The Transformation Of Usher

For decades, R&B legend Usher has been dominating the music industry with his smooth vocals and sensual ballads. Since releasing his first album at the tender age of 16, the singer and songwriter has continued to release critically acclaimed albums and chart-topping songs. Clubs around the world continue to play his iconic hits like "Yeah" and "DJ Got Us Falling in Love" years after they were released.

With a whopping eight Grammy Awards and eight American Music Awards, Usher has earned his nickname as "the king of R&B." But as the artist himself told "The Shade Room, he's more than that. "If I confine myself to just being a King of R&B, that would be too short-sighted," he said. "I love R&B — R&B is a segue to [so many] things." Usher's other accomplishments include performing on Broadway, acting in several films and TV shows, appearing as a judge of "The Voice," and starting his own charitable foundation.

So, how did Usher go from a kid performing in talent shows to one of the most successful artists of all time? We're breaking it all down.

Usher Terry Raymond IV was born October 14, 1978, in Dallas Texas, but grew up in Chattanooga, Tennessee. His father left when he was only a year old, and he was raised by his mother, Jonetta Patton, and later, his step-father. When he was 6 years old, Usher started singing in his local church choir, which was directed by his mother. Impressed by her son's vocal talent, Patton enrolled her son in an R&B quintet, NuBeginnings, some four years later. However, Patton removed Usher from the group and relocated the family to Atlanta, convinced a big city would offer better opportunities for his career.

Usher credits his mother as the driving force behind his career. "I'm a dreamer, so I was 7 and I thought I was a superstar already," Usher said in an interview with Grant Cardone (via Yahoo! Finance). "The type of ambition that was required for me to be the type of entertainer that I am, it was in the spirit of my mother, first and foremost." 

After moving to Atlanta, Usher started performing in local talent shows under the guidance of his mother. It was there that he met A.J. Alexander, who was Bobby Brown's bodyguard at the time. Alexander took the young talent under his wing and mentored him, urging him to continue performing in talent shows and parking lots.

When he was 13 years old, Usher competed on the talent show "Star Search," where he held a note for 12 seconds — the longest time recorded by a child. Though he didn't win the competition, his performance impressed an A&R representative for LaFace Records, who was invited to the show by Alexander. The label's cofounder, L.A. Reid, went on to sign Usher after hearing him sing a cover of Boyz II Men's "End of the Road". 

It was also Reid who convinced 14-year-old Usher to drop the nickname he was using at the time, "Cha-Cha," and go by his first name instead. "I think at the point that's when I all of a sudden had my blinders come open," Usher said. "Yes, my [ambition] was there, but at that moment it was like 'Wait a minute I'm the only one of myself.'"

In 1993, Usher recorded his first single "Call Me a Mack," which was featured in the film "Poetic Justice." At the time, Usher's voice was experiencing changes due to puberty, so producer L.A. Reid wanted to drop him from the label. "Then someone said to me, 'Don't be a fool. Don't sell your stock in Usher. He's still going to be a star. He's everything you thought he was the day you signed him,'" Reid revealed to The Hollywood Reporter. That someone was Sean 'Diddy' Combs, Reid confirmed.

In 1994, 16-year-old Usher released his first album, self-titled "Usher," which was coproduced by Diddy and Reid. The album was not a huge success, but Usher's second album, "My Way," released in 1997, was. With hit singles like "Nice & Slow" and "You Make Me Wanna," the album established Usher as a rising R&B star to watch.

Usher's success and the name of the album came from his insistence on making the kind of music he wanted. "See, they wanted him to be this bad boy image. Usher's not a bad boy. ... It didn't work. So Usher said, 'I'm gonna do it my way,' and that's basically what we did," Usher's mom explained on the OWN series "Behind Every Man" (via Yahoo). Speaking about the iconic album, Usher told Complex, "It's not until you finally grab the bull by the horns and go after your own creative and ambitious ideas that you begin to give people something that is truly authentic to who you are."

These days, Usher's name is about as synonymous with philanthropy as it is with music. In 1999, he and his mother founded a nonprofit organization, "Usher's New Look," with the mission of empowering underprivileged kids and setting them up to reach their full potential. With mentorship and leadership programs, the foundation assists children in completing high school and tertiary education, finding their purpose and drive, building careers, and serving their communities. As of this writing, the foundation says it has impacted the lives of over 50,000 children. 

