Best Known As: The R&B star who did "You Make Me Wanna..." and "Yeah"
Name at birth: Usher Raymond IV
Called an "R&B teen dream" by Rolling Stone, Usher was only 15 years old when he released his self-titled first album in 1994. (The album was executive produced by hitmaker Sean "P. Diddy" Combs.) Usher's 1997 hit single "You Make Me Wanna..." gained him international fame, and his album My Way earned him the 1998 Billboard Best Performer of the Year award. A sultry R&B singer in the old-school mode of Marvin Gaye and Luther Vandross, Usher has never been afraid to show off his muscular new-school physique. He has also dabbled in acting, with a recurring role on the teen sitcom Moesha, and roles in the films The Faculty (1998, with Jon Stewart), She's All That (1999, with Freddie Prinze, Jr.) and Texas Rangers (2001, with Ashton Kutcher). His other albums include 8701 (2001) and Confessions (2004). Confessions featured the singles "Burn" and "Yeah" (the latter a collaboration with Ludacris and Lil' Jon) and earned Usher four American Music Awards and eight Grammy nominations.
Usher is a part-owner of the NBA's Cleveland Cavaliers... Usher made his Broadway debut in August of 2006, playing slick lawyer Billy Flynn in the long-running revival of Chicago for six weeks... Many sources list his place of birth as Chattanooga, Tennessee. According to his Thomson Gale biography, "Usher was born... in Dallas, Texas. Within a year of his birth, he moved with his mother to Chattanooga, Tennessee."
Born Usher Raymond IV in Dallas, Texas, on October 14, 1978; son of single mother Jonnetta Patton (a choir director, later his manager); one brother, James.
Career
LaFace Record Label, recording artist, 1993-; actor, 1997-; Us Record Label, co-founder, 2002--.
Life's Work
With his natural good looks and personal presence that set him apart from the pack, Usher has risen from genuine teen idol to mature pop star. Usher has to travel with bodyguards to hold back the throngs of screaming adolescent females. "I actually have been hurt," he told Interview magazine writer Dimitri Ehrlich. "I twisted my ankle--well, they twisted my ankle--in Amsterdam." Usher's musical talents were obvious, and the industry rewarded him with a 1998 Grammy award nomination for Best Male R&B vocal performance. At the century's end, Usher built on his teenage success, thanks to what People described as his "sculpted pecs, six-pack abs, and come-hither croon," to launch a successful acting career and media empire that will fuel his meteoric rise in the entertainment industry.
Inspired to Sing at Young Age
Usher was born Usher Raymond IV on October 14, 1978, in Dallas, Texas, but grew up in Chattanooga, Tennessee. His father, despite the long continuity of male family lineage implied by the fourth generation of the "Usher" name, abandoned his family. But Usher benefited from constant support and encouragement from his mother, Jonnetta Patton. "She showed me the difference between good and evil," Usher told Interview. "My dad never did. He split when I was born," he continued.
The members of Usher's extended family, which included grandmothers and aunts, were fans of R&B music, and he soaked up various vocal sounds when he was young. Ironically, it was a song recorded eight years before he was born, the Jackson 5's "I Want You Back," that first caught the youngster's attention and made him think about singing himself. Usher's mother spotted her son's talents and honed them by getting him to join her church choir, a critical step for many vocalists in the R&B tradition. Then she nurtured his competitive instincts by entering him in talent contests, and Usher justified his mother's confidence by winning many of them.
The family moved to Atlanta because of the city's importance as a spawning ground for new R&B talent during the 1990s. Usher continued to enter competitions, and, around 1991, took home his biggest prize yet: he was named best teen male vocalist on the nationally broadcast television program, Star Search. The win propelled Usher, barely of high school age, to a contract with the LaFace music label in 1992.
Groomed for Stardom
Usher's signing fell during the rise to prominence of Sean "Puffy" Combs, the famed hip-hop impresario and producer who played a key role in the successful marketing of the "gangsta" rap style and later emerged as a multi-platinum-selling artist in his own right. Usher spent a year under Combs's tutelage, and the relationship between the two young men was not always a harmonious one. "That whole bad-boy thing, me frowning for the camera-that wasn't me," Usher told People. Sales of Usher, the self-titled Combs-produced 1994 debut CD, though modest, did yield one gold-selling hit single, "Think of You," and Usher was on his way.
Taking steps to forge a new and friendlier image on his own, Usher began to work with hot R&B producer Jermaine Dupri. Part of Usher's effort to take control of his career was a new emphasis on writing his own songs, and Dupri had the sense to partner with his young new charge in this enterprise. Usher's refashioning of his career began to pay big dividends with his sophomore CD, 1997's My Way; led by the Usher-Dupri composition "You Make Me Wanna," a smooth ballad that brought to life the beginnings of a love triangle, My Way achieved sales of over five million copies and vastly broadened Usher's appeal beyond the R&B field. Another Number One single from My Way was "Nice & Slow." Asked about the album by Time magazine, Usher demonstrated awareness of the resonances of its title: "I know who Frank Sinatra is, daddy," he answered, showing the charismatic confidence he often exuded in interviews.
The album effectively mixed R&B and hip-hop stylings, and Usher proved that he had the vocal chops to go with his good looks when he wowed an audience at Harlem's prestigious Apollo Theater during the tour he undertook to promote it. Thanks to the success of My Way, Billboard named Usher its 1998 Artist of the Year. On top of the music world, Usher took the opportunity to enjoy the fruits of his success, repaying his mother's long years of investment in his career (she remains his manager) with a new Mercedes 420 automobile and a Cartier watch. But he was already planning the next stage of his career.
