Usher

Usher, whose full name is Usher Terrence Raymond IV, is an American singer, songwriter, dancer, entrepreneur, and actor, born on October 14, 1978, in Dallas, Texas, and raised in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Internationally regarded as the King of R&B, he rose to prominence in the late 1990s.

His recording career began with his self-titled album “Usher” in 1994. He truly broke through with his second album, “My Way” (1997), earning his first Billboard Hot 100 number-one with the single Nice & Slow. His follow-up albums cemented his superstar status: “8701” (2001) sold eight million copies and produced the number-one hits U Remind Me and U Got It Bad.

His commercial peak came with “Confessions” (2004), which sold over one million copies in its first week and ultimately surpassed 15 million copies worldwide, receiving a RIAA Diamond certification. The album generated four consecutive Hot 100 number-ones: Yeah!, Burn, Confessions Part II, and My Boo. Billboard ranked “Confessions” as the best solo album of the 2000s.

He continued with “Here I Stand” (2008) and its number-one single Love in This Club, then “Raymond v. Raymond” (2010), which spawned his ninth number-one, OMG. This success made him one of the few artists to place Hot 100 number-one singles across three consecutive decades. The EP “Versus” (2010), an extension of “Raymond v. Raymond”, included the international hit DJ Got Us Fallin' in Love.

His later albums, “Looking 4 Myself” (2012), featuring a more electronic sound, “Hard II Love” (2016), and “Coming Home” (2024), have sustained his artistic presence. In 2024, he made headlines by performing at the Super Bowl LVIII halftime show, drawing 123 million viewers in the United States.

With more than 100 million records sold worldwide, Usher is among the best-selling music artists of all time. Billboard ranked him the second most successful artist of the 2000s and the decade’s top Hot 100 artist.

His awards collection is extensive, including eight Grammy Awards, eight American Music Awards, eighteen Billboard Music Awards, seven BET Awards (including the BET Lifetime Achievement Award), and twelve Soul Train Music Awards. He has been honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and was inducted into the Black Music & Entertainment Walk of Fame in 2021.

Outside music, he co-founded the label Raymond-Braun Media Group (RBMG) with Scooter Braun in 2008, served as a coach on “The Voice” (2013–2014), and acted in several films. He also founded the nonprofit charity Usher’s New Look in 1999.