Usher was born on 14 October 1978 in Dallas as Usher Raymond IV. His musical education begins in the gospel choir, as with many R&B stars.
Nine years old
From the age of nine, he regularly takes to the stage, until at fourteen he is discovered by producer Antonio 'L.A.' Reid of LaFace Records, the label that also launched young R&B stars like Brandy and Monica.
Atlanta
By then, he and his family have already been living in Atlanta, Georgia for two years, because according to his mother, he is closer to the action there. She is proven right when he signs a contract with LaFace.
Puff Daddy
Usher is still at high school when his first album is released. Usher is produced by Sean Combs, also known as Puff Daddy. In America, the album is a modest success. As a result, Usher is asked to sing a jingle for Coca Cola, among other things.
My Way
His second album My Way from 1997 brings more international success. The single 'You Make Me Wanna' becomes a top 10 hit in the Netherlands.
Own stamp
In collaboration with hit producers such as Jermaine Dupri, Babyface and Puff Daddy, Usher himself writes six songs. Musically and lyrically, he puts more of his own stamp on the album.
Bad boy image
It also becomes clear that the Bad Boy image does not yet suit him. From then on, the singer is the good boy of the R&B class.
Acting
In addition to his singing and dancing talents, Usher also proves to have acting skills. According to the magazines, he chose a guest role in The Bold And The Beautiful because his mother is a fan of the series. This role in his mother's favourite soap brought him the most recognition in the Netherlands, but he also played guest roles in Moesha and in the horror film The Faculty.
Fourth album
Usher's fourth album, 8701, is named after the year '87 (the year Usher took his first steps on stage) and the year '01 (the year the album was released).
International
For the international market, 8701 also includes a number of bonus tracks, such as 'Pop Ya Collar', which became a hit especially in England, but did not perform as well in the Netherlands as the single 'U Remind Me'.
P. Diddy
The collaboration with Sean 'P. Diddy' Combs bore fruit again in 2002 when they stormed the charts together with 'I Need A Girl'.
More mature
Usher profiles himself less and less as the youngest in the charts. His maturity is evident not only from the frequently shown six-pack in clips, but also from his relationship with TLC singer Rozonda 'Chilli' Thomas and his feud with Sisqo.
Musical turnaround
All this does not really result in a musical turnaround, because even on the album 8701 and in the collaboration with P Diddy, the sexy ballads predominate. However, from the 21st century onwards, the sultry repertoire is performed by a mature R&B star and no longer by the teen pop idol of the nineties.
Top 2000
In the 23rd edition of the Top 2000, there are no longer any entries for Usher. If you want to give him a place, go to our Top 2000 inspiration list on Spotify.
Sunday Morning Classic
On Sunday 6 November 2022, it kicked off at De Platenbar, Usher was our Sunday Morning Classic that morning.
Slowly but surely, Usher has managed to become one of the biggest male R&B stars of the noughties. With some strong singles, excellent vocal skills and not least his flashy dance moves, he is the main competitor for Justin Timberlake as the potential successor to Michael Jackson. On his fourth album 'Confessions' from 2003, Usher shows that he has truly outgrown his teen star image (his debut album was released when he was 15) and has matured. Although the 'parental advisory' sticker is missing, the songs are full of sexual innuendo and the title track refers to his much-discussed (alleged?) unwanted fatherhood. The best track on 'Confessions' is undoubtedly the sublime single 'Yeah!', produced by Lil' Jon, with a minimalist synthesiser melody and guest raps from Ludacris. Although not everything reaches the same level as this single, Usher has once again made a top R&B album with 'Confessions'.
The original release date was set for 30 March 2003, but was later brought forward by a week. Usher told MTV that he was inspired by Augustine of Hippo for the album. There had to be a more personal atmosphere on the CD.
The single Yeah! is placed last on the CD. After recording all the songs, Usher and the production team decided that a lead single was needed to be released first. That is why they enlisted the help of Lil' Jon. With him, Yeah! was created, a song in the crunk style. The single Throwback contains a sample of a song by Dionne Warwick from 1973. Besides Yeah!, the following singles were released: Burn, Confessions Part II, My Boo (with Alicia Keys) and Caught Up.
Special Edition
The Special Edition is a re-released version of Confessions. It was released on 5 October 2004 and contains four new songs (My Boo, Red Light, Seduction and Confessions Part II Remix). This Special Edition debuted at number 2 on the Billboard 200. The single My Boo, a duet with R&B singer Alicia Keys, reached number 1 on the Billboard Hot 100. The remix of Confessions Part II is a collaboration with rappers Shyne, Twista and Kanye West. In addition to the bonus tracks, the Special Edition also contains photos and a poster, combined with a personal letter from Usher.
The album was a great success: number 1 in the United States and more than 13 million records sold worldwide. This makes Confessions currently Usher's best-selling album.
Source: NPO and Wikipedia Photo: Loren Wohl and D.roller.saparena