Forged Film Career
Usher had already made his acting debut with a stint of several episodes on the television series Moesha and Promised Land. For his first film project, he would choose a different kind of teen setting. Usher astutely zeroed in on the horror genre, largely an untapped field for black performers but tremendously popular among young people of all races. In late 1998 he made his debut in The Faculty, playing a high school football star possessed by aliens.
The film was a hit, and it attracted interest from the hip clothing designer Tommy Hilfiger, who featured images of its youthful cast in his advertising that year. It was a measure of Usher's appeal that he was played prominently in these ads, and he wrangled with Hilfiger over the use of his image. Ultimately he filed suit against the company for $1 million with the claim that Hilfiger had gone far beyond the guidelines the cast had agreed to, without "paying the money appropriate for an endorsement deal." Clearly Usher was aware of his own potential for further marketability.
Usher's movie career entered an upward trajectory more quickly than did his musical one. Faculty director Robert Rodriguez praised Usher in a People interview, saying, "He was already way above and beyond a lot of people I have worked with who were coming in for the first time." In 1999 Usher also appeared as a student disc jockey in the film She's All That, Light It Up with Vanessa L. Williams and Forest Whitaker and two more films were set for release in the year 2000, Gepetto and Texas Rangers. "I've found a new love," he told People. "My acting is making me want to leave my singing."
Musical Offerings Brought Unprecedented Fame
But while Usher developed as an actor, he continued to tour and music remained a huge part of his life. To appease fans, he released Live in 2000. The album documented Usher's development as a performer, featuring remixes of his early work and songs with guest artists such as Trey Lorenz, Shanice, Twista, and others. But it was not until 2001 that he came out with an album of new work. Writing for 8701 Usher created songs with stories. His stories touched fans and sent the album to multi-platinum success and fans kept "U Remind Me" and "U Got It Bad" at the top of both the pop and R&B charts for weeks. Usher won his first Grammy awards for these songs, and about a dozen other industry awards for his work on the album.
The success of 8701 made the 25-year-old Usher wonder about how he should develop his career. "With every album, I try to better myself," Usher noted on the UsherWorld Web site. "I'm a perfectionist and with the success of my last record, I wasn't sure about where my growth should be--as a performer, as a vocalist. I always felt like I held something back on my albums--on every album, I was playing a 'role.'" So for his next album, Confessions, Usher said: "I decided to shake my fears and allow my personality to come through."
His efforts created a record-breaking, chart-topping, award-winning album. Four songs from Confessions landed at number one on the Billboard 100, and Usher became the third artist, after the Beatles and the Bee Gees, with three songs in the top 10 at the same time. Confessions also won him three Grammy Awards and four American Music Awards in 2005. With sales of more than 25 million albums by 2005, his success has inspired comparisons with the youthful rise of Michael Jackson to the top of the charts and led the media to dub Usher the new King of Pop.
But Usher's phenomenal success in music had become only one segment of his vision for the future. He started his own record label, Us records, with his mother in 2002; began producing films; bought a stake in the Cleveland Cavaliers; and had begun preparations to start selling his own line of clothing, cosmetics, and fashion accessories. In addition to his business ventures, Usher started a summer music camp for talented youth and Usher's New Look, an organization focused on developing teen leadership. Usher related his vision for his future in an interview with Essence: "I hope to do something as a businessman that opens up more opportunities for people to believe in themselves, if I can do it, you may believe you can do it as well. Let me become the motivation for moving forward. Oprah Winfrey is a great motivator for Black people. How can I do the same thing?" Given his ambitions and recognized drive, many would guess that Usher certainly can.
Awards
Selected: First place award on Star Search television talent search program, 1992; Soul Train Music Award, best performance by an R&B Artist, Male, 1997; multi-platinum status for My Way, 1997; Grammy awards, for Best Male R&B Performance, 2001 and 2002, for Rap/Sung Collaboration, for Contemporary R&B Album, and for R&B Performance for a Duo, all 2005; NAACP Image Award, 2005.
Works
Selected works
Albums
Usher, LaFace, 1994.
My Way, LaFace, 1997.
Live, LaFace, 2000.
8701, LaFace, 2001.
Confessions, LaFace, 2004.
Films
The Faculty, 1998.
Light It Up, 1999.
She's All That, 1999.
Gepetto, 2000.
Texas Rangers, 2001.
In the Mix, 2005.
Further Reading
Books
Contemporary Musicians, volume 23, Gale, 1999.
Larkin, Colin, ed., Encyclopedia of Popular Music, Muze UK, 1998.
Periodicals
Daily News Record, January 4, 1999, p. 6.
Ebony, January 1998, p. 46.
Entertainment Weekly, April 3, 1998, p. 96.
Essence, June 2005, p. 124.
Forbes, May 9, 2005, p. 18.
Interview, May 1998, p. 102.
Jet, December 14, 1998, p. 38.
Men's Health, May 2005, p. 160.
People, January 11, 1999, p. 83.
Time, February 23, 1998, p. 93.
On-line
UsherWorld, www.usherworld.com (March 22, 2006).
