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Usher's Biography

Facts:
Name: Usher Raymond
Born: October 14, 1979
Brithplace: Chattanooga, Tennessee
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. 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, he 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. 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.