Usher (musician)

**Usher Raymond IV** (born October 14, 1978) is an American singer, songwriter and dancer. He became well known in the late 1990s with the release of his second album _My Way_ (1997). The album's single "Nice & Slow" reached number one on the US _Billboard_ Hot 100 chart. In 2000, _My Way_ was given a 6x platinum certification by the RIAA for sales of 6 million copies in the United States alone.  His next album, _8701_, released two number one singles. These include "U Remind Me" and "U Got It Bad". _8701_ was given a 4× Platinum certification by the RIAA in July 2002.

_Confessions_ (2004) sold over 10 million copies in the United States. It was given a Diamond award by the RIAA in 2008. At 1.1 million, _Confessions_ has the highest first week sales for an R&B singer in history. The album had four number one _Billboard_ singles. These include "Yeah!", "Burn", "Confessions Part II", and "My Boo". Usher's next album, _Here I Stand_ (2008), sold over 5 million copies worldwide. The lead single, "Love in This Club" reached number one on the Hot 100 chart.

Two years later, Usher released his sixth album _Raymond v. Raymond_ (2010). It became his third album to debut at number one on the _Billboard_ 200 chart. It was then certified platinum by the RIAA. Its single "OMG" reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100, becoming Usher's ninth number one single in the United States. Because of this, he became the first 2010s artist to have number one singles in three consecutive decades (1990s, 2000s, and 2010s). _Versus_ (2010) was released as an extended play and a deluxe edition of _Raymond v. Raymond_. It debuted at number four on the _Billboard_ 200 chart. "DJ Got Us Fallin' in Love", a single from the album, reached number four on the Hot 100 chart.

According to RIAA, Usher is one of the best-selling artists in American music history. He has sold over 23 million albums in the United States alone and over 65 million albums worldwide. This makes him one of the best-selling music artists of all time. Usher has won a lot of awards. These include eight Grammy Awards. According to _Billboard_ in 2009, Usher was named the number one Hot 100 artist of the 2000s. While they ranked him second for the most successful artist of the 2000s. His 2004 album _Confessions_ was ranked at the top solo album of the 2000s. _Billboard_ also placed Usher at number six on their list of Top 50 R&B/Hip-Hop Artist of the Past 25 Years. Usher has nine Hot 100 number one songs (as lead artist). He also has eighteen Hot 100 top-ten songs.

Usher was the halftime performer for Super Bowl 58 on February 11, 2024. His show featured guest performances from Jermaine Dupri, Alicia Keys, Lil Jon, Ludacris, H.E.R., and will.i.am.
Usher’s halftime show broke records.

## Discography

- _Usher_ (1994)
- _My Way_ (1997)
- _8701_ (2001)
- _Confessions_ (2004)
- _Here I Stand_ (2008)
- _Raymond v. Raymond_ (2010)
- _Looking 4 Myself_ (2012)
- _Hard II Love_ (2016)
- _Coming Home_ (2024)

## Other websites

- [ Usher] at Billboard.com

## Infobox (musical artist)

- **embed**: yes
- **background**: solo_singer
- **origin**: Atlanta, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia, U.S.


## Infobox (person)

- **name**: Usher
- **image**: Usher Cannes 2016 retusche.jpg
- **caption**: Usher at the 2016 Cannes Film Festival
- **birth name**: Usher Raymond IV
- **birth place**: Dallas, Texas, U.S.
- **education**: North Springs Charter School of Arts and Sciences, North Springs Charter School
- **organization**: Usher's New Look
- **years active**: 1993–present
- **television**: _The Voice (TV series), The Voice_
- **children**: 4
- **parents**: Usher Raymond III
Jonetta Patton
- **awards**: List of awards and nominations received by Usher, Full list
- **spouse**:

- **partner**: Rozonda Thomas
(2001–2003)

Shantella Whitaker
(2004- present)