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Justin Bieber · S2 E5
Baby
Ludacris on the feature, a billion YouTube views, and the most famous teenager on the planet
On the day "Baby" becomes the most viewed video on YouTube, Justin Bieber is sixteen years old and sitting in a tour bus somewhere in America. He finds out from his phone.
"Baby" ft. Ludacris (Justin Bieber, official music video, 2010). The video that broke YouTube. Set in a bowling alley, featuring the hair flip that launched a thousand memes, and the song that made Justin Bieber the most recognized teenager on Earth. Three words, repeated. It shouldn't work. It absolutely works.
Baby (feat. Ludacris), Justin Bieber (2010)
"Baby" was produced by Tricky Stewart and The-Dream, with Ludacris adding his verse late in the process. That addition turned a teen pop song into something that crossed over to hip-hop radio, reaching audiences that Justin alone couldn't touch. Listen for the simplicity of the hook: "baby, baby, baby, oh." Three words, repeated, with zero cleverness. Justin sings them with so much conviction they become the most recognizable melody of 2010.
Sources
Stewart, Christopher "Tricky" & Nash, Terius "The-Dream." Production credits, My World 2.0, Island Records, 2010.
TAP TO REVEAL: What dubious YouTube record did "Baby" hold for years?
Number One
My World 2.0 drops on March 23, 2010, and debuts at number one on the Billboard 200. Justin becomes the youngest solo male artist to top the chart since Stevie Wonder in 1963. He's sixteen. The album sells 283,000 copies in its first week.
Sources
Billboard chart data, March 2010.
“The plan was never to make the biggest song in the world. We just wanted something kids would sing along to. Then everyone else started singing along too.”
— Scooter Braun, paraphrased from multiple interviews (2010-2011)
No Going Back
After "Baby," there's no going back. Justin can't walk down a street, eat at a restaurant, or sit in a car without being swarmed. He needs bodyguards to go to the grocery store. The kid from Stratford is now the most recognized teenager on the planet.
Sources
Bieber, Justin. "First Step 2 Forever: My Story." HarperCollins, 2010.
Baby: The Numbers
Eenie Meenie, Sean Kingston & Justin Bieber (2010)
"Eenie Meenie" pairs Justin with Sean Kingston on a reggae-pop track that shows how far he's already stretching beyond teen pop. After the "Baby" explosion, this collaboration proves Justin can hold his own trading verses with established artists. The song is pure fun, no pressure, just two young artists enjoying the ride.
Eenie Meenie, Sean Kingston & Justin Bieber (2010)
"Eenie meenie miney mo, catch a bad chick by her toe." The lyrics are pure playground energy, and that's the point. Justin and Sean Kingston wrote this like two kids passing notes in class. Read them knowing both artists are teenagers, and the lack of pretension is refreshing.
How many copies did My World 2.0 sell in its first week?
"Baby" makes Justin famous. But famous and beloved are two different things. Next episode: the hair flip, the screaming, the merchandise empire, and the birth of Bieber Fever.
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