— David G. Oblender, Shirelle Phelps, James M. Manheim, and Sara Pendergast
A young R&B star who makes music under only his first name, Usher Raymond has also forged a secondary career (fully billed) as an actor. Born in Tennessee, Raymond moved to Atlanta with his family at age 12. Under the eye of his choirmaster mother, Raymond nurtured his singing talent in the church choir, but it was at a local talent show that Raymond caught the attention of LaFace Records impresario Antonio "L.A." Reid. A success with his first album at age 16, Raymond added acting to his repertoire in 1997 as part of the cast of fellow one-name teen music star Brandy's hit sitcom Moesha. Continuing to make the most of the late-1990s teen entertainment explosion, Raymond made his feature film debut in 1998 in the Robert Rodriguez-Kevin Williamson high school horror movie The Faculty. Though the success of his second album made Raymond Billboard's 1998 Artist of the Year, he maintained his dual career with a small part in the popular, teenage Pygmalion retread She's All That (1999) and his first starring role in the urban high school drama Light It Up (1999). Though Raymond proved he had the acting talent and presence to topline a movie, Light It Up did not exactly brighten the box office. Undeterred, Raymond next joined the all-star cast of the splashy TV miniseries Geppetto (2000) and co-starred with James Van Der Beek and Ashton Kutcher in the teen-dream big-screen Western Texas Rangers (2000). ~ Lucia Bozzola, Rovi
Born Usher Raymond IV on October 14, 1978, in Chatanooga, TN; son of Vanessa (a choir director and later Usher's manager) and Usher Raymond III; one brother, James.
Released debut album Usher with producer Sean "Puffy" Combs, 1994; "Dreamin'," for LaFace Records' Olympics album Rhythm of the Games, 1996; released multi-platinum sophomore album My Way, 1997; began acting career as member of series Moesha, 1997; kicked off world tour with "Puffy" Combs on his No Way Out lineup; appeared in film The Faculty, 1998; issued Live album, 1999; issued All About U album, 2000; signed with Arista label; issued 8701 album, 2001; issued Confessions album, 2004.
Awards: First place on the Star Search television talent series, 1992; Soul Train Music Awards, Best Performance by an R&B Artist, Male, 1997; Best R&B/Soul Single, 1998; Best Male R&B/Soul Album for 8701, 2002; Grammy Award, Best Male R&B Vocal Performance for "U Remind Me," 2002; Nickelodeon Kid's Choice Award, Favorite Male Singer, 2002; BET Awards, Best Male R&B Artist, 2002; Male Artist of the Year, Viewer's Choice Award, 2004; Billboard Hip-Hop/R&B Awards, Top Artist, Top Male Artist, Top Singles Artist, 2002; six Teen Choice Awards, 2002-04; Grammy Award, Best Male R&B Vocal Performance for "U Don't Have to Call," 2003; MTV Video Music Awards, Best Male Video, Best Dance Video, 2004; World Music Awards, Best Male Artist, Best R&B Artist, Best Pop Artist, 2004.
Addresses:Record company—Arista Records, 888 Seventh Ave., New York, NY 10010. Website—Usher Official Website: http://www.usherworld.com.
Singer
If Usher's 1994 self-titled debut album wasn't embraced universally by critics, the enormous commercial success of Usher made the recording an auspicious beginning, and the fact that the singer was a mere 16 years old at the time of its release only redoubles its impressiveness. After forming a bond with sought-after producer/rapper Sean "Puffy" Combs, who had overseen Usher's first album, the young artist teamed up with award-winning producers Antonio "L. A." Reid and Kenny "Babyface" Edmonds to create the follow-up album entitled My Way. Several strong singles, including the chart-topping "You Make Me Wanna" and "Nice & Slow," My Way ensured that Usher would obtain platinum-selling certification along with his high school diploma.
Setting his sights upon acquiring a range of talents, Usher had concentrated on honing his vocal skills and songwriting, and even began to dabble as an actor in several television series, including Moesha, opposite singer Brandy, and in films such as The Faculty and the 2001 Western Texas Rangers. By the early 2000s, Usher was ready to put all his talents together in an enterprise of hitmaking at a new level. Two powerhouse CD releases, 8701 and Confessions, made Usher a top-rank R&B and pop star by 2004.
Usher was born Usher Raymond IV, on October 14, 1978, in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Although left without a father, Usher never lacked the positive influence of a nurturing, supportive extended family of cousins, uncles, and his mother Vanessa, who would later assume the role of Usher's manager. After relocating to Atlanta, Georgia with Usher and his younger brother James, Vanessa Raymond introduced her son to the church choir which she directed, and as is the case with many other R&B vocalists, the gospel experience was to prove invaluable training. However, Usher claims that an encounter with the 1970 hit single "I Want You Back" by the Jackson 5 was perhaps his first impetus towards a passion for singing. "That was my beginning, even before I started singing in church," Usher told Entertainment Weekly. "I used to hum and sing with the radio, but I wasn't really serious about it. But when I heard that song, I was inspired."
Conscious of her son's budding talents, Vanessa Raymond sought to give Usher a high profile by entering him in a number of talent competitions. Within a year, Usher had scored heavily on the nationally televised Star Search program, a victory which prompted a scout for the LaFace label to tap the young crooner for an audition with producer L.A. Reid. With little hesitation, Reid signed Usher onto the LaFace roster to begin recording a full-length album with co-producer Sean "Puffy" Combs and several other technicians. Although hardly a seasoned veteran, the young Combs was a much needed guide to the even younger Usher, and the two have subsequently toured together. By 1994, the fruit of Combs and Usher's studio sessions was released under the straightforward title Usher, to little
critical fanfare. Still, while Usher's 14 tracks ultimately proved to be at best a training ground for the singer's emerging style, the album produced a gold-selling single, "Think of You," which gained the favor of international audiences.
