Usher raymond biography wikipedia

The couple married on August 3rd in a civil ceremony in Atlanta of the same year. November and Naviyd Ely Raymond, b. After spending three years together, Usher filed for divorce in June in Atlanta, which was finalized in Fulton County Court on November 4, Usher tied the know with his long-time girlfriend Grace Miguel in September while vacationing in Cuba.

In Marchthey ended their nine years relationship pre-and-post wedding and it was mutual. Following their separation, he filed for a divorce from his ex-wife Miguel on December 28, At age 13, he performed on the television show Star Search which led to a recording deal with LaFace Records. The singles "Yeah," "Burn," and "Confessions, Part 2" were especially popular, riding at the number-one spot in succession, making Usher the artist with the most weeks at No.

Confessions became the year's best-selling album. Usher rereleased it with four new tracks, including a duet with Alicia Keys that became a hit. He said of his own album, "When you go back and read through the lyrics it means something, it says something. Thinking outside the box, and yet still making yourself available to a hip-hip nation.

I listen to what the streets are saying. Usher further commercialized himself by launching the first-ever celebrity debit cardbacked by Bankfirst.

Usher raymond biography wikipedia: In , Usher released Raymond v.

It gave users discounts on Usher merchandise, and was targeted to his young fans, many of whom either did not qualify for a credit card or did not have a checking account. He initially told Chappell in Ebony simply that they grew apart: "She wanted things and was moving in a direction, and I wanted things and was moving in a different direction, and we were unable to both compromise and meet each other halfway.

As a result, he said, there was little chance that they would ever get back together; they had not spoken since the breakup. In August ofUsher began a city tour, traveling in a foot bus outfitted with a television, DVD player, CD player, and a laptop computer, as well as five beds and a shower. Of his musical and financial success, he told a People reporter on the second day of the tour, "I don't believe in good luck, I believe in blessings.

L2; December 31,p. L21; July 30, If Usher's self-titled debut album wasn't embraced universally by critics, the enormous commercial success of Usher made the recording an auspicious beginning, and the fact that the singer was a mere 16 years old at the time of its release only redoubles its impressiveness. Setting his sights upon acquiring a range of talents, Usher had concentrated on honing his vocal skills and songwriting, and even began to dabble as an actor in several television series, including Moesha, opposite singer Brandy, and in films such as The Faculty and the Western Texas Rangers.

By the early s, Usher was ready to put all his talents together in an enterprise of hitmaking at a new level. Although left without a father, Usher never lacked the positive influence of a nurturing, supportive extended family of cousins, uncles, and his mother Vanessa, who would later assume the role of Usher's manager. However, Usher claims that an encounter with the hit single "I Want You Back" by the Jackson 5 was perhaps his first impetus towards a passion for singing.

Conscious of her son's budding talents, Vanessa Raymond sought to give Usher a high profile by entering him in a number of talent competitions. Within a year, Usher had scored heavily on the nationally televised Star Search program, a victory which prompted a scout for the LaFace label to tap the young crooner for an audition with producer L. With little hesitation, Reid signed Usher onto the LaFace roster to begin recording a full-length album with co-producer Sean "Puffy" Combs and several other technicians.

Bythe fruit of Combs and Usher's studio sessions was released under the straightforward title Usher, to little critical fanfare. Still, while Usher 's 14 tracks ultimately proved to be at best a training ground for the singer's emerging style, the album produced a gold-selling single, "Think of You," which gained the favor of international audiences.

Before embarking upon his second full-length release, Usher kept to the task of refining his performance range and also found time to lend his talents to several small projects. Taking advantage of Usher's already evident following of young listeners, the Coca Cola company chose his voice to deliver its jingle for the holiday season.

In addition, Usher collaborated with a number of vocalists to create the ad hoc outfit Black Men United, who harmonized on a track made expressly for the soundtrack for the film Jason's Lyric. To round out this busy schedule, which at that time still included schoolwork, Usher took his first steps in learning the craft of songwriting, hoping to add to his portfolio as a maturing entertainer.

The first of Usher's efforts at tunesmithery could not have been any more encouraging. Co-written with Jermaine Dupria producer affiliated with the So So Def label, Usher's single "You Make Me Wanna" rocketed up the Billboard magazine sales charts, peaking at the number one position, where it remained for 11 consecutive weeks. In the wake of such massive popularity, the release of Usher's second album was to be a highly anticipated event for a growing base of fans, and as its eventual triple platinum-selling status would testify, My Way was up to the challenge.

Benefiting from the talents of several of the recording industry's most lucrative producers, including L. Reid and Babyface, Usher's usher raymond biography wikipedia album was a more diverse affair than his debut outing. Out of My Way 's nine tracks, six were penned by Usher along with Dupri, with whom Usher developed a strong working relationship.

Released debut album Usher with producer Sean "Puffy" Combs, ; "Dreamin'," for LaFace Records' Olympics album Rhythm of the Games, ; released multi-platinum sophomore album My Way, ; began acting career as member of series Moesha, ; kicked off world tour with "Puffy" Combs on his No Way Out lineup; appeared in film The Faculty, ; issued Live album, ; issued All About U album, ; signed usher raymond biography wikipedia Arista label; issued album, ; issued Confessions album, Despite a solid vote of endorsement from millions of listeners, Usher's relationship with the critics did not consistently improve.

The review for My Way that appeared in Rolling Stone was mixed at best. While Rolling Stone could not deny the infectiousness of "You Make Me Wanna," the album's opener, they found little else to recommend the album, writing that "Usher's voice lacks the force and nuance to make up for the thin, synthetic quality of the backing tracks.

And you know there's a problem with the songwriting when you see the word hook plastered over the choruses in the lyric booklet. As Usher's stature grew, so did the demand for his multiple talents. Proving again that he was more than simply a studio musician, Usher fully roused an audience at the legendary Apollo theater in Harlem, New York in a much-touted performance.

