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Justin Bieber · S2 E1
Scooter
Scooter Braun flies a thirteen-year-old and his mom to Atlanta with nothing but a promise
Pattie Mallette and her thirteen-year-old son step off a plane in Atlanta with two backpacks and a phone number. The number belongs to a twenty-six-year-old music manager they've never met in person.
"Holy" ft. Chance the Rapper (Justin Bieber, official music video, 2020). The gospel warmth in this track goes back to Stratford and the faith that brought Justin and Pattie to Atlanta. She prayed about trusting a stranger with her son's future. This is what that prayer eventually sounded like.
Holy (feat. Chance the Rapper), Justin Bieber (2020)
"Holy" was produced by Skrillex and Jon Bellion, and the track mixes gospel warmth with modern pop in a way that mirrors Justin's own story. The vocal arrangement feels like a prayer turned into a radio single. Listen for how Justin's voice softens in the verses and opens up in the chorus. That shift between quiet and powerful is something he's been doing since the YouTube covers.
Sources
Bellion, Jon. Interview with Apple Music, 2020.
The Plan
Scooter meets them at the airport with energy and a plan but no label deal. His strategy: get Justin in front of every music industry person in Atlanta who will give them five minutes. Most say no. Scooter keeps calling.
Sources
Never Say Never (documentary), Paramount Pictures, 2011.
Bieber, Justin. "First Step 2 Forever: My Story." HarperCollins, 2010.
“I knew if I could just get him in front of people, they'd hear what I heard. The kid didn't need a pitch. He just needed to open his mouth.”
— Scooter Braun, paraphrased from Never Say Never documentary (Paramount Pictures, 2011)
TAP TO REVEAL: How did Justin Bieber first meet Usher?
Atlanta, Georgia
The capital of Southern hip-hop and R&B, and the city where Scooter Braun was building his career. Justin arrived here from Stratford with nothing but a voice and a mother who believed in him.
Atlanta: The Arrival
Pray, Justin Bieber (2010)
"Pray" is Justin at his most reflective: asking for the strength to do something bigger than himself. Pattie prayed before agreeing to bring her son to Atlanta. Justin grew up watching her pray through every hardship. This track carries that same energy: a kid raised on faith, hoping it's enough to carry him through what's coming.
Pray, Justin Bieber (2010)
"I just can't settle for this world." Justin recorded this at sixteen, but the restlessness in the lyrics goes back to that first trip to Atlanta. A kid from a small town who knew there was something bigger out there. Read the full lyrics and you'll hear someone who's been asking for more since before anyone was listening.
What did Scooter Braun have secured when he flew Justin and Pattie to Atlanta?
Usher wants to sign Justin, but there's a problem. Next episode: Justin Timberlake is on the phone, and he wants the kid too.
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