Pattie Mallette Biography

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Patricia "Pattie" Mallette (born April 2, 1976) is a Canadian author and film producer. She is the mother of singer-songwriter Justin Bieber, and managed his early singing career.

Personal background

Early childhood

Pattie Mallette was born on April 2, 1976, in Stratford, Ontario, of French Canadian descent to Michael and Diane M. (née Henry) Mallette. She has one sibling, her older brother Chris. Their older sister was killed at age five, when she was struck by a vehicle while crossing the street. Mallette's parents divorced when she was two years old. In 1981, her mother married Bruce Dale. Mallette welcomed her stepfather's older children when they came to live with her family after the wedding.

In her 2012 autobiography, Mallette recalls her earliest memories, which center around an alcoholic and abusive father, who left the family when she was two years old. "When my dad left us, it ripped a hole in my heart"?one that began filling with thoughts and feelings that would challenge and ultimately damage my identity and self-worth. The wound of being abandoned travels deep and forever changes you", she has written. When she was nine years old, she was unexpectedly reunited with her father. While initially apprehensive, Mallette and her brother went out to dinner and the mall that night with their father, making promises to keep in touch. Just a few months after their visit, Mallette's brother made plans to spend the summer with his father, but the senior Mallette died of a heart attack the night before her brother was to travel to his home in nearby Timmins, Ontario.

The loss of her father left Mallette with a sense of emptiness throughout her life. She has described her family as "nonpracticing Catholics. We never went to mass. Sundays weren't reserved for church", but she began to attend a local church with a childhood friend. She enjoyed the Sunday School classes, where she sang songs and participated in various activities. When she was five years old, she was invited by one of the teachers to "ask Jesus into her heart", to which she responded enthusiastically.

Mallette's childhood was dominated by sexual abuse and violence. She was allegedly first molested around the age of three. Her offenders include a (male) babysitter, the grandfather of one of her friends, and neighborhood children reportedly mature beyond their years. Her book describes sexual abuse continuing until the age of 14, followed by an incident of date rape at age 15. She says of the sexual abuse and violence, "I was sexually violated so many times that as the years went by it began to feel normal. It's a strange marriage " knowing something is wrong yet at the same time finding it familiar and commonplace."

Teen years

As a child, Mallette showed an interest in acting and singing. When she was nine years old, she began appearing on local television programs, including Romper Room and Big Top Talent, a locally televised, children's talent show, hosted by Corey Mystyshyn. When she was ten years old, she was cast in two theatrical productions in the Stratford Shakespeare Festival, which brings over half a million tourists to the town every year. Throughout middle school and high school, she took every drama and choir class available, along with seven years of dancing. After earning numerous trophies and awards for her singing and acting, she was signed to a Toronto-based talent agent. When auditions required her to travel one-and-a-half hours to Toronto every weekend, her parents were unable to make the commitment, which left Mallette devastated.

When she was 14 years old, she began experimenting with drugs, including alcohol, marijuana and LSD. She also started shoplifting. When she vandalized school property by starting a fire in a bathroom, she was suspended from school. When she was 15 years old, she began a relationship with Jeremy Bieber, which lasted for four years. She left home when she was 16, supporting herself through petty theft and drug dealing. During this time, she experienced loneliness, depression, and suicidal ideation. When she was 17 years old, she attempted suicide by throwing herself in front of a truck, which led to a stint in a mental ward. While there, she embraced Christianity.

Following her release from the hospital, Mallette rekindled friendships that failed to support her new-found faith. She also returned to her former relationship with Bieber. Six months later, she became pregnant. At that time, she moved into a home for unwed mothers. In a September 2012 interview on the Today Show, Mallette spoke about teenage pregnancy and her personal struggle as a young unwed mother. While she was pregnant, many of those around her tried to talk her into getting an abortion, but she refused.

Mallette gave birth to her son, Justin, on March 1, 1994, in London, Ontario at the age of just 17. While Mallette and Jeremy Bieber initially maintained a relationship after the birth of their son, they split up after ten months. Mallette raised her son in Stratford, with the help of her mother and stepfather. Bieber was a hands-on father, but he went on to marry, with his new wife giving birth to two children. As a single mother, Mallette worked part-time jobs, while raising her son on government assistance in low-income housing. She never graduated with her high school class, but a neighbor provided a year of free daycare for Justin, so Mallette could return to school to earn her diploma. As a recipient of a scholarship, she continued to college, where she studied web design.

Professional background

Music

Mallette encouraged her son's talent, after he began showing an interest in music at the age of two. By age four, he taught himself to play the drums. Through the guidance of the church worship team, he continued to develop his drumming skills, while also learning to play the guitar, piano, and trumpet. When her son was six years old, he began performing on the street in front of the Avon Theatre in Stratford, earning $3,000, which he used to take a vacation to Disneyworld in Florida.

In 2007, she entered Justin in the local "Stratford Star" talent show, where he sang Ne-Yo's song, "So Sick", finishing second in the competition. Mallette posted a video of the performance on YouTube for their family and friends to see. With each subsequent performance, Mallette uploaded a video to the Internet, so that family members who lived far away could see her son's progress.

As Mallette continued to upload videos, her son's popularity on the Internet grew. Chris Hicks, Bieber's A&R at Island/Def Jam, explained Bieber's huge online following to HitQuarters, stating:

"He was doing something different. He was an attractive white kid singing very soulful R&B hits. That set him apart immediately from anyone in his range because no one was covering or singing these kind of records. But equally important was that you believed in these songs"it was real. And you wanted to hear more."

Writing

In September 2012, her autobiography, Nowhere but Up was published by Christian book publisher, Revell. During the first week of release, it was listed at No. 17 on the New York Times Best Seller list. The book has received international press and has been reviewed by media outlets around the world.

Film

In 2012, Mallette began working as executive producer of a short film, Crescendo, starring Ali Landry, and written and directed by Alonso Alvarez. Proceeds from the film will support crisis pregnancy centers worldwide.

Commenting on the film, scheduled to be released on February 28, 2013, Mallette stated:

"[I want Crescendo to] encourage young women all over the world, just like me, to let them know that there is a place to go, people who will take care of you and a safe home to live in if you are pregnant and think you have nowhere else to turn."

Filmography

Television appearances

• 2011: Biebermania! (documentary) " as herself
• 2011: Justin Bieber: Never Say Never (documentary) " as herself
• 2012: Today Show (television series) " as herself
• 2012: Weekend Today (television series) " as herself
• 2012: Huckabee (television series) " as herself
• 2012: The Hour (television series) " as herself

Film production

• 2013: Crescendo (short film) " Executive producer

Published works

• Mallette, Pattie; and A.J. Gregory (2012). Nowhere but Up: the Story of Justin Bieber's Mom, Revell, 220 pages. ISBN 978-0800721893