Usher Raymond IV is an American R&B singer who has been entertaining audiences since he was a kid.
Gatekeepers News reports that Usher first performed with a group of pre-teens, and then appeared on “Star Search” at age 13. His “Star Search” appearance led to a meeting with L.A. Reid and LaFace Records.
Early Life
Usher Raymond IV was born on October 14, 1978. Born in Texas but raised in Chattanooga, Tennessee, Usher’s mother Jonetta and his father Usher Raymond II recognized his vocal talent at a very early age. They pushed him when he was nine to join the local church choir in Chattanooga. In order to help develop his music career, the family moved the family to Atlanta where Usher began recording professionally and making guest vocal appearances. He attended North Springs High School.
Career
Following a performance on Star Search when Usher was 13, a rep from LaFace Records arranged an audition with the co-founder of the record label. They signed Usher on the spot after he auditioned with Boyz II Men’s “End of the Road.” Usher’s mother left her job in order to manage his career. As he was preparing his debut album, he was going through puberty and experiencing difficulties in adjusting his singing voice. The label put his record on hold and sent Usher to New York in 1994 to live with Puff Daddy as a singing/coaching “camp”. On August 30, 1994, Usher’s self-titled debut album was released. He was just 16 years old. It peaked at No. 25 on the Billboard charts.
Usher’s second album, My Way, was released in September 1997. The lead single “You Make Me Wanna…” reached No. 1 in the U.K. It became his first gold and platinum-certified single in the U.S. “Nice & Slow” peaked at No. 1 in January 1998. The album has been certified six-time platinum. “8701”, Usher’s third album, was released in August 2001 with the leading singles “U Remind Me” and “U GotIt Back” topping the Billboard Hot 100. Usher was awarded a Grammy for Best Male R&B Vocal Performance for “U Remind Me”, and he won the same award the next year for “U Don’t Have to Call”.
“Confessions”, Usher’s fourth album, came out in March 2004. It sold 1.1 million units at its debut, making it the highest first-week numbers ever recorded by a male R&B Artist. The first single “Yeah!” dominated at No. 1 for six weeks. Confessions earned usher tons of awards and accolades, including three Grammy awards.
Usher went on to release five more albums, each to moderate-to-high success but none quite topping his early four: Here I stand (2008), Raymond v. Raymond (2010), Looking 4 Myself), 2016’s Hard II Love, and A from 2019. In 2019, he announced he was working on Confessions II for a 2020 release.
Several of his albums debuted at the number one position on the US Billboard 200 chart. Five of his albums have been certified platinum by the RIAA (My Way, 8701, Confessions, Here I Stand) with Confessions selling over 10 million copies and achieving a diamond certification in the USA. His ten hit number-one singles include U Remind Me (8701), OMG (Raymond v. Raymond), and Yeah! (Confessions), which reached number one across nine countries and became the best-performing single of 2004 in the USA. He continues to wow audiences with his high energy and creative live performances. He is considered by many to be legendary in R&B and has made many top lists of best R&B vocalists of all time. He’s served as an inspiration and influence for a whole new generation of R&B artists. Usher has also enjoyed partnerships and endorsements through the years with big names such as Samsung, Mastercard, and Pepsi, turning him into a household name.
Usher has contributed to many other songs and albums besides his own, having been featured in songs such as How Much (Mariah Carey, Rainbow) Same Girl (R. Kelly, Double Up), and First Dance (Justin Bieber, My World). Among his awards are four American Music Awards, five Grammy Awards, and nineteen Billboard Awards.
Other Ventures
As an actor, Usher has made appearances in many notable titles including Moesha, The Faculty, She’s All That and In the Mix. Usher’s side projects include US Records, which he established, co-ownership of professional basketball team the Cleveland Cavaliers, and co-ownership of Tidal.
RBMG Records
In 2008 Usher and music manager Scooter Braun co-founded a record company called Raymond Braun Media Group, also known as RBMG Records. They created the company in conjunction with Island Def Jam specifically to debut teen singer Justin Bieber. Braun discovered Bieber on YouTube and brought him to Usher in Atlanta for a tryout. Usher then had Justin audition for Island Def Jam honcho LA Reid. A deal was quickly signed.
Philanthropy
Usher founded a non-profit charity that aims to “provide young people with a new look on life through education and real-world experience” called New Look. He’s launched chapters in many major countries across the U.S.
Usher was given the Freedom Award for his work with New Look by the National Civil Rights Museum in Memphis. This award is reserved for people who have worked tirelessly for justice, equality, civil and human rights.
After Hurricane Katrina, he launched Project Restart to help more than 700 families with finding or rebuilding housing. Because of his monumental efforts, Usher was given the key to the city of New Orleans in 2008 and the mayor of the city proclaimed a day in his honor, Usher Day.
He teamed up with other artists in 2015 to donate over $500,000 in scholarships for students attending historically black colleges. He partnered with UNCF to create the Usher Raymond Scholarship Program, where he gave a student a $100,000 scholarship to Tuskegee University.
Personal Life
Usher dated TLC member Chilli Thomas from 2001-2003. He got married to stylist Tameka Foster in 2007. Upon their marriage, he became a stepfather to her three sons from a previous relationship. The couple also has two sons together.
Usher and Foster divorced in 2009 and a highly publicized child custody dispute followed. It was not resolved until 2012, when a judge gave Usher primary custody of their two sons.
Usher married long-time girlfriend and manager Grace Miguel in September 2015. In December 2018, Usher filed for divorce.
In September 2020, it was confirmed that Usher was expecting his third child, with music executive Jenn Goicoechea, whom he reportedly started dating in October 2019. Their daughter was born on September 24, 2020. Usher and Goicoecha welcomed their second child together on September 29, 2021.
What is Usher Net Worth?
Usher has a net worth of $180 million.
