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From Competition to Career At 12 years old, Justin entered the Stratford Idol singing contest held at the local Kiwanis Community Center. Performing a cover of Ne- Yo’s So Sick , Justin took second place, even though he was a novice performer up against singers who had benefited from vocal training. Music was a massive part of his life right from this early age and, long before the days of a record deal, he would take his acoustic guitar out and busk his favorite songs in Stratford. As he grew up, Justin’s love for music also grew. When watching Michael Jackson and Justin Timberlake videos he realized that this was where he desired to be – on stage, in the spotlight, performing to an audience of thousands. His experience at the Stratford Idol contest had given him his first adrenaline-fueled taste of stage performance and he wanted more. Being a teen of the digital age, Justin had a valuable tool right at his fingertips. With the unique power of YouTube he was able to upload videos of himself singing his favorite songs, while beginning to share his musical talent. Little did he know that this was the start of his whirlwind journey to stardom. Meanwhile, miles away in Atlanta, Scott “Scooter” Braun, a former marketing executive of So So Def Records, was scouting the internet for another singer. After accidently clicking on one of Justin’s YouTube videos, he quickly realized that here in front of him was young, untapped talent. After tracking him down through the MySpace social networking site, Scooter Braun

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ABOVE: Justin shares a joke with Scooter Braun. OPPOSITE: Justin pictured with Usher. BELOW: Justin poses with members of the Jackson family, after the hand and footprint ceremony honoring Michael Jackson, in front of Grauman’s Chinese Theatre in Los Angeles.