Usher Raymond
Usher was born in Dallas and performed since childhood with dance numbers, imitating Michael Jackson. He became a prominent dancer after
his family moved to Atlanta and in 1993 signed a contract with the fashion label LaFace Records. Executive producer of the first album
( «Usher», 1994) became rapper Sean Combs. This CD,however, did not impress the audience: It was a bit strange to hear the
sentence of the heavy burden of life from the mouth of a teenager.
Usher becomes true celebrity in 1997 with the release of a second album «My Way». The first single, «You Make Me Wanna», stormed the tops of the world and has long kept second place in the United States. At the beginning of the year 1998, an excessively slow ballad «Nice and Slow» climbs into the first place of the charts. On a wave of success Usher took part in the shooting of the series «The Bold and the Beautiful» and in several projects of Disney.
After four years a new album «All About You» was ready for release. The cold greeting of the overseas audience disappointed producers who reviewed part of the material for the American premiere, and besides the disc name was changed into «8701». This time they placed their bets on the slow ballads «U Remind Me» and «U Got It Bad», perfect - as the advertising booklet said - to accompany the romantic dates.
In March 2004, was released the fourth album of Usher - «Confessions». Its success exceeded all expectations - in two years over 15 million copies were sold, and four tracks from the album led the Billboard Hot 100 for the greater half of the year. The most sold single of the year was the first release from the album, «Yeah!», Which was held on the top charts for almost three months. At Christmas Usher was again at the top of the American charts - this time with a nostalgic song «My Boo», recorded in duet with Alicia Keys.
During the next year 2005, Usher moved to the Broadway stage, but his performances in musical «Chicago» aroused ambivalent reactions. Most critics have appreciated his dancing and musical numbers, but kept the skepticism about the acting abilities of the artist.
In 2008, releases the next album of Usher «Here I Stand». Two singles from it - «Love In This Club» and «Moving Mountains» - get into the Billboard Hot 100. «Love In This Club» heads the chart for four weeks, and the album rises to the most top of the Billboard 200 in one week.