Before embarking upon his second full-length release, Usher kept to the task of refining his performance range and also found time to lend his talents to several small projects. Taking advantage of Usher's already evident following of young listeners, the Coca Cola company chose his voice to deliver its jingle for the 1995 holiday season. In addition, Usher collaborated with a number of vocalists to create the ad hoc outfit Black Men United, who harmonized on a track made expressly for the soundtrack for the film Jason's Lyric. To round out this busy schedule, which at that time still included schoolwork, Usher took his first steps in learning the craft of songwriting, hoping to add to his portfolio as a maturing entertainer. "I want to show people that I've grown a lot since my last album, and writing was a part of that process," Usher told MTV News in the fall of 1997.
Up to the Challenge The first of Usher's efforts at tunesmithery could not have been any more encouraging. Co-written with Jermaine Dupri, a producer affiliated with the So So Def label, Usher's 1997 single "You Make Me Wanna" rocketed up the Billboard magazine sales charts, peaking at the number one position, where it remained for 11 consecutive weeks. In the wake of such massive popularity, the release of Usher's second album was to be a highly anticipated event for a growing base of fans, and as its eventual triple platinum-selling status would testify, My Way was up to the challenge. Benefiting from the talents of several of the recording industry's most lucrative producers, including L.A. Reid and Babyface, Usher's second album was a more diverse affair than his debut outing. Out of My Way's nine tracks, six were penned by Usher along with Dupri, with whom Usher developed a strong working relationship. "This time around I wanted people to know Usher," the singer explained on his homepage, "so Jermaine and I just hung out a lot so he got to see my life." Channeling both the tender and euphoric sides of Usher's life into recorded cuts, Usher and his collaborators came up with a number of upbeat dance songs as well as soulful ballads, the latter receiving the special touch of Babyface (who had produced award-winning ballads for the group Boyz II Men, as well as for his own career as a vocalist).
Despite a solid vote of endorsement from millions of listeners, Usher's relationship with the critics did not consistently improve. The review for My Way that appeared in Rolling Stone was mixed at best. While Rolling Stone could not deny the infectiousness of "You Make Me Wanna," the album's opener, they found little else to recommend the album, writing that "Usher's voice lacks the force and nuance to make up for the thin, synthetic quality of the backing tracks. And you know there's a problem with the songwriting when you see the word hook plastered over the choruses in the lyric booklet." Nevertheless, audiences at large saw no problem with the catchiness of cuts like "Come Back" or the bass-centered "Just Like Me," nor with ballads
such as "Nice & Slow," which was subsequently released as My Way's second platinum-selling single.
Demonstrated New Talents As Usher's stature grew, so did the demand for his multiple talents. Proving again that he was more than simply a studio musician, Usher fully roused an audience at the legendary Apollo theater in Harlem, New York in a much-touted performance. "When you come to Apollo, you gotta sing, you gotta dance, you gotta give it up to the audience," Usher pointed out to MTV News. "They want to see that, and to get the response I got, when the song came on I came sliding out, all the audience bumrushed the stage. It's like, 'Damn! I think I'm a superstar.'" Such bravado made Usher a perfect candidate to round out the bill on cohort Sean "Puffy" Combs's own fall tour, as well as for later live dates supporting full-fledged stars Mary J. Blige and Janet Jackson. Nor did Usher's confidence stop at performing music, as his debut as an actor on the television series Moesha showed. After landing the supporting role of Jeremy, opposite the title role played by teenage singing sensation Brandy Norwood, Usher coolly told Jet magazine that despite any formal training, "I'm a natural. I have a talent to take words off paper and relate to it."
At the turn of 1998, Usher's career seemed to be on an unstoppable upward trajectory, and not solely on the basis of consistently solid record sales. Usher was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Male R&B Vocal Performance, and he walked away with a statuette in the same category at the Soul Train Awards a month later. In addition, Usher's inaugural efforts as an actor resulted in a brief stint on the daytime soap opera The Bold and the Beautiful, as well as in an invitation to the big screen as an actor in a spoof horror film, The Faculty. Pegged by Essence magazine as one of a new "hot generation" of stars marked by youth and unshakable positiveness, Usher continued to sharpen his skills and widen his sights. "I guess I am an usher in a way," he quipped to Jet magazine. "I'm ushering in something very new, very fresh. Hopefully, it'll have longevity. That's my goal. I don't want to be stereotyped as just a hip-hop artist or an R&B artist. I want to cover it all."
Part of Usher's appeal was his ability to connect with listeners of various ages. He had a powerful voice shaped by early exposure to passion-drenched vocalists of the 1970s such as Donny Hathaway and, especially, Marvin Gaye; a sweaty club audience of over-21 dancers would hear an unmistakbly sexy streak in his singing. Yet Usher avoided the raunchy antics of his R&B rival R. Kelly. "Usher's the kid you don't mind your lady or daughters listening to," Black Entertainment Television (BET) programming vice president Stephen Hill told Newsweek. He's got this innocent thing about him that makes you like him instantly."
Usher also took care to hone his physical image, working out with weights so that he could show off his buff physique on stage and dressing in European designer clothes. "I'm a flamboyant type of guy, a cooler version of Liberace," Usher told Interview. Usher's 2001 album 8701, his first for the Arista label, spawned several big hits, including the Grammy-winning and chart-topping ballad "U Remind Me." The album's title referred to the span of time between 1987 and 2001, and to Usher's evolution as an artist over that time. The year 2001 also saw Usher appear in the Western-themed film Texas Rangers. He added horseback riding to his range of talents, confidently asserting that he could ride a horse at the audition even though he had never ridden one before.
