Justin Bieber first started getting famous in 2007–2008 , but he truly exploded into mainstream global fame around 2009–2010 when his debut single and EP came out.

Quick Scoop: The short version

If you’re just wondering “when did Justin Bieber get famous?” here’s the timeline in plain terms:

  • 2007–2008: YouTube kid with viral covers, discovered by Scooter Braun and brought to meet Usher.
  • 2009: Releases debut single “One Time” and EP “My World” , gaining big teen-pop buzz and platinum success.
  • 2010: With “Baby” and the album “My World 2.0,” he becomes a full-on global teen idol and chart-topping star.

So you could say he “got famous” online in 2007–2008 , but became a worldwide celebrity in 2009–2010.

Mini timeline: from YouTube to teen idol

1. The YouTube era (2007–2008)

  • At about 12 years old , Justin sang Ne-Yo’s “So Sick” at a local talent contest in Stratford, Ontario, and came in second.
  • His mom started uploading his performances to YouTube in 2007 , mostly covers of R&B and pop songs.
  • Those videos slowly turned into a mini viral wave: he built a growing online fanbase , which is when early fans would say they first “discovered” him.
  • In 2008 , talent manager Scooter Braun found his YouTube videos, tracked him down, and flew him to Atlanta to meet Usher.
  • He was signed to a record deal (through Usher and Island/Def Jam/RBMG) around this time, which is the “industry beginning” of his fame.

If you were online a lot in 2007–2008, this is when you’d remember him as “that Canadian YouTube kid with crazy vocals.”

2. The breakthrough (2009)

Once the label machine got behind him, his fame jumped from online buzz to mainstream pop:

  • May 2009: His debut single “One Time” drops and becomes a hit, going platinum in the US and Canada.
  • November 2009: He releases his first EP “My World” , which also goes platinum and cements him as a rising teen star.
  • By late 2009, he’s doing big TV appearances and interviews, and “Bieber Fever” is starting to become a real pop-culture phrase.

If you’re thinking in terms of radio, TV, and magazine visibility, 2009 is the year he becomes properly famous to the general public.

3. Full-blown global fame (2010 and after)

The real explosion hits in 2010 :

  • He releases his debut album “My World 2.0” in 2010, which debuts at No. 1 on the US Billboard 200 , making him the youngest solo male to top the chart in decades.
  • The single “Baby” (featuring Ludacris) becomes one of the best-selling singles in the US and its music video becomes one of YouTube’s most talked-about clips.
  • By this point, he’s a globally recognized teen idol with a very intense fanbase (“Beliebers”).

So if someone asks, “When did his huge fame start?” the clean answer is 2010 , off the back of “My World 2.0” and “Baby.”

Mini viewpoints: which year “counts”?

Different people might point to different moments as the start of his fame:

  1. YouTube era fans (2007–2008):
    • They’ll say he got famous when the covers started blowing up and his subscriber count jumped.
    • To them, being a viral YouTube singer was already “fame,” just in a more online-only sense.
  1. Pop radio / MTV crowd (2009):
    • They associate his first wave of fame with hearing “One Time” everywhere and seeing the “My World” era promo.
 * This is the start of mainstream media exposure beyond the internet.
  1. Global phenomenon believers (2010):
    • For many, he didn’t truly feel “inescapable” until “Baby” and “My World 2.0” hit No. 1.
 * This is when “Bieber Fever” turns into a worldwide pop-cultural event, with arenas, documentaries, and nonstop coverage.

You can think of it like a three-step ladder: viral → mainstream → global superstar.

Quick HTML table for reference

html

<table>
  <thead>
    <tr>
      <th>Phase</th>
      <th>Years</th>
      <th>What was happening</th>
      <th>Why it matters</th>
    </tr>
  </thead>
  <tbody>
    <tr>
      <td>Viral YouTube kid</td>
      <td>2007–2008</td>
      <td>Posting cover songs; discovered by Scooter Braun; meets Usher and signs a deal.[web:1][web:3][web:5][web:7]</td>
      <td>Early internet fame, core online fanbase starts forming.[web:1][web:5][web:7]</td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
      <td>Breaking through</td>
      <td>2009</td>
      <td>Releases “One Time” and EP “My World”; both go platinum.[web:3][web:5]</td>
      <td>Becomes a recognized teen pop act on radio and TV.[web:1][web:3][web:5]</td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
      <td>Global superstar</td>
      <td>2010</td>
      <td>Album “My World 2.0” hits No. 1; “Baby” becomes a massive worldwide single.[web:7][web:9]</td>
      <td>Reaches full-scale international fame and “Bieber Fever” peak.[web:1][web:5][web:7][web:9]</td>
    </tr>
  </tbody>
</table>

Trending / “latest news” angle

While your question is about his origin story, he’s still a pop-culture fixture today.

  • Over the 2010s and early 2020s, he kept stacking No. 1 hits and eventually won Grammy Awards , including one for “Where Are Ü Now.”
  • By the mid‑2020s, write-ups note that he had multiple No. 1 songs and albums , and even sold his music catalog for a large sum, signaling he’d moved from teen idol to long-term pop veteran.

So even though he got famous back in the late 2000s , he’s stayed part of the “latest news” cycle in music and celebrity culture ever since.

TL;DR: Justin Bieber first gained fame on YouTube around 2007–2008 , broke into mainstream music with his first hits in 2009 , and became a worldwide superstar in 2010 with “My World 2.0” and “Baby.”

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.