OLIVIA EVITT
Star Theory -
The Evolution of Justin Bieber
RICHARD DYER'S STAR THEORY...
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The star is a construction, not a real person. Their image is constructed by music videos, advertisments, etc
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Star's are commodoties with a purpose of making millions.
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The Star's will represent certain social groups and views and therefore create certian ideologies.
"The star must be both ordinary and extraordinary, present and absent"
JUSTIN BIEBER
Recognised for his musical talent in 2007, this Canadian singer and songwriter now aged 22 has evolved massively over the last 9 years. His changes in behaviour outside of his involvement in the music industry have affected his career more often than not throughout his journey, however he remains one of the most successful pop stars worldwide.
BABY BIEBER: 2007-2012
2007 - Justin Bieber's YouTube channel was discovered by a talent manager, and very soon after he was signed by RMBG; an American record label.
2009 - His debut EP "My World" was released in late 2009, and certified platinum in the US. Bieber became the first artist to have seven singles from a debut record chart make it onto the Billboard Hot 100.
2010 - Just one year after the release of "My World", Bieber brough us "My World 2.0". It debuted at number one in several countries and was awarded triple platinum in the US.
2010 - "My World 2.0" brought us the most successful single to date; "Baby." Bieber's masterpiece was released on Jan 18th 2010 and is the 15th most viewed YouTube video to this date.
BUT...
"Baby" holds the record for being the most disliked YouTube video (over 6,000,000)...
This didn't stand in the way of Bieber's career, with his 'love me or hate me' attitude, negativity still equals fame in Bieber's eyes - a clear representation of stars being money making commodities.
It is believed that this hit single began the evolution of his worldwide known fan base -"Beliebers" - mostly consisting of early to mid adolescent teenage girls.
2010-2012 - The hit proved successful despite the global mixed opinions of Bieber and his fan base, as he won Artist of the Year in 2010 and again in 2012. He was recognised globally; just not for all the right reasons. This shows how like Dyer stated, Bieber was constructed by his work, not by him as a person.
March 2012 - Bieber started work on his third studio album; Believe. On an appearance on The Ellen Degeneres Show, he announced the release of it's first single "Boyfriend". With sales reaching 521,000 the single was a success, and the first song of Bieber's to sit at number one for over a week on the Canadian Hot 100.
BELIEVE:
June 2012 - The release of Believe showed Bieber working towards a maturer sound, with the incorporation of R&B and dance pop. He collobarated with urban producers such as Diplo, Hit-Boy, Max Martin and Darkchild. An older, more developed image of Justin was constructed.
Entertainment Week "The album is both a reinvention and reintroduction"
Rolling Stones "Believe shows a newfound sexual maturity, intense beats, and a deeper voice"
Believe brought us a worldwide tour from Bieber, which began in September 2012 in Arizona. From the albums success of selling 57,000 copies in the first week of it's release, the tour was equally as successful, with a box office taking of $209.9m
OVER 150 SHOWS WORLWIDE AMONGST AMERICA, EUROPE, ASIA, AFRICA, AND AUSTRALIA - THE TOUR PLACED 23RD ON TOP 50 WORLWIDE TOURS, AND WAS RANKED 5TH ON TOP 100 WORLDWIDE TOURS - MID YEAR.
BIEBER TURNS RECKLESS: 2014
Jan 9th 2014 - Justin was charged with vandalism after throwing eggs at a neighbours house - video footage proved him guilty and he was made to pay $80,900 in restitution, serve 2 years on probation, 12 weeks of anger management and 5 days of community service.
Jan 23rd 2014 - Bieber was arrested for driving under the influence (DUI) and with an expired license. He was found to have consumed alcohol, anxiety medication and smoked marijuana. As a result of his disrespectful behaviour, 270,000 people pleaded to have him deported from the US. This shows the significance that certain behaviours can have on a star and how it can change their image immediately. He went from being this flawless, innocent, lovable teenage boy with his idealistic release of "Baby", to a reckless pop star becoming famous for the wrong reasons.
As a result, Bieber was fined $500, sentenced to a 12 hour managment course, and made to attend a drug driving course. The consequences were not severe due to Justin not resisting his arrest and out of good will he voluntarily donated $50,000 to a children's charity.
But can money really be the solver to his problems or was it just a sugar coating of his idiotic and irresponsible behaviour? It seemed so as his criminal record grew larger...
Sept 1st 2014 - Now aged 20, and whilst still serving his two years of probation, Justin's careless behaviour continued and he made headline news in several countries. He was arrested in Starford, Orlando, for assault and dangerous driving after he collided with a minivan and proceeded to act in a violent manner towards the driver of the minivan. Despite Bieber's recent long line of run-ins with the police, his lawyer blamed the incident on the "unwelcome presence of the paparrazi" and after standing up in court Justin came away with just a $750 driving charge.
BIEBER BOUNCES BACK: 2015
Nov 2015 - After what could be described as some of the roughest years of the pop stars career, Bieber bounced back and brought us his fourth studio album, Purpose, on November 13th 2015. It is thought that the album was almost an apology for the negativity Bieber had infused into his fame over previous years. It was made more than clear during his 2 hour long roast on Comedy Central that Justin had recently gained many 'haters', as comedian Hannibal Burress straight up stated "I just don't like you at all, man". However much to our surpise, Bieber showed a development of maturity and a change in attitude with his response; "There's been moments I'm really proud of and a lot of moments I look back and am disappointed in myself for... for that, I'm sorry."
August 28th 2015- "What Do You Mean?" Was released and announced as the lead single of Purpose. It was Bieber's first number one on Billboard Hot 100, and he was awarded a Guinness World Record for achieving so much at such a young age.
October 23rd 2015 - "Sorry" was released ahd remained number two in the charts for 8 consecutive weeks before reaching number one on Jan 23rd 2016.
November 9th 2015 - "Love Yourself", co-written by the hugely successful singer and songwriter Ed Sheeran was released. It was Bieber's third consecutive number one, making him the first male in a decade to do so. (Justin Timberlake held the record for the previous record).
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Purpose sold 522,000 copies in it's first week of release, and is the 4th best selling album of 2015 with it's sales hitting 3.1m copies. Proving Dyer's paradox correct, Bieber's new found presence as a result of his musical absence brought huge success.