Simon Cowell grooms Canadian Heather Russell, 10, as next Justin Bieber

Before he became famous as the barb-wired judge on "American Idol," Simon Cowell had no qualms with putting his name on any music that had the prospect of being successful, even if the credited artists were the Teletubbies or Mighty Morphin Power Rangers.

So, it's no surprise he has struck a deal with 10-year-old Heather Russell, who not only hails from the same general geographic area as Justin Bieber, but has gained global attention in a similar way.

News of the signing should exponentially increase the views for the YouTube video of Heather's drama-saturated song "You're Beautiful," which she composed by herself on piano at age 8, among several other moody tunes.

A three-year-old clip of a pre-teen Bieber singing Chris Brown's "With You" in the family room, which led him on the path to stardom after his mother uploaded it to YouTube, has now been viewed more than 26 million times.

Heather was similarly encouraged by her parents, particularly guitar-strumming dad James Russell who accompanied her on a video performance of "Every Step of the Way," which was posted online last summer.

The reaction hasn't been entirely complimentary.

via ca.news.yahoo.com