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Justin Bieber Lands First No. 1 On Hot 100 With ‘What Do You Mean?’ Debut

By Page Mackinley
Published on: 05:59 PST, Sep 8, 2015

It’s the big news every Justin Bieber fan was waiting for. The superstar has scored his first No. 1 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100, rocketing onto the singles chart with his smash song “What Do You Mean?” on Tuesday.

Sealing an immaculate comeback with sales of 337,000 downloads, Bieber’s “What Do You Mean?” now becomes the 23rd song ever to launch at No. 1 in the Hot 100’s 57-year history. The 21-year-old singer previously reached No. 2 on the Hot 100 chart in 2012 with “Boyfriend.”

Bieber also sets a record as the youngest male artist ever to debut at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100.

In so doing, he keeps company with the legends musical hero Michael Jackson, Elton John, and Eminem.

Billboard also notes Bieber is the youngest artist to kick off a No. 1 run on the chart in over a decade, since former American Idol winner, Fantasia, then 20, soared to No. 1 with “I Believe” in July, 2004.

“Mean” instant ascent atop the Hot 100 dethrones The Weeknd’s “Can’t Feel My Face,” which reigned for two nonconsecutive weeks. Bieber’s crowning is also his first No. 1 Hot 100 credits as both producer and writer. The Canadian co-produced “Mean” with Mason “MdL” Levy, co-writing the tropical house-pop jam with longtime collaborator Jason “Poo Bear” Boyd and Levy. The latter also co-wrote “Boyfriend” with the Biebs and two other songwriters.

In addition to breaking records on iTunes (fastest track to reach No. 1 in 57 countries, including the U.S.), Spotify’s first-week stream for a song, and the U.K.’s official Charts streaming first week record, the Biebs scored the second highest sales of 2015 after One Direction’s “Drag Me Down” logged 349,000 downloads in the first week of August.

The singer also debuted at No.1 for the first time last week on the U.K., Norwegian, Australian, Irish, and New Zealand Official Singles Charts.

“Mean” lands a second No. 1 atop the Digital Songs chart. The single starts with 337,000 downloads sold in the week ending September 3, according to Nielsen Music. Incidentally, Bieber topped that list in 2012 with “Boyfriend,” which stormed to No. 1 on the Digital Songs chart in April 2012 with 521,000 units sold, while earning a No. 2 on the Hot 100.

Billboard reports “Mean” launches at No. 2 on the Streaming Songs chart with 23.2 million U.S. streams, while hitting the No. 1 spot on the subscription services-based On-Demand Songs chart with 10.1 million, and springs onto the Radio Songs chart at No. 28 with an audience of 42 million.

And the incredible news continues. With his shiny new Hot 100 No. 1, Bieber bags the seventh top 10 of his career, and also shoots back into the Top 10 with the still buoyant “Where Are Ü Now,” which he co-wrote with Poo Bear. That EDM-Pop banger was produced by Skrillex and Diplo as Jack Ü. Previously, it peaked at No. 8 in July.

Bieber’s stellar — and for him, first time arrival at No. 1 on the Hot 100 — comes after an extraordinary week. “What Do You Mean” was officially released alongside a skateboarding-centric video on August 28. The singer performed the single live for the first time at the 2015 MTV VMAs two days later, capping his turn with unexpected tears. The cinematic, Brad Furman-directed music video premiered shortly after the awards show wrapped.

The singer’s tasty rendition of “Mean” with The Root on NBC’s The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon on September 2, also boosted awareness of the irresistible foot-tapper.

Undoubtedly, Bieber’s celebrity-packed, 30-day countdown to the song’s release with major stars such as Chris Martin, Kate Hudson, Mariah Carey, Ellen DeGeneres, and Alanis Morissette, and which created 99.7 million social media impressions, also helped to augur the singer’s comeback in spectacular fashion.

Last — and certainly not least — Bieber’s loyal fans played their part in buying and streaming “Mean?” The singer posted an Instagram video thanking the Beliebers, whom he called “the best.

Of Bieber’s achievement today, manager, Scooter Braun, told Billboard, “I’m happy to see Justin doing what he does best: music,” says Scooter Braun, Bieber’s manager and owner of School Boy Records and Raymond-Braun Media Group.

Elsewhere, Steve Bartels, CEO of Def Jam, where Bieber is signed, chimed saying, “I am thrilled for Justin, who put so much heart, soul and hard work into creating and launching this song,” while also praising Braun’s team synergy with the label.

He continued, “[It’s] a reminder of what an important global star Justin has become, with worldwide chart milestones being achieved daily as the song resonates.” He went on, “Today’s Hot 100 No. 1 is an historic accomplishment, yet it’s only the beginning of the excitement that lies ahead for Beliebers across the globe.”

Justin Bieber not only slam dunks his first No. 1 on the Hot 100, he made history.

Justin Bieber
(Photo: Justin Bieber on the red carpet at the 2015 MTV Video Music Awards in Los Angles on August 30)

[Images Women’s Wear Daily / Getty Images]

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