15 / 16
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
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.
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