Usher
"Mr. Entertainment"
Making it "Big Time"
Usher Raymond IV was born on October 14, 1978, in Dallas, Texas, and raised in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Usher sang in church choirs but sought entry into the mainstream music industry by entering talent shows. Two years after moving with his mother and brother to Atlanta, Usher performed on the hit show Star Search and landed a recording contract with LaFace Records soon after. He released his first, self-titled album in 1994, at age 15. Usher soon became known for his polished vocals, broad vocal range, chic style, sexy dance moves, and sensual ballads.
Young Usher
Skyrocket
For more than 15 years, Usher has been a dominant player in the music industry. He's moved across several different musical genres, including rap, R&B, blues and pop. Following Usher (1994), he released his second album, My Way, in 1997. The album—including singles "Nice & Slow" and "You Make Me Wanna?"—skyrocketed the young artist to fame, selling more than 7 million copies. Usher was quickly lauded for his fluid vocals and addictive melodies. He also became known for incorporating sexual undertones into his songs, performances and music videos.
Usher released Usher Live in 1999, followed by 2001's incredibly successful 8701, which included the No. 1 song "U Got It Bad," as well as two Grammy Award–winning singles, "U Remind Me" and "U Don't Have to Call." More than 4 million copies of 8701 were sold in the United States alone.
Usher in London
Nearly a decade after making his first album, Usher released Confessions (2004), which was extremely well-received. More than 1 million copies of the album were sold in its first week, and sales accumulated to nearly 20 million copies worldwide. The album included the songs "Burn," "Confessions Part II" and "Yeah!"—a collaboration with Ludacris and Lil Jon. By this time, Usher had an incredibly impressive track record: He had achieved 13 Top 20 hits—seven of which were No. 1 singles. In 2004, he was named "Artist of the Year" at the Billboard Music Awards. A year later, he received two People's Choice Awards and three Grammy Awards (best contemporary R&B album, best R&B performance by a duo or group and best rap/sung collaboration).
Solidifying Stardom
Following the release of Raymond v. Raymond (2010), Usher won two more Grammys, for best contemporary R&B album (Raymond v. Raymond) and best male R&B performance ("There Goes My Baby"). In all, the singer has won 17 Billboard Music Awards; eight Soul Train Music Awards; five Grammys; and nine awards from the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers, among other honors.
In June 2012, he produced the album Looking 4 Myself, which found a No. 1 spot on Billboard's albums chart. In March 2013 Usher announced he was working on his eighth studio album entitled UR, which he described would be "more R&B, more urban" than his previous album Looking 4 Myself. A few of his singles have already been released from the album: "Good Kisser," "She Came to Give It to You" featuring Nicki Minaj, and "I Don't Mind" featuring Juicy J.
Usher performing in Munich
Keeping Busy
On October 12, 2018, Usher released his ninth studio album, titled simply "A". The official track list contains 8 songs with features from Future and Gunna. The album was produced entirely by Zaytoven, who previously collaborated on Usher's Raymond v. Raymond album as a co-producer for the single "Papers".
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Usher's 2018 Album
On December 13, 2019, Usher released the lead single, "Don't Waste My Time", featuring British singer-songwriter Ella Mai for his upcoming ninth studio album. It was co-produced by longtime collaborators Bryan-Michael Cox and Jermaine Dupri. Usher, Ella Mai, and Jermaine Dupri performed the song on the BET's SOS: Saving Ourselves - A BET Covid 19 Relief Special, to benefit African American Communities Impacted By Coronavirus on April 22, 2020. It topped the Adult R&B Chart, becoming his fifth number one single on that chart.
Young Usher
Before the Covid-19 Pandemic, Usher performed at the 62nd Annual Grammy Awards on January 26, 2020. Usher, FKA Twigs, and Sheila E. performed a special tribute honoring Prince. Usher kicked off the performance with a soulful rendition of "Little Red Corvette." The R&B superstar was accompanied by master drummer and Prince’s former protege, Sheila E., and ran through two other recognizable hits in The Purple One’s lauded catalog "When Doves Cry" and "Kiss,"
2020 Grammy Awards Performance
On September 4, 2020 Usher announced he will be headlining a 12 show residency at the Colosseum at Caesars’ Palace in Las Vegas, Nevada. The show ran from July 16, 2021 til January 1st 2022 with 20 successful performances, 18 of which were sold out. Continuing his stay in Las Vegas, his residency at the Dolby Live stage at Park MGM consisted of over 100 sold out shows in 2 years. Combined, these residencies sold over 475,000 tickets.