With his 2004 album Confessions, Usher broke through to yet another new level. The infectious appeal of his new music was telegraphed by the success of the single "Yeah!," released before the album itself. The central eight-note synthesizer keyboard motif of that song was a constant on top 40 radio in the spring of 2004, with a guest appearance by top rapper Ludacris helping boost the tune's profile. No less pervasive was the album's ballad entry "Burn," released to radio as the album's second single. Confessions sold 1.1 million copies in its first week of release. If any measure of Usher's rank as an A-level celebrity was needed, one had only to turn to newspaper gossip pages, where Usher's breakup with Rozonda "Chilli" Thomas, formerly of the vocal group TLC, was chronicled. The breakup left Usher one of America's most eligible single men. "Lucy Liu, give me a call," he told People "Jennifer Lopez, we can dance meringue. Halle Berry, I understand. I will listen to you!" Whether in the romantic or the musical realm, Usher was at the top of his game.
Selected discography Usher, LaFace, 1994. My Way, LaFace, 1997. Live, LaFace, 1999. All About U, LaFace, 2000. 8701, Arista, 2001. Confessions, Arista, 2004.
Sources Periodicals Ebony, January 1998. Entertainment Weekly, April 3, 1998. Jet, March 9, 1998; August 27, 2001, p. 56. Interview, November 2000, p. 121. Newsweek, May 13, 2002, p. 62. People, April 19, 2004, p. 67. Rolling Stone, December 25, 1997. Time, February 23, 1998.
After Usher Raymond was spotted by a LaFace record executive at a talent show in his hometown of Atlanta, it took no time for his career to take off. The 14-year-old auditioned for LaFace co-founder L.A. Reid, who signed the gospel choir boy to a recording contract. Raymond was introduced to the world simply as "Usher," and released his debut album of the same name in 1994, which featured co-executive producer Sean "Puffy" Combs. The first single, "Think of You," gained Usher wide recognition and reached gold status. From that initial exposure, Usher was approached to do other projects. In 1995, he recorded a national holiday jingle for Coca-Cola. He also joined several top male R&B vocalists to form Black Men United for the single "You Will Know," featured on the Jason's Lyric soundtrack. He also teamed with teen singing sensation Monica for a duet remake of Latimore's "Let's Straighten It Out."
After graduating from high school, Usher released his sophomore album, My Way, in 1997. In an attempt to display his maturity and songwriting abilities, Usher co-wrote six of the nine songs and enlisted the help of producers Jermaine Dupri, Babyface, and, again, Combs. The album's first single, "You Make Me Wanna," reestablished Usher as one of R&B's hottest artists, and also made him a crossover sensation; it topped the R&B charts for 11 weeks, hit number two pop, and eventually went double platinum. Both of the follow-up singles, "Nice & Slow" and "My Way," also went platinum; the former stayed at number one on the R&B charts for eight weeks and became his first number one pop single. In the meantime, Usher launched an acting career, appearing in the 1998 horror spoof The Faculty and the 1999 urban high-school drama Light It Up.
To tide fans over, he issued a concert recording titled simply Live in 1999. Usher returned with his third proper album, All About U, toward the end of 2000. His third album, 8701 (2001), moved him from a teen pop star to a sultry R&B singer. In early 2004, Arista released the single "Yeah!" Produced by Lil Jon and guesting Ludacris, the addictive, lightly crunk cut fast became a club and radio favorite. By the time the Usher full-length Confessions dropped later that March, "Yeah!" had hit the top of the Billboard charts. The album itself was Usher's most mature work to date and won the Grammy for Best Contemporary R&B Album in 2004, while "Yeah!" took home the best rapped/sung collaboration award. He starred in the 2005 flop In the Mix and went back to music with 2008's Here I Stand, an album that was ultimately declared a flop, even though it topped the Billboard 200 and Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Albums charts. Raymond v Raymond, inspired in part by the end of his marriage, was released in 2010 as three of its songs were climbing the charts. Its buzz single, "Papers," had already topped the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles chart. An EP titled Versus followed later in the year. ~ Lynda Lane & Andy Kellman, Rovi
Usher Terry Raymond IV (born October 14, 1978), who performs under the mononymUsher, is an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and actor. Usher rose to fame in the late 1990s with the release of his second album My Way, which spawned his first Billboard Hot 100 number-one hit, "Nice & Slow". The album has been certified 6-times platinum by the RIAA.[1] His follow-up album, 8701, produced the Billboard Hot 100 number one hits "U Remind Me" and "U Got It Bad". The album has been certified 4-times platinum by the RIAA.[1]
Usher's 2004 album Confessions sold over 10 million copies in the United States, and been certified diamond by the RIAA. Confessions has the highest first week sales for an R&B artist in history.[2] It spawned four consecutive Billboard number-one hits—"Yeah!", "Burn", "Confessions Part II", and "My Boo". Usher's 2008 album Here I Stand sold over 5 million copies worldwide,[3] and its lead single "Love In This Club" peaked at number-one on the Billboard Hot 100.
On March 30, 2010, Usher released his sixth studio album Raymond v. Raymond, which became his third consecutive album to debut at number one on the US Billboard 200 chart.[4] It has been certified platinum by the RIAA,[5] and spawned another Billboard Hot 100 number-one hit "OMG". The song became his ninth number one in the United States, making him the first 2010s artist to collect number one singles in three consecutive decades. He later released an extended play and deluxe edition of "Raymond v. Raymond", entitled Versus, which debuted at number four on the Billboard 200 chart. Its lead single "DJ Got Us Fallin' In Love" reached number four on the Billboard Hot 100.