It's like, 'Damn! I think I'm a superstar. Nor did Usher's confidence stop at performing music, as his debut as an actor on the television series Moesha showed. After landing the supporting role of Jeremy, opposite the title role played by teenage singing sensation Brandy Norwood, Usher coolly told Jet magazine that despite any formal training, "I'm a natural.

At the turn ofUsher's career seemed to be on an unstoppable upward trajectory, and not solely on the basis of consistently solid record sales. In addition, Usher's inaugural efforts as an actor resulted in a brief stint on the daytime soap opera The Bold and the Beautiful, as well as in an invitation to the big screen as an actor in a spoof horror film, The Faculty.

Pegged by Essence magazine as one of a new "hot generation" of stars marked by youth and unshakable positiveness, Usher continued to sharpen his skills and widen his sights. Hopefully, it'll have longevity. That's my goal. Part of Usher's appeal was his ability to connect with listeners of various ages. He had a powerful voice shaped by early exposure to passion-drenched vocalists of the s such as Donny Hathaway and, especially, Marvin Gaye ; a sweaty club audience of over dancers would hear an unmistakbly sexy streak in his singing.

He's got this innocent thing about him that makes you like him instantly. Usher also took care to hone his physical image, working out with weights so that he could show off his buff physique on stage and dressing in European designer clothes. Usher's albumhis first for the Arista label, spawned several big hits, including the Grammy-winning and chart-topping ballad "U Remind Me.

The year also saw Usher appear in the Western-themed film Texas Rangers. He added horseback riding to his range of talents, confidently asserting that he could ride a horse at the audition even though he had never ridden one before. With his album Confessions, Usher broke through to yet another new level. The infectious appeal of his new music was telegraphed by the success of the single "Yeah!

The central eight-note synthesizer keyboard motif of that song was a constant on top 40 radio in the spring ofwith a guest appearance by top rapper Ludacris helping boost the tune's profile. No less pervasive was the album's ballad entry "Burn," released to radio as the album's second single. Confessions sold 1. If any measure of Usher's rank as an A-level celebrity was needed, one had only to turn to newspaper gossip pages, where Usher's breakup with Rozonda "Chilli" Thomas, formerly of the vocal group TLC, was chronicled.

The breakup left Usher one of America's most eligible single men. Halle BerryI understand. I will listen to you! Frentner, Sean; Manheim, James " Usher. Frentner, Sean; Manheim, James "Usher. With his natural good looks and personal presence that set him apart from the pack, Usher has risen from genuine teen idol to mature pop star.

Usher has to travel with bodyguards to hold back the throngs of screaming adolescent females. At the century's end, Usher built on his teenage success, thanks to what People described as his "sculpted pecs, six-pack abs, and come-hither croon," to launch a successful acting career and media empire that will fuel his meteoric rise in the entertainment industry.

His father, despite the long continuity of male family lineage implied by the fourth generation of the "Usher" name, abandoned his family. He split when I was born," he continued. Ironically, it was a song recorded eight years before he was born, the Jackson 5's "I Want You Back," that first caught the youngster's attention and made him think about singing himself.

Then she nurtured his competitive instincts by entering him in talent contests, and Usher justified his mother's confidence by winning many of them.

Usher raymond biography wikipedia: Usher Raymond IV (born October 14,

Usher's signing fell during the rise to prominence of Sean "Puffy" Combs, the famed hip-hop impresario and producer who played a key role in the successful marketing of the "gangsta" rap style and later emerged as a multi-platinum-selling artist in his own right. Usher spent a year under Combs's tutelage, and the relationship between the two young men was not always a harmonious one.

Sales of Usherthe self-titled Combs-produced debut CD, though modest, did yield one gold-selling hit single, "Think of You," and Usher was on his way. Part of Usher's effort to take control of his career was a new emphasis on writing his own songs, and Dupri had the sense to partner with his young new charge in this enterprise. On top of the music world, Usher took the opportunity to enjoy the fruits of his success, repaying his mother's long years of investment in his career she remains his manager with a new Mercedes automobile and a Cartier watch.

Usher had already made his acting debut with a stint of several episodes on the television series Moesha and Promised Land. For his first film project, he would choose a different kind of teen setting. Usher astutely zeroed in on the horror genre, largely an untapped field for black performers but tremendously popular among young people of all races.

In late he made his debut in The Facultyplaying a high school football star possessed by aliens. It was a measure of Usher's appeal that he was played prominently in these ads, and he wrangled with Hilfiger over the use of his image. After two years of marriage, they announced their separation in March The next September, the pair had their second child together, whose name is Sire Castrello.

The Biography. We have worked as daily newspaper reporters, major national magazine editors, and as editors-in-chief of regional media publications. Among our ranks are book authors and award-winning journalists. Our staff also works with freelance writers, researchers, and other contributors to produce the smart, compelling profiles and articles you see on our site.

Colin McEvoy joined the Biography. He is also an avid film buff, reader, and lover of great stories. Prince Harry. Kate Middleton, Princess of Wales. Jimmy Carter. Aaron Judge. Dolly Parton. Michael J. Alec Baldwin. Tyler Childers. Page Talk. Read Change Change source View history. Tools Tools. In other projects. Wikimedia Commons Wikidata item.

Usher at the Cannes Film Festival. Usher Raymond IV [ 1 ] [ 2 ]. DallasTexas, U. Singer songwriter dancer actor businessman. Tameka Foster. Grace Miguel. Jennifer Goicoechea.

Usher raymond biography wikipedia: Usher Raymond IV (born October

Discography [ change change source ]. References [ change change source ]. Retrieved September 13, Entertainment Weekly. October 12—19,