Usher

CTL-E-5338 · Person · musician · 1994–present

VERIFIED evidence grade of this record

Usher (born Usher Terry Raymond IV on October 14, 1978, in Dallas, Texas, and raised in Chattanooga, Tennessee, and Atlanta, Georgia) is an American singer, dancer, and entertainer who helped define mainstream R&B from the late 1990s onward. Signed to LaFace Records as a teenager, he released his self-titled debut in 1994 and broke through with My Way (1997) and 8701 (2001). His fourth album, Confessions (2004), was certified Diamond in the United States and produced four Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 singles, including the Lil Jon and Ludacris collaboration that dominated 2004. He sustained that run through later No. 1 albums and singles, a Las Vegas residency, and a headlining performance at the Super Bowl LVIII halftime show on February 11, 2024, the same week he released the album Coming Home.

The record

• Also known as: Usher Terry Raymond IV, Usher Raymond IV

Notes

Statistics: 8 Grammy wins from 24 nominations (Recording Academy artist page, Grammy.com, checked 2026-10-15) · 9 Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 singles and over 65 million albums sold (Grammy.com, February 8, 2024) · Confessions (2004) certified Diamond by the RIAA (Grammy.com, February 8, 2024) · Note on conflict: Confessions worldwide sales are often reported as 20 million copies, while Britannica reports more than 10 million copies in the United States alone; the record asserts only the RIAA Diamond certification, which both framings support · Curator's Judgment: DRAFT — for founder review: Usher is the bridge between the church-trained R&B vocal tradition and the modern pop spectacle — a child of Chattanooga and Atlanta who studied the masters, then out-danced and out-sang a generation. Confessions remains the diary a whole era of R&B confessed through. · Photo slot: CLEARED CANDIDATE — Wikimedia Commons File:Usher on USS Kearsarge.jpg, U.S. Navy photo by Petty Officer First Class Laurie L Wood, Public domain, license verified from Commons API metadata on 2026-10-15; direct URL https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/ac/Usher_on_USS_Kearsarge.jpg; not downloaded — visual pass follows merge per standing pattern.

Relationships

• Michael Jackson — related to
  Michael Jackson was a formative, lifelong influence on Usher, who performed Jackson's 'Gone Too Soon' at Jackson's public memorial service on July 7, 2009, at the Staples Center in Los Angeles.

Referenced by

• Summer Walker — collaborated with → this record

Sources

• Recording Academy / Grammy.com, "Usher — Grammy Awards and Nominations, Song & Bio" — https://www.grammy.com/artists/usher/16167/ (primary source)
• Recording Academy / Grammy.com, "9 Reasons Why Usher's 'Confessions' Is R&B's Definitive Blockbuster Album