USHER
Usher Raymond IV (born October 14, 1978) is an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and actor. An influential figure in contemporary R&B and pop music, he was ranked as one of the greatest pop stars of the 21st century by Billboard. Usher released his self-titled debut album in 1994, at 15. He rose to fame with the release of his second album, My Way (1997), which spawned his first US Billboard Hot 100 number-one single "Nice & Slow", and the top-two singles: the title track and "You Make Me Wanna...".
Usher's third album, 8701 (2001), saw continued success, selling eight million copies and yielding the US number-one singles, "U Remind Me" and "U Got It Bad". His fourth album, Confessions (2004), remains the best-selling album by a Black artist of the 21st century and received a diamond certification from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). It was supported by four consecutive US number-one singles: "Yeah!", "Burn", "Confessions Part II", and "My Boo". After splitting from his manager and mother Jonnetta Patton in 2007, Usher released the album Here I Stand (2008), which spawned the number-one single "Love in This Club". Billboard named him the second-most successful artist of the 2000s, and the number-one Hot 100 artist of the decade.
Usher's sixth album, Raymond v. Raymond (2010), contained his ninth number-one single, "OMG", making him one of the few artists to top the Billboard Hot 100 in three consecutive decades. His debut extended play, Versus (2010), produced the top-five single "DJ Got Us Fallin' in Love". Usher's seventh album, Looking 4 Myself (2012) saw further electronic production and spawned the top-ten single "Scream". He followed it with the albums Hard II Love (2016) and Coming Home (2024). His Super Bowl LVIII halftime show in 2024 drew 123 million viewers within the US.
Usher has sold over 100 million records worldwide, making him one of the best-selling music artists of all time. His accolades include 8 Grammy Awards, 12 Soul Train Music Awards, 8 American Music Awards, 18 Billboard Music Awards, 7 BET Awards (including the BET Lifetime Achievement Award) and a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. He was inducted into the Black Music & Entertainment Walk of Fame in 2021. In 2008, Usher co-founded the record label Raymond-Braun Media Group (RBMG) with Scooter Braun to manage the career of singer Justin Bieber. Outside of music, he founded the charitable non-profit Usher's New Look in 1999, served as a coach on The Voice (2013–2014), and starred in films such as The Faculty (1998), She's All That (1999), Light It Up (1999), In the Mix (2005) and Hands of Stone (2016).
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