Usher Biography

Usher Raymond IV is a well-known American singer-songwriter. Usher is one of the best-selling music artists of the modern age, having sold 23.8 million albums and 38.2 million digital singles in the United States alone. To date, he has sold over 75 million records worldwide. Usher has won numerous prizes over his career, including eighteen Billboard Music prizes and eight Grammy Awards, despite having only released eight studio albums. He was also named the 10th most award-winning musician by ‘FUSE’ magazine. Usher is a successful businessman in addition to being a musician. He owns a stake in the Cleveland Cavaliers, a professional basketball team based in Cleveland, Ohio.

During his tenure, the squad has been remarkably successful, winning not just Central Division and Eastern Conference Championships, but also the NBA Championship in 2016. He co-owns the music streaming business ‘Tidal’ with a number of other musicians. He also works with Yoobi, a well-known school supply firm. His 2016 album ‘Had II Love’ was released. It was a commercial success, as were most of his prior efforts. The album peaked at number five on the Billboard 200.

Usher Quick Fact

• Name: Usher
• Birth Year: 1978
• Birth date: October 14, 1978
• Birth State: Tennessee
• Birth City: Chattanooga
• Birth Country: United States
• Gender: Male
• Best Known For: Usher is a successful American R&B; and pop musician who began making music at age 15. His hit albums include ‘My Way,’ ‘Confessions’ and ‘Looking 4 Myself.’
• Industries
  • Television
  • Pop
• Astrological Sign: Libra

Usher Childhood & Early Life

Usher Raymond IV was born in Dallas, Texas on October 14, 1978. Usher Raymond III and Jonetta Patton are his parents. Usher’s father abandoned the family when he was only a year old. He was raised by his mother, stepfather, and half brother.

Usher, who went to North Springs High School, has always had a passion for music. Later, he joined a singing group, which helped him improve his vocal abilities even more.

Usher Career

Usher launched his self-titled first album at the age of fifteen after signing a recording contract with LaFace Records. Despite the fact that he was in puberty and had nearly lost his voice, the album sold well, reaching number 25 on the Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums and number 167 on the US Billboard 200. However, the album was panned since Usher sung about sex, which the audience thought was inappropriate for someone his age.

He eventually graduated from high school and continued to hone his skills in order to create his next albums. In September 1997, he released his second studio album. The album ‘My Way,’ which featured big singles like ‘Nice & Slow’ and ‘You Make Me Wanna,’ started at number 15 on the Billboard 200 and finally peaked at number four. Over seven million copies were sold globally.

Meanwhile, Usher had his acting debut in the American television series ‘Moesha,’ in which he played one of several supporting roles. The show went on to become one of the UPN network’s most popular. He also participated in the 1998 sci-fi horror film ‘The Faculty’ as a supporting actor. The picture was a somewhat successful commercial success.

‘8701’, his third album, was released in 2001. The album was highly successful, selling over 210,000 copies in its first week. It also peaked at number four on the Billboard 200 in the United States.

His fourth album, ‘Confessions,’ published in 2004, was likewise warmly welcomed by both critics and fans. Though the album was an instant success, selling 1.1 million copies in its first week, it also fueled speculation about Usher’s personal life. Usher also won multiple prizes for the album.

His next two albums, ‘Here I Stand’ (2008) and ‘Raymond v Raymond’ (2010), were also commercially successful, selling over a million copies each. Meanwhile, he appeared as a disc jockey in the film ‘In the Mix’ in 2005 and as the lead in the Broadway play ‘Chicago’ in 2006.

In 2012, he released his seventh studio album, “Looking 4 Myself.” It was not only a big commercial success, as had all of his prior works, but it also reached the top of the US Billboard 200. With smash singles like ‘Climax,’ ‘Scream,’ and ‘Numb,’ the album was a major success not just in the United States, but also in several other nations.

His 2016 album ‘Hard II Love’ was released. With hits like ‘No Limit,’ ‘Crash,’ and ‘Missing U,’ the album, like all of his previous efforts, became a hit, peaking at number 5 on the US Billboard 200.

Usher, who is also involved in various business enterprises, owns the record label ‘US Records’ and is a co-owner of the Cleveland Cavaliers basketball team.

Usher Film and TV Roles

Usher has worked as a film and stage actor in addition to his music career. One of his early roles was in the 1998 teen horror thriller The Faculty. He went on to act as a guest star on various television shows, including American Dreams (2002), in which he played Marvin Gaye. Usher made his cinematic debut in 2005 as a disc jockey in In the Mix, and a year later got the lead role of Billy Flynn in the Broadway play Chicago (2006).

Usher was named as one of the newest judges/coaches on The Voice, NBC’s iconic singing competition series, in 2012. Usher made his Voice debut on March 25, 2013 (the season 4 premiere) alongside Latin diva Shakira. Usher and Shakira joined returning judges/coaches Adam Levine and Blake Shelton on the show, replacing Cee Lo Green and Christina Aguilera.

Usher’s unconventional tutoring method quickly gained over TV viewers. Despite his accomplishment, he and Shakira will miss the fifth season of The Voice in order for Green and Aguilera to return. However, Usher and Shakira will return as judges for the sixth season.