Speaking at the 2023 Usher's New Look Disruptivator Summit: Be Your Own SuperHero, Usher said, "What we want to do is to encourage young men and women who are being disruptive in a positive way. These young 'disruptivators' — as I branded them — are changing their community, and also, too, being thought leaders for people to recognize things that need to be noticed, or either things that need to be highlighted" (via Essence).

In 2001, Usher released his third studio album, "8701," which reached levels of unprecedented success. "8701" reached No. 4 on the Billboard 200 albums chart and sold 8 million copies worldwide. The album blessed us with iconic hits like "U Remind Me" and "U Got It Bad", which both climbed to the No. 1 spot on the Billboard Hot 100. The album was certified 4x platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America. 

"8701" also earned Usher his first Grammy Award. In February 2002, he received the award for Best Male R&B Vocal Performance for his song "U Remind Me." The following year, he received the same award for a different song on "8701", this time "U Don't Have To Call."  At the time, it made Usher one of the few artists to win that specific award back to back, putting him in the company of Stevie Wonder and Luther Vandross. 

In 2004, Usher released the album that would skyrocket his career and cement his status as an R&B legend. The album, "Confessions," sold 20 million copies worldwide and was certified diamond, debuting at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart. "Confessions" features iconic hits that are still played on radios and dance floors decades later, like the titular track "Confessions," "My Boo" featuring Alicia Keys, and "Yeah" featuring Ludacris and Lil Jon, which Billboard named the Hot 100 Single of the Year. "We all knew it was gonna be a huge record, but we had no idea it would be this huge," he revealed in an interview with BET in 2004.

Thanks to "Confessions," Usher was awarded three Grammys, four American Music Awards, and two MTV Video Music Awards. "Confessions is by far one of the greatest albums I've had in my career ... selling 1.1 million units in the 1st week," Usher revealed in an Instagram post.

The song "Confessions" centers around a man getting a woman pregnant while in a relationship with someone else. While some fans thought the track may have been inspired by his real-life experience, the singer confirmed that wasn't the case. "This is artistic creativity, so it's metaphoric ways of explaining situations," he told BET. Rather, he was inspired by the experiences that people around him were going through. "This album projected real talk. It was about real situations that happen in life, not hiding anything." However, he clarified for the audience: "No, I don't have a child."

Is there anything Usher can't do? In 2006, the award-winning singer swapped the recording studio for the Broadway stage when he landed the lead role of conniving lawyer Billy Flynn in the Tony-award-winning musical "Chicago."

"I have always admired Broadway actors for their showmanship, dedication, and focus that goes into performing live on stage every night," Usher said in a statement at the time (via Playbill). "Being on Broadway allows you to connect to audiences in a whole new way that's different from music and movies."

Playbill reported that ticket sales rose by 30% following Usher's casting. Unfortunately, though, Usher's time on Broadway was short-lived. A throat infection forced him to bow out during the final week of his two-month stint, much to the dismay of his fans who bought tickets just to see him. "Usher made a spectacular Broadway debut, bringing a great dedication, work ethic, and his amazing talent to the show. ... Usher has found a new home on Broadway and is welcome back anytime," the show's producer, Barry Weissler, told Today. As of this writing, Usher has yet to return to the stage.

Usher is a proud father of four. In 2007, he welcomed his first child, Usher "Cinco" Raymond V, with his then-wife Tameka Foster. In 2008, Usher and Foster welcomed a second son, Naviyd Ely. Speaking to Essence that year, Usher reflected on his own father, acknowledging that due to his absentee dad, he missed out on "knowing that I was accepted. That I mattered. And hearing that he cared enough to put me before himself."

Usher ultimately filed for divorce in 2009 and began dating Jenn Goicoechea a decade later. In September 2020, Usher and Goicoechea welcomed a daughter, Sovereign Bo. Speaking to
"Good Morning America," the R&B star expressed his joy at being a "girl dad." "I'm even changing my colors; I'm wearing pink and cool stuff like that," he said. In September 2021, the couple welcomed a second child — Usher's third son — Sire Castrello.

While it's obvious Usher is enamored by his children, they don't seem to love his music. "I do wish that my kids listened to my music more," he admitted to "Good Morning America." "My second son, Naviyd, actually is the one who listens to my music more than anything. Usher, he doesn't care. Sovereign, she just likes me to sing to her."

