Usher

Usher (or Usher Raymond IV, his full name) and his younger brother were brought up in Chattanooga, Tennessee, by his single mom. At the age of six, he joined the church choir – his mother was the choir leader. The family later moved to Atlanta. As a young teen, with a great singing voice, Usher competed in several talent shows. At one of these competitions he came to the attention of Antonio Reid, a well-known R&B producer. So impressed was Reid with the singer’s voice and performance, that the producer immediately offered a contract.

In 1994, Usher released his self-titled debut album. One track of the album, Think Of You became a minor hit.

After leaving school, Usher focused on writing and recording his second album. Called My Way, 5 of the 9 tracks were composed by the singer himself. One track, You Make Me Wanna, was released early, and achieved amazing success, hovering for a lengthy period in the top 10 of Billboard’s R&B singles chart. The album in turn was released (in 1997) to a highly appreciative audience.

Usher has gone on to record a string of juggernaut albums. 2001 saw the release of 8701, from which came the singles U Remind Me, U Got It Bad, and U Don’t Have To Call. His fourth studio album Confessions (2004), included Yeah!, Burn, and Confessions. Next came Hear I Stand (2008), with the mega popular Love In This Club.