieber's world at the time: he was a teenager in a world of adults, and sometimes that's a difficult place to be.
Though he was being given incredible opportunities, experts would later question how growing up surrounded by rich and powerful adults affected Bieber at such a formative age.
Between 2011 and 2014, Bieber released two studio albums and multiple singles, collaborated with huge names like Nicki Minaj and Big Sean, toured the world and sold out stadiums in almost every city he visited.
The rising star had well and truly turned into a global sensation – but he was also a boy who was growing into a man.
As well as embracing a more 'teen pop' sound, Bieber played with more grown up lyrics and performances, and started publicly dating fellow teen star Selena Gomez.
The pair were first linked in December 2010, when Bieber was 18 and Gomez was 16, and confirmed they were an item in February the following year, kicking off a years-long on-off romance.
The young couple first split in November 2012, sparking years of pointed song lyrics and interview comments from both sides.
A year after the split, Bieber told E!Online, "[The breakup] affected us, especially when we are in front of so many people. It's such a public thing.
"It's just hard for the both of us. But you know, she's a great woman. I love her till this day."
But if fans hoped to see the pair rekindle things then and there, their hopes were quickly dashed.
"I think we're going to be the greatest of friends. Right now we're taking a little time and not talking," Bieber added.
In 2014, Bieber was arrested in the US for driving under the influence, driving without a valid driver's license, and resisting arrest.
The case was later settled with a plea bargain and Bieber was fined just under $800 and ordered to attend an anger management course and drunk driving impact course. He was also required to make an almost $80,000 donation to a local children's charity.
But the controversy kept coming and he would later write on Instagram that it all took a toll on him.
"Sometimes it can even get to the point where you don't even want to live anymore. Where you feel like it's never going to change," Bieber penned.
