Justin Beiber is not a new phenomenon, only the newest teen heartthrob in a line of younger and younger teen celebs claiming the limelight.
He's 16 but looks 12; sounds like a 13-year-old and pulls at the heartstrings of girls ages 2 (remember his visit to the crying toddler?) to 40.
After his recent gig on "Saturday Night Live" with Tina Fey, perhaps even older fans have fallen prey to the teen crooner's hex, but I doubt these closet admirers will openly admit they listen to his music or are attracted to his comb-over style hair, for fear of their kids' eye-rolling disapproval.
So, where did Beiber come from and why did he take the t(w)een population by storm?
Justin Beiber was born in Stratford, Ontario, Canada, and got his singing career break over YouTube -- yup, that video website your kids are obsessed with.
The Canadian singer was raised by a single mom and taught himself how to play the piano, guitar, drums and trumpet. Wish I knew how long it took him to master all of these instruments since he is only 16! (Guess he didn't have time to play videogames, huh?,)
He and his mom posted videos of his contest performances where he would sing Usher and Ne-Yo songs -- among other artists -- for his out-of-town family to watch. One day Scooter Braun, a 28-year-old talent manager, had a look at the young singer's videos and convinced Bieber and his mom to fly to Atlanta -- now his home -- to audition.
On this fateful trip, writes Amy Kaufman (ex-TheWrap columnist, now L.A. Times writer), Justin met Usher in a parking lot and secured his backing. (What are the odds of that happening , huh?)
Faster than you can pocket a million bucks, Beiber signed with Island Records and was on his way to superstardom.
You've seen the fresh-faced sensation everywhere lately, including this month's cover of People magazine (terrible photo, btw!). His image has been carefully manufactured to appear "streetwise" -- conspicuous tennis shoes, ball caps and leather jackets -- and is probably a deliberate attempt to go in the opposite direction of the uber-famous teen singing siblings, the Jonas Brothers.
Who?
Remember them?
They made the cover of Rolling Stone!
Beiber has all but dethroned teen performers Nick, Joe and Kevin Jonas, who ruled the young adult scene for a good couple of years. Personally, I enjoyed the trio's clean image and bubblegum pop, and thought they'd remain a constant in the music scene longer than they have.
But, what do I know about the music business?
I only know what's happening by how quickly posters go up and down in my kid's room or by the amount of my iTunes bill.
While Beiber's young following is relentlessly devoted, there was enough room for the pimpleless kid to come in and take over the heartbroken and disillusioned ex-Jonas fans. After Joe Jonas' serial break-ups, the Miley and Nick debacle and then the clincher, Kevin Jonas tying the knot, it was probably more than tender teen hearts could bear.