The RIAA ranks Usher as one of the best-selling artists in American music history, having sold over 23 million copies in the United States alone.[6] To date, he has sold over 65 million records worldwide,[7][8] making him one of the Best selling music artists of all time. Usher, has won numerous awards including seven Grammy Awards.[9] At the end of 2009, Usher was named the number one Hot 100 artist of the 2000s decade.[10]Billboard named him the second most successful artist of the 2000s decade,[11] with his 2004 album Confessions being ranked as the top solo album of the 2000s decade.[12] Usher has attained nine Hot 100 number-one hits (all as a lead artist) and has attained seventeen Hot 100 top-ten hits.[13] Aside from his musical career, Usher is regarded as a sex symbol.
Usher was born in Dallas, Texas,[14][15] the son of Jonetta Patton (née O'Neal) and Usher Raymond III. Usher spent the majority of his young life in Chattanooga: his father left the family when Usher was a year old. Usher grew up with his mother, then-stepfather, and half-brother, James Lackey, born in 1984. Directed by his mother, Usher joined the local church youth choir in Chattanooga, when he was nine years old; there, his grandmother discovered his ability to sing, although it was not until Usher joined a singing group that she considered he could sing professionally.[16] In the belief that a bigger city would provide greater opportunities for showcasing his talent, Usher's family moved to Atlanta, Georgia, where there was a more conducive environment for beginning singers.[17] While in Atlanta, Usher attended North Springs High School.[18] Usher's father died of a heart attack on January 21, 2008.[19]
Career
1987–96: Musical beginnings and Usher
At age 11, Usher joined an R&B local quintet called the NuBeginnings, which was organized by local music svengali, Darryl Wheeler. Usher recorded 10 songs with the group in 1991, and the ensuing album, Nubeginning Featuring Usher Raymond IV, was only made available regionally and by mail order.[20] However, Patton took him out because, according to her, it was a "bad experience".[16] The album was re-released nationally in April 2002 by Hip-O Records.[20][21]
At age 13, Usher competed on Star Search, where he was spotted by an A&R representative from LaFace Records, who arranged an audition for Usher with L.A. Reid, the co-founder of LaFace; Reid signed Usher to a contract with the record company.[22][23] Usher's mother left her job as a medical technician to manage his career, but later broke-up their relationship as manager-client in May 2007. Usher was introduced on "Call Me a Mack", a song he recorded for the soundtrack album to the 1993 drama-romance filmPoetic Justice.[20]
After graduating from high school, Usher continued to develop his skills as a stage performer and laid the groundwork for his second album. He also appeared on their version of "Let's Straighten It Out", a 1995 duet with fellow Atlanta teen recording artist Monica;[26] and on "Dreamin'", from LaFace's 1996 Olympic Games benefit album Rhythm of the Games. He was also featured on "I Swear I'm In Love" off the 1996 Kazaam soundtrack.[27]
1997–2003: My Way and 8701
Usher developed a friendship with American record producer, Jermaine Dupri, with whom he co-wrote and produced several tracks for his second album, My Way, released on September 16, 1997. The album's lead single, "You Make Me Wanna", reached number one in the United Kingdom, becoming Usher's first record to be top single; the record led to his popularity reaching in the country.[28][29] It also became Usher's first gold- and platinum-certified single in the United States.[30] The album's second single, "Nice & Slow", peaked in January 1998 at number one on the Billboard Hot 100, giving Usher his first US number-one single.[31] Later in February of the same year, the single was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America; My Way has been certified six-time platinum in the United States.[30]
Usher made his acting debut on the UPN television series Moesha, which resulted in a recurring role on the series and subsequently his first film role in 1998's The Faculty.[17][25] Usher's extracurricular activities outside of the recording industry gathered momentum over the following year as he was cast in the soap opera, The Bold and the Beautiful.[17][25] He completed two more films, She's All That, and his first starring role in Light It Up.[17][25] He also appeared in the Disney TV movie "Geppetto".[33]
Usher's third studio album, originally titled All About U, was slated to be released in early 2001.[34] The first single, "Pop Ya Collar", was released in late 2000 and became a number two hit in the UK but underperformed in the United States.[35] The album was subsequently pushed back and retooled after select tracks were later leaked to the radio and Internet. After having revised and renamed to 8701, the album was released August 7, 2001 (8.7.01).[17] The first two singles "U Remind Me" and "U Got It Bad" each topped the Billboard Hot 100 for four and six weeks, respectively. 8701 has been certified four-time platinum in the United States.[30]
Usher appeared in the 2001 film Texas Rangers.[36] In February 2002, Usher won a Grammy for 'Best Male R&B Vocal Performance' for "U Remind Me".[37] The next year, he won the same award for "U Don't Have to Call",[17] making Usher the only artist aside from Luther Vandross and Stevie Wonder to win this award consecutively. In summer 2002, Usher contributed vocals to P. Diddy's "I Need a Girl, Part I". The year closed out with a trio of TV series appearances, all in November, on The Twilight Zone, 7th Heaven, Moesha, and American Dreams, the latter in which Usher portrayed Marvin Gaye.[38][39]
Usher's fourth studio album, Confessions, was released on March 23, 2004—just as its first single, "Yeah!", was in its sixth week at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 and fifth week on top of the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles Chart.[40] The album's nearly 1.1 million unit debut sales was the highest first-week numbers ever scanned by a male R&B artist and the seventh best of the Nielsen SoundScan history.[41][42] To date, the album has accumulated sales of over 20 million copies worldwide,[37] over 10 million of which were sold in the United States, earning the album a Diamond certification by the Recording Industry Association of America.[43][44]