Usher's Caesar's Palace Residency
One of the featured artifacts in the exhibit is the wardrobe from his shows at the Colosseum at Caesars’ Palace in Las Vegas, Nevada. Usher reopened Caesars’ largest showroom for the first time since the coronavirus pandemic shut down the Entertainment Capital of the World with a show that at times was reminiscent of a welcome-home party, a skating party, a bachelor party, sleepovers and even a family reunion.
Usher at the Grand Opening of his Caesar's Palace Residency
Usher Performing Caesar's Palace Residency
Talent Shows to Super Bowls
Usher's halftime performance at the Super Bowl stands as an unparalleled milestone in pop culture history, captivating an astonishing combined 202.4 million viewers, making it the most viewed Super Bowl halftime show to date. Super Bowl LVIII averaged 123.7 million viewers overall, the largest television broadcast since the 1969 moon landing. His dynamic showcase featured a medley of chart-topping hits, including "Yeah!", "OMG", and "DJ Got Us Fallin' in Love", dazzling fans with his mesmerizing dance moves and powerhouse vocals. Usher's electrifying presence on stage showcased his unparalleled talent, further solidifying his status as one of music's most influential icons. His performance remains etched in Super Bowl halftime show history, serving as a testament to his enduring legacy and widespread appeal.
Usher performing in Super Bowl LVIII
Usher's Apple Music Super Bowl LVIII Halftime Show
Behind The Scenes: Usher's Apple Music Super Bowl LVIII Halftime Show
Artistic Influences and Legacy
Usher's music is generally R&B, but also incorporates pop among other genres. Complex magazine has stated that Usher provided some of "the best of pop music in R&B". His narratives have an autobiographical nature of emphasis on lifestyle, relationships, and love. Usher possesses a vocal range of over 3 octaves, and is considered to be one of the most soothing in R&B and pop.
Throughout the course of his career, Usher has won eight Grammy awards, 34 ASCAP Awards, 18 Billboard Music Awards, 14 BMI Awards, nine Soul Train Music Awards, and eight American Music Awards. For his contributions to music, Usher has received a Musical Arts Award at The BET Honors, a Golden Note award at the ASCAP Awards, and inductions into the Georgia Music Hall of Fame and Hollywood Walk of Fame. Outside of music, he's received accolades such as the Freedom Award and President's Volunteer Service Award for his charitable efforts, and an NBA Championship with the Cleveland Cavaliers via part ownership.
On many occasions, Usher has named Michael Jackson as his biggest influence. Usher once told MTV, "He influenced me in so many ways, more than just music ... as a humanitarian, as a philanthropist, as an artist, as an individual who transcended culture. I wouldn't be who I am today without Michael Jackson". During the television special 'Michael Jackson: 30th Anniversary Special', Usher was able to dance with Jackson while performing "You Rock My World".
Prince was also a critical influence. Usher said "every album I'd always do like one song that is very Prince-influenced, because he's a great influence on me musically, especially just kind of being expansive and creating music that represents many different genres." In Time magazine's "100 Most Influential People" issue, he explained "I was interested in music and trying to find a model. It was Michael, or it was Prince. He had an attitude, a rawness that Michael didn't have. He was not urban, but he was our version of what cool could be."
Other musical influences are Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder, Luther Vandross, Janet Jackson, Maze featuring Frankie Beverly, Al Green, and Boyz II Men.
Usher Performing With Michael Jackson For His 36th Birthday
The Community
Usher also stays busy with his charity, New Look Foundation, which was founded in 1999 and works to provide funding for children in foster care and service programs; holds conferences and camps for at-risk youth; and, ultimately, works to promote leadership skills for kids in impoverished communities.
For his work with the nonprofit, Usher has received honors from such groups as the Boys & Girls Clubs of America, Trumpet Foundation, and the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. Additionally, Usher has invested in several entrepreneurial endeavors. He owns the record label US Records and a men's cologne line.
In the fall of 2016, Usher established the Nancy Lackey Community Education Fund in partnership with the State Farm Neighborhood Session television documentary series and concert held at his alma mater, Dalewood Middle School. The fund was named in memory of his beloved “Nanny” who encouraged and supported his dreams to pursue a music career. To date, close to $1 million has directly impacted over 20,000 students across Hamilton County. The fund provides local support as well as national resources for the cultivation of robust experiences in the arts in area schools both during and after school. In addition, it supports non-profit internships for regional college students, student performing arts development scholarships and youth fine arts related educational programming through partnerships with Chattanooga based non-profit organizations.
Community Partners: ArtsBuild, CAD Youth Programs, Chattanooga Parks & Outdoors, Chattanooga Theatre Center, Community Foundation of Greater, Chattanooga Hamilton County Schools System Music Will (formerly Little Kids Rock) Performing Arts League Project DANCE RISE Chattanooga (formerly Jazzanooga)
Major: State Farm®, Fanatics Charitable Foundation