Madison Beer revealed she was obsessed with Justin Bieber at age 12, even keeping a cardboard cutout of him in her room. Years later, that fandom turned into a career-defining moment when Bieber shared her singing video and helped launch her music journey. Beer says the experience felt surreal and continues to shape how she views her path to stardom.

Madison Beer did not grow up imagining herself as a pop star with platinum records and sold-out tours. She grew up as a fan. A devoted one. Long before industry meetings and studio sessions, her world revolved around a teenage superstar whose posters and music defined her childhood bedroom.That early devotion has now become part of her origin story. While promoting her new album Locket, Beer reflected on how deeply her younger self shaped the artist she is today. The memories came rushing back during a candid podcast conversation that revealed just how personal her journey into music truly was. What began as admiration eventually became a life-altering connection.

Madison Beer laughs off early fame roots tied to a Justin Bieber obsession

During the discussion, Beer did not hesitate when asked who mattered most to her at age 12. “Transparently, Justin Bieber,” she said. “If you scroll all the way down to my Instagram, one of my first posts was literally a cardboard cut out of him in my room.” She went further, admitting, “He was definitely my obsession.”

That obsession soon collided with opportunity. In 2012, Bieber shared a video of Beer singing Etta James’ “At Last,” a moment that instantly changed her life. She recalled the shock of that day with clarity. “Then I just kept on going with my normal life and it was just this big deal for a second and then I ended up meeting him and I ended up signing with him and it was a whirlwind,” she said. “For a girl who would have had him in her locket and a cardboard cutout in her room was nuts.”More than a decade later, that early connection has matured into a lasting bond. Beer has spoken openly about her continued closeness with Bieber and his wife. “I love [Justin] and Hailey [Bieber] very much,” she previously shared. “I was with them recently and we were like, ‘How special that we’ve known each other for so long.’”Now 26, Beer sees Locket as a tribute to the girl she once was. The fan. The dreamer. The teenager who believed in music before it believed back. Her story is not just about being discovered. It is about how childhood passion can quietly chart the course of an entire life.