The album's second and third singles, "Burn" and "Confessions Part II", also topped the Billboard Hot 100, the former for eight weeks. Usher became the first artist to top the BillboardHot 100 Airplay with four consecutive number-one singles,[45] In September 2004, "My Boo", a duet with American singer-songwriter Alicia Keys, also peaked at number one at the Billboard Hot 100, becoming the album's fourth number-one single.[46] In December, the album's final single "Caught Up" peaked at number eight on the Hot 100.[35]
Confessions earned Usher numerous awards, including four American Music Awards, two MTV Europe Music Awards, two MTV Video Music Awards, and three World Music Awards.[47][48][49][50] At the 47th annual Grammy Awards ceremony in 2005, Usher won three awards, including: R&B Performance by a Duo or Group With Vocals for "My Boo", which he shared with Keys; Rap/Sung Collaboration for "Yeah!"; and Contemporary R&B Album for Confessions. At the 2004 Billboard Music Awards, Usher was recognized Artist of the Year, in addition to receiving 10 other accolades.[51]
In spring of 2005, Usher scored a number three Hot 100 hit as a featured vocalist on Lil' Jon's "Lovers & Friends".[52] In 2007, Usher also collaborated with R. Kelly on the track "Same Girl", for Kelly's album, Double Up.[53] He was also featured in a remix version of Omarion's "Ice Box".[54] Usher also appeared on the track "Shake Down" on American singer-songwriter Mary J. Blige's 2007 album Growing Pains.[55] In November 2005, Usher starred as a disc jockey named Darrell in the Lions Gate film, In the Mix.[56] On August 22, 2006, Usher took over the role of Billy Flynn in the long-running Broadway musical Chicago.[57]
Raymond v. Raymond, was released on March 26, 2010 in Germany, on March 30, 2010 in the US, and was released April 26, 2010 in the UK.[64] The album was expected to follow in Usher's Confessions album's footsteps. Raymond v. Raymond was released only months after Usher's divorce from Tameka Foster. "Papers" was released as the first single for the album in October 2009 on iTunes. It topped the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart for two consecutive weeks, becoming his tenth number one single on that chart. It also peaked at number 31 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the United States. The song itself appears to be loosely based on his failed relationship with his ex wife Tameka.[65] Critics praised the song for its emotion. "Hey Daddy (Daddy's Home)", was released as the second single on December 8, 2009. The single peaked at number 24[66] on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and number 2[67] on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. The song was released as the second international single in July 2010. "Lil Freak" was announced as the album's official second single in the United States. Usher and Nicki Minaj shot the music video for the song on March 9, 2010 in Los Angeles with director TAJ.[68] It reached number 8 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart[69] and number 40 on the Billboard Hot 100.[70] It became Usher's fourth Top 40 hit single from Raymond v. Raymond, when including the buzz single "Papers".
"OMG", which features will.i.am, is the third official US single and the first international single. The song received mixed reviews, complimenting the song's dance and club vibe but criticizing the Auto-Tune effect. It reached number-one in Ireland, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, Australia and the United States. The song became his ninth number one in the United States, making him the first 2010s artist to collect number one singles in three consecutive decades, and only the fourth artist of all-time to achieve the feat. Usher also became the third artist to have at least one number one song from five consecutive studio albums. The song's choreography and dance-heavy accompanying music video has been compared to that of "Yeah!". *"There Goes My Baby" was released to airplay as the album's fourth single in the United States on June 15, 2010.[71] The song reached number 25 on the Billboard Hot 100, and number-one on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart, becoming Usher's eleventh number-one hit on that chart. All of the albums singles received incredible air play. On April 7, 2010 Raymond v. Raymond debuted at number No.1 on the on the US Billboard 200 chart, becoming his third consecutive No.1 album and selling an impressive 329,107 copies in its first week of release,[4] making him the first male artist since Eminem to have three consecutive albums debut at number one on the Billboard 200 chart. After one month of release the album was certified Gold by the RIAA.[72] On June 17, 2010 the album was certified Platinum by the RIAA.[73]
Raymond v. Raymond also dominated the International Charts. Debuting inside the top 10 in Canada, the United Kingdom, Holland, Australia, Germany, Spain, and Italy. Due to the huge international success of Ushers newest single "OMG" and the good first week sales for Raymond v. Raymond Usher is considered to have repaired his mainstream image and to have made a good comeback.[74] The album reached number-two in Australia and the album has been certified gold by the Australian Record Industry Association (ARIA).[75] The album debuted at number four in Canada[76] and has been certified Gold by the Canadian Recording Industry Association (CRIA).[77]Raymond v. Raymond debuted at number-two in the United Kingdom.[78]
Usher announced on July 8, 2010,[79] a follow-up extended play to his sixth studio album Raymond v. Raymond called Versus, and a deluxe edition of Raymond v. Raymond, both to be released on August 24, 2010.[80] Usher described Versus as "the last chapter of Raymond v. Raymond", and that it would explore the subjects of being newly single and a father.[79] The album included 9 tracks, including 7 new tracks, Raymond v. Raymond single "There Goes My Baby", and Justin Bieber single "Somebody to Love (Remix)". The tracks would be included on a deluxe edition of Raymond v. Raymond. The album debuted at number four on the Billboard 200 chart and is preceded by the singles "DJ Got Us Fallin' In Love" featuring Pitbull, for mainstream audiences, and "Hot Tottie" featuring Jay-Z, for urban circuits.