We can all agree that 2010 was the year of Usher. In fact, if we had to create a soundtrack for that year, it would consist mostly of his songs. It would've been difficult to find a dance floor not playing his song "DJ Got Us Fallin' In Love," featuring Pitbull. Usher's smash hit, "OMG," featuring will.i.am, was named MTV News' No. 1 Song Of 2010. Usher also teamed up with his protege Justin Bieber for the banger "'Somebody To Love", finally giving the world the duet they'd been waiting for.

That year, Usher's album "Raymond v. Raymond" became his third consecutive No. 1 album. The singer won two Grammy Awards – one for Best Contemporary R&B Album and one for Best Male R&B Vocal Performance. Usher also embarked on his "OMG" Tour across North America, Asia, Europe, and Australia." In late spring 2010, you could even find him on the big screen as he made a cameo in the action-comedy film "Killers," starring Ashton Kutcher and Katherine Heigl.

From discovering Justin Bieber to helping disadvantaged youth reach their full potential through his foundation, Usher has always demonstrated a passion for nurturing young talent. That's what made him the perfect choice to be a judge and mentor on NBC's singing competition, "The Voice." Usher joined the show during its fourth season alongside fellow coaches Shakira, Adam Levine, and Blake Shelton.

One of Usher's contestants, Michelle Chamuel, made it to the finale before losing out to Blake Shelton's Danielle Bradbury. Despite not winning, Chamuel praised Usher's coaching style. "Usher helped me bring out more finesse and attention to certain details," she told The Hollywood Reporter. She continued, saying, "He has more patience and vision for what the entirety of a performance will look like."

Usher returned to the show for Season 6 in 2014, where he coached Josh Kaufman who went on to win the competition and make history as the oldest contestant to do so.

From Elvis Presley to Britney Spears, some of the world's most iconic music stars have headlined residencies in Las Vegas. In 2021, Usher joined that exclusive list. The singer started his Vegas residency on July 16 at the Colosseum at Caesars Palace — a venue seating over 4,000 people — where he performed classic hits and new music alike. "The vibe of Las Vegas is everything on steroids — the best clubs, the best shows, the best food, all of it. To finally be able to get this opportunity, to share myself and also to share my history with my audience, I can't wait for it," Usher told Rolling Stone.

Ticket prices started as low as $59 and ranged to over $1,000 for meet-and-greets, with proceeds from each sale going towards Usher's New Look foundation. "Every time that I've done anything, I always try my hardest to intertwine for-profit and for-purpose at the same time, and this is an opportunity for me to do," he told the publication.

Usher returned to Vegas in 2022 for another residency, this time at the Dolby Theater. In December 2023 — after 100 shows — his residency came to a tear-filled end. "God bless you, I love you," he told the audience.

You can add doctor to Usher's list of titles (yes, really). In 2023, Berklee College of Music awarded Usher an honorary doctorate degree for his contributions to music and philanthropy. Usher shared pictures of himself proudly posing in a cap and gown on Instagram, writing, "Thank you [Berklee College] for honoring me and presenting me with a Doctor of Music degree. I'm so grateful for this opportunity to share a message to the next generation of artists, producers, vocalists, arrangers, dancers, and more."

During his speech, the singer explained that inspiring people through music was always his goal and that he's proud of the legacy he's built. "Keep running past that finish line, break the barriers, identify that spark in you that motivates you to keep going, and don't expect everything to be perfect and run smoothly," Usher told the class of 2023. "Brace yourself for a bumpy road in life because that's the process." He reminded students that his first album wasn't a success; achieving great success takes time and patience. "Imagine if I had stopped making music at that point," he mused. 

The Super Bowl may be a sporting competition, but many people tune in not to see their favorite team win but to watch the riveting half-time show. In September 2023, it was announced that Usher would headline the halftime show of Super Bowl LVIII in 2024. He follows in the footsteps of other music legends like Michael Jackson, Lady Gaga, and Rihanna. "It's an honor of a lifetime to finally check a Super Bowl performance off my bucket list," Raymond said in a statement provided to The New York Times. "I can't wait to bring the world a show unlike anything else they've seen from me before. Thank you to the fans and everyone who made this opportunity happen."

Following the big announcement, rapper Jay Z praised the "Confessions" singer. "Beyond his flawless singing and exceptional choreography, Usher bares his soul. ... I can't wait to see the magic," he said in a statement provided to the outlet. The 58th Super Bowl will be held on February 11 at the Allegiant Stadium in Vegas for the first time in the game's history.