Usher Major Works

Usher’s second studio album, ‘My Way,’ released in September 1997, is one of his most significant and popular works. The album, which featured singles such as ‘Nice & Slow,’ ‘My Way,’ and ‘You Make Me Wanna,’ was a major success, peaking at number four on the Billboard 200. It also charted in other countries, reaching number 13 on the ‘Canada Albums’ chart and number 16 on the ‘UK Albums’ chart. The album was a commercial success, selling seven million copies worldwide.

Usher’s seventh studio album, ‘Looking 4 Myself,’ is widely regarded as his most successful work. The album was a big success, debuting at number one on the US Billboard 200 with popular singles such as “Can’t Stop Won’t Stop,” “Scream,” and “Climax.” The album was also a success in other countries, debuting at number three on the UK Albums chart, number four in the Dutch Albums chart, and number eight in the Italian Albums chart. It also received largely positive feedback.

Usher appeared in the 2016 biographical sports film ‘Hands of Stone,’ which was about the career of retired professional boxer Roberto Duran. The film, directed by Jonathan Jakubowicz, premiered at the 2016 Cannes Film Festival. However, it was a commercial failure.

Usher Awards & Achievements

Usher, who has been named by ‘Billboard’ as the second most successful artist of the 2000s, has received numerous awards throughout his career, including eight Grammys, 18 Billboard Music Awards, nine Soul Train Music Awards, seven Teen Choice Awards, four BET Awards, four World Music Awards, three NAACP Image Awards, and two NRJ Music Awards.

Usher Personal Life

Usher dated Chili, a former member of the all-female group TLC, in the early 2000s. He married Tameka Foster in 2007. Usher and Foster are the parents of two children: Usher Raymond V (born in 2007) and Naviyd Ely Raymond (born in 2008). In 2009, the couple divorced.

Kyle Glover, Foster’s 11-year-old kid from a previous relationship (Usher’s stepson), was severely injured in a water mishap in July 2012. Glover was surfing on an inflatable tube on Lake Lanier in Atlanta, Georgia, when a jet ski smacked him in the head and knocked him unconscious, according to multiple media accounts. Doctors declared Glover brain dead after he was taken to a nearby hospital.

The next August, tragedy struck Usher’s family once more. Usher Raymond V, the singer’s kid, became entangled in a pool drain at the singer’s Atlanta home. Usher’s aunt was minding the toddler at the time of the event and attempted to release him. The boy was sent to a neighboring hospital and recovered from his injuries.

Following the accident, Usher’s ex-wife Tameka Foster filed a custody dispute for the couple’s two children. According to CNN, she alleges that the singer was “not capable of providing daily caregiving and supervision for the minor children” in her legal complaint. However, the judge in the case disagreed with Foster and granted Usher custody of the children.

Usher married his longtime lover and manager Grace Miguel, a prominent executive at Def Jam Records, in September 2015. After two years of marriage, they announced their divorce in March 2018.

Usher and fiancée Jenn Goicoechea welcomed their daughter, Sovereign Bo, in September 2020, and the couple announced their second child in May 2021.

Usher Philanthropic Works

Usher is also well-known for his charitable efforts. In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, he founded Project Restart to assist hundreds of devastated families. He also established ‘Usher’s New Look,’ a non-profit organization dedicated to improving the lives of impoverished children.

Usher Marriage & Love Life

Usher has dated several successful ladies, including Rozonda Thomas, an American singer, actor, and songwriter, and Naomi Campbell, a British supermodel and actress.

He married Tameka Foster, his personal stylist for several years, in 2007. They are the parents of two sons. Usher filed for divorce in 2009.

He married his girlfriend Grace Miguel, who was also his manager, in 2015. They married while they were on vacation in Cuba.

Who discovered Usher?

Usher began participating in local talent competitions after arriving to Atlanta. Bryant Reid, brother of L.A. Reid, the legendary R&B producer and co-president (with ‘Kenneth Babyface’ Edmonds) of LaFace Records, spotted him at one of these exhibitions in 1992.

What is Usher’s story?

When he was six years old, he began singing in his church choir. Usher appeared on the television show Star Search two years after coming to Atlanta with his mother and brother, and soon after signed a recording contract with LaFace Records. At the age of 15, he released his debut self-titled album in 1994.

How many kids does Usher have?

Usher is thrilled to be the father of four kids. With his ex-wife Tameka Foster, he has two boys, Usher “Cinco” V, 15, and Naviyd Ely, 14, as well as two daughters, Sovereign Bo, 2, and Sire Castrello, 1, with Jenn Goicoechea, who has been his girlfriend for many years.

How old was Usher when he started his career?

Usher came to Atlanta with his family when he was 12 years old, when he joined the choir his mother oversaw. He participated in a number of talent shows before winning on Star Search, which led to his signing with the LaFace Record company at the age of 14.

Was Justin Bieber discovered by Usher?

Canadian singer and songwriter Justin Bieber rose to fame in the pop music sector at a young age after being discovered by Scooter Braun, a businessman in the American record business, who watched the star, who was 12 at the time, performing pop songs by Usher and Chris Brown on YouTube.

How did Usher make his money?

Usher’s music is his main source of income. He is a singer and songwriter who has made millions of dollars from the singles he has released. Some of his tracks with the highest sales are: (2001) U Got It Bad

What made Usher famous?

Usher, his self-titled debut album, was published in 1994. With the release of My Way, his second album, in the late 1990s, he gained popularity. It gave birth to “Nice & Slow,” which peaked at number one on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100, as well as the top-two songs “You Make Me Wanna” and “My Way.”