The first single off the album, "DJ Got Us Fallin' In Love", was released to iTunes on July 13, 2010 and sent to radio on July 20, 2010. Due to strong digital sales the song debuted at number nineteen on the Billboard Hot 100.[81] The song became the fourth highest debut on the Billboard Hot 100 of his career, behind 1997's "Nice & Slow" at number nine, 1998's "My Way" at eight, and 2010's "OMG" at number fourteen. Since its release, it has gained international success, peaking in the top 5 in the United States, Australia, and New Zealand. It reached the top 10 in Canada, and Europe. It reached number-nine on the Billboard Hot 100 in its third week of release, and became the first time Usher has had two top-ten hits on the Billboard Hot 100 at the same time since his album Confessions.[82] It also became Ushers sixteenth Billboard Hot 100 top-ten hit of his career. The second single, Hot Tottie has reached number thirteen on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart and number twenty-five on the Billboard Hot 100.
Usher appeared at the 2010 MTV VMAs on September 12, 2010.[83] He then performed at the 2010 American Music Awards on November 21, 2010 and also won the awards for Male Soul/R&B artist and Favorite Soul/R&B album for his album, Raymond v. Raymond.[84] According to Rap-Up.com, Usher has started working on his next studio album,[85] and that he is again teaming up with long-time collaborator Rico Love.[85] During an interview with stylelist, Usher explained that he is working on a new genre of music depicted as 'revolutionary pop', to which several different genres are combined to create a new sound, this new music is to be included on his upcoming album.[85][86]
Usher also made a surprise appearance at Super Bowl XLV to sing his song, "OMG" with The Black Eyed Peas' musician will.i.am.[87] He appeared on a rope from above, in a similar style to the Black Eyed Peas.
Other ventures
Aside from recording, Usher is involved in other businesses, including several restaurants.[88] He has acted in feature films, debuting in 1998's The Faculty. He was among the stars in Light It Up and In the Mix. Usher founded his record label US Records, a vanity label, in 2002. The label is a subsidiary of Clive Davis's J Records, which is distributed by Sony BMG. The first album released by US was the soundtrack to In the Mix in late 2005, which was used to introduce the label's acts, such as rapper Rico Love, Canadian teen R&B artist Justin Bieber, R&B vocal group One Chance, and singer Rayan. Usher served as songwriter-producer in the project.[89][90]
Usher is a part owner of the Cleveland Cavaliers professional basketball team. He is part of a group which bought the team with a reported total purchase price of $375 million. He became the third pop artist to own a large stake in an NBA team.[91] The Raymond Braun Media Group, which Justin Bieber is signed up to, is a joint venture between Usher and Bieber's manager, Scooter Braun.[92] Usher served as the contestant mentor for the Top 10 Week of Season 9 of the television show American Idol. He appeared on the ITV1 show Britain's Got Talent on June 5, 2010.
In 2001, Usher began dating former TLC member Rozonda "Chilli" Thomas, who had a child with producer Dallas Austin. Their relationship lasted for two years: they broke up in December 2003, followed by a media frenzy surrounding the personal nature of Usher's fourth album, Confessions. His fans inferred the reason he and Thomas split is due to infidelity on his part, giving allusions to the lyrics of the songs.[16] In an interview on The Bert Show on the Atlanta radio channel Q100 in February 2004, Thomas claimed that Usher cheated on her: "Usher did the ultimate no-no to me....I will never be with him again, and that is that".[95] Usher defended: "...it just didn't work out. But cheating is not what caused the relationship to collide and crash. That ain't what broke it up".[16] Following their break-up, Usher briefly dated English supermodel Naomi Campbell in September 2004.[96]
In January 2007, he proposed to his girlfriend Tameka Foster, a stylist. She has a son from when she was a teenager, as well as two sons with Atlanta clothier Ryan Glover. In February 2007, Usher announced their engagement. After the sudden cancellation of a planned July wedding due to medical concerns, the two were wed on August 3, 2007 in a private ceremony.[97] Their son Usher Raymond V was born on November 26 of the same year.[98] On December 10, 2008, Tameka gave birth to their second child, Naviyd Ely Raymond.[99]
In February 2009, in São Paulo, Brazil, Tameka Foster suffered a cardiac arrest prior to having cosmetic surgery (reportedly liposuction)[100] which was not performed. She was induced into a coma to aid her recovery and was transferred to a larger hospital.[101] Usher canceled his performance at the Recording Academy and Clive Davis's pre-Grammy Gala. Davis told party-goers the singer had to bow out due to a "serious injury in the family".[102] After a week of recovery, Tameka Raymond's surgeon issued a statement saying that she "is doing very well".[103][104] In June 2009, Usher filed for divorce from Foster after claiming they lived separately for nearly a year.[105][106]
Philanthropy
Usher founded New Look, a non-profit charity organization which aims to "provide young people with a new look on life through education and real-world experience". Its flagship project, camp New Look, ran from July 11 to July 23, 2005 in Clark Atlanta University.[107] In 2006, the charity started an initiative called Our Block, for which it helped rebuild and revitalize city blocks in New Orleans. The project went on one street at a time, and the funding was helped through part of the proceeds of Usher's team-up with Armani Exchange in creating "Love 4 Life" dog tags, which were made available at the company's stores and Web site.[108]
In 1999, Usher participated in "Challenge for the Children", a benefit basketball game hosted by American boy band 'N Sync. The event, which was held on the campus of Georgia State University, had raised an estimated $50,000 for several local charities.[109] In 2005, Usher is one among the artists who signed on for a Hurricane Katrina relief concert.[110] He has also performed a public service announcement to promote Do Something's campaign for civic engagement.[111]
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