Usher Raymond Biography

Usher Raymond was born, 14 October 1978, Chattanooga, Tennessee, USA. Drawn from LaFace Records' seemingly inexhaustible wellspring of young R&B acts, Usher is one of the few who can boast of real star quality and staying power. Indeed, after the release of his self-titled debut in 1994, there seemed to be a danger that he would become better known as a face rather than a musical talent. He appeared on The Oprah Winfrey Show and also performed at the American Music Awards as part of the all-star recording collaboration Black Men United. However, sales of his Sean "Puffy" Combs -produced debut were a little disappointing at just over a quarter of a million, though it did spawn the hit single "Think Of You". As a consequence, Usher took creative control over the production of the US Top 10 follow-up My Way , although he did enlist Jermaine Dupri , Teddy Riley and Babyface as co-writers and co-producers. The first single to be taken from the album, "You Make Me Wanna", was typical of the smooth ballads on offer. More unusual was the experimental, hip-hop-styled "Nice 'N' Slow", a US chart-topper in March 1998. The album also included a remake of Midnight Star's "Slow Jam", featuring fellow teenage R&B star Monica . The title track climbed to US number 2 in August 1998.

A live album was issued as a stopgap while the singer recorded new material and initiated a successful acting career, appearing in the television series Moesha and the movies The Faculty and She's All That . His 2000 comeback single "Pop Ya Collar", co-written with husband-and-wife team Kevin She'kspere Briggs and Kandi , was a surprising failure in America. Usher was more successful in the UK, where the single debuted at number 2 in February 2001. He returned to the top of the US charts in July with "U Remind Me", which premiered the transatlantic hit album 8701 . The single "U Got It Bad" also reached the number 1 position in 2002, and helped complete the transition from teen pop star to R&B bestseller.

Usher the Actor

Usher's only interest isn't singing. He's also tried his hand at acting with some pretty neat flicks. Usher has appeared in The Faculty and Light It Up, as well as the cowboy movie Texas Rangers with Ashton Kutcher.

 

Trivia

chosen as one of Teen People Magazine's "21 Hottest Stars Under 21" [1999]

An R&B/Rap Professional Performing Singer

Dating Rozonda "Chilli" Thomas of the R&B group TLC. [2001]

Attended North Springs High School in Sandy Springs, Georgia.

Broke up with Rozonda "Chilli" Thomas (2004)