Usher Raymond IV (born October 14, 1978) is an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and actor, known for his influence on contemporary R&B and pop music. He released his self-titled debut album, "Usher," in 1994 at the age of 15, and rose to prominence with his second album, "My Way" (1997), which produced his first US Billboard Hot 100 number-one single, "Nice & Slow," as well as the top-two singles "My Way" and "You Make Me Wanna...". His third album, "8701" (2001), sold eight million copies and included the US number-one singles "U Remind Me" and "U Got It Bad." The fourth album, "Confessions" (2004), debuted with over one million copies sold in its first week and was supported by four consecutive US number-one singles: "Yeah!", "Burn", "Confessions Part II", and "My Boo." "Confessions" sold more than 15 million copies worldwide and received a diamond certification from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). After parting ways with his manager and mother Jonnetta Patton in 2007, Usher released "Here I Stand" (2008), which included the number-one single "Love in This Club." Billboard ranked him as the second most successful artist of the decade, the number-one Hot 100 artist of the decade, and named "Confessions" the top solo album of the decade. Usher's sixth album, "Raymond v. Raymond" (2010), produced his ninth number-one single, "OMG," making him one of the few artists to achieve Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles across three consecutive decades. His debut extended play, "Versus" (2010), included the top-five single "DJ Got Us Fallin' in Love." His seventh album, "Looking 4 Myself" (2012), featured more electronic production and the top-ten single "Scream." He later released "Hard II Love" (2016) and "Coming Home" (2024). Usher performed the Super Bowl LVIII halftime show in 2024, attracting 123 million viewers in the United States. Usher has sold over 100 million records worldwide, ranking him among the best-selling music artists of all time. Billboard listed him among the Greatest Pop Stars of the 21st Century. His awards include eight Grammy Awards, twelve Soul Train Music Awards, eight American Music Awards, eighteen Billboard Music Awards, seven BET Awards (including the BET Lifetime Achievement Award), and a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. He was inducted into the Black Music & Entertainment Walk of Fame in 2021. In 2008, he co-founded the record label Raymond-Braun Media Group (RBMG) with Scooter Braun to manage the career of Justin Bieber. Outside of music, Usher founded the charitable non-profit Usher’s New Look in 1999, served as a coach on "The Voice" (2013–2014), and acted in films including "The Faculty" (1998), "She's All That" (1999), "Light It Up" (1999), "In the Mix" (2005), and "Hands of Stone" (2016). Full Wikipedia article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Usher_(musician) Studio albums 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) . User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.