General
Usher commented that while he and Bieber were both signed at the same age, "I had the chance to ramp up my success, where this has happened to Bieber abruptly." As a result, Usher, Braun, Bieber's bodyguard and other adults surrounding Bieber constantly coach him on handling fame and his public image.[21] After signing Bieber, Usher appointed one of his former assistants, Ryan Good, to be Bieber's road manager and stylist. Good, once nicknamed Bieber's "swagger coach", created a "streetwise look" for the singer which consisted of baseball caps, hoodies, dog chains and flashy sneakers. Amy Kaufman of The Los Angeles Times comments, "Though a product of a middle-class suburban upbringing in Stratford, Ontario, Bieber's manner of dress and speech ("Wassup man, how you doin'?" or "It's like, you know, whateva' ") suggest he's mimicking his favorite rappers."[88]
Bieber is often featured in teen magazines such as Tiger Beat,[21] and has been labeled as a "teen heartthrob".[89] Wax statues of Bieber with his changed hairstyle from that of his earlier career are on display at the Madame Tussauds wax museums in New York, Amsterdam, and London;[90] the 2010 hairstyle change led to it being called "the most expensive musical haircut of all time".[91]
In 2010, Bieber was frequently criticized for looking and sounding younger than his age,[92] and the following year for his androgynousappearance, which has been frequently noted in the media, including when he appeared on the cover of LOVE magazine's androgyny issue in 2011.[93] His teen-pop music, image (especially as a heart-throb to young teenage girls), and the media attention he receives have additionally been criticized,[92] and he has been a frequent target of Internet bloggers and message board posters, notably by users of Internet message board 4chan and users of YouTube.[94] Nick Collins of The Daily Telegraph said that "Bieber's character appears to strike a particularly sour note with his Internet critics" who have questioned his manner of speech, among other things.[92]
His fanbase is known as "Beliebers", which the Chicago Tribune included as one of the top buzzwords of 2010.[95] Bieber's early fanbase developed on YouTube, and predated the release of Bieber's first album.[96][97] Bieber's management team makes an effort to mobilize and coordinate Bieber's fans into taking actions related to Bieber, such as greeting him at airports.[98]
In May 2013, a poll by Public Policy Polling found that Bieber's favorability ratings among Americans were 20% positive, 26% mixed and 54% negative.[99][100] Bieber's first arrest in January 2014, coupled with a string of brushes with the law and controversial incidents in 2013, led to comments that his image has been transformed from "boy-next-door" to "bad boy".[101][102][103] In March 2014, Bieber's win of the fans' choice prize at the Juno Awards received a mix of cheers and boos from the Canadian audience.[104][105] In August 2014, Bieber was described to have frequently made "headlines due to his party-intense lifestyle".[106]
Voice and influences
As Bieber transitioned from puberty to adulthood, his voice gradually matured to a high tenor.[107] Bieber was influenced by Michael Jackson, Usher, Ne-Yo, Boys II Men, Stevie Wonder, Justin Timberlake, New Kids on the Block, Tupac, and The Beatles.[108][109]
YouTube and Twitter
According to Jan Hoffman of The New York Times, part of Bieber's appeal stems from his YouTube channel. Long before the November 2009 release of the EP, My World, his YouTube videos attracted millions of views.[21] Braun recognized the appeal. Before flying him to Atlanta, Braun wanted to "build him up more on YouTube first" and had Bieber record more home videos for the channel. "I said: 'Justin, sing like there’s no one in the room. But let's not use expensive cameras.' We'll give it to kids, let them do the work, so that they feel like it's theirs", recalled Braun.[21] Bieber continues to upload videos to the same channel and has opened a Twitter account, from which he interacts with fans regularly;[8] his account was reported in November 2010 to have more than six million followers.[110] Bieber surpassed Lady Gaga for having the most followed person on Twitter in January 2013. In early November 2013, Katy Perry surpassed him for having the most followers.[111]
Bieber was frequently a trending topic on Twitter when the feature first launched[112] because his fans frequently discussed him on the network,[113] and he was named the top trending star on Twitter in 2010;[114] Klout gave his account a score of 100.[115][116] In April 2013, the social media analysis company Socialbakers concluded that 16.7 million of Bieber's 37 million Twitter followers are not genuine.[117][118]
