THE INTERNET MADE 'EM FAMOUS!

JUSTIN BIEBER

Arguably the first

YouTuber turned pop star, the 28-year-old was only 12 when he uploaded his first video in 2007 and wasn’t even intending to become a star. “I was in a singing competition a while back… and my friends and family that couldn’t make it wanted to see me, so I posted those videos,” the singer later said. “I guess it just kind of blew up.” Kind of: The Biebs has sold an estimated 150 million records worldwide!

CHARLIE PUTH

Ellen DeGeneres, known for showcasing viral sensations on her talk show, signed the 30-year-old to her label in 2011 after discovering his take on “Someone Like You.” It was all part of the plan for the music prodigy at Boston’s Berklee College of Music, he later revealed. “Justin Bieber’s viral leap into superstardom as a result of YouTube is what inspired me,” he posted in 2020. “Somewhere out there is a cringy cover of 18-year-old me singing ‘Baby.’” His new album, Charlie, is out in October.

ED SHEERAN

A savvy marketer as well as a silkenvoiced singer, the 31-year-old hatched his multiyear plan when he was just a teen. Part of that was posting his songs on YouTube. “I had to fill the day with something,” the prolific songwriter has said. “It comes from my dad thinking I was lazy and wanting to prove a point.”

Point taken: His videos have been watched more than 3 billion times!