ieber was born on March 1, 1994, in London, Ontario,[14] and was raised in Stratford, Ontario.[15] Bieber's mother, Patricia Lynn "Pattie" Mallette, was 18 years old when she became pregnant with her son. Mallette, who worked a series of low-paying office jobs, raised Bieber as a single mother in low-income housing. Bieber has maintained contact with his father, Jeremy Jack Bieber, who married another woman and had two children.[16][17][18] Bieber's paternal great-grandfather was a German immigrant to Canada.[19] His mother's ancestry is French Canadian.[20]
During his childhood, Bieber was interested in hockey, soccer, and chess; he often kept his musical aspirations to himself.[16] As he grew up, Bieber taught himself to play the piano, drums, guitar, and trumpet.[15][21] In early 2007, when he was twelve, Bieber sang Ne-Yo's "So Sick" for a local singing competition in Stratford and placed second.[5][21] Mallette posted a video of the performance on YouTube for their family and friends to see. She continued to upload videos of Bieber singing covers of various R&B songs, and Bieber's popularity on the site grew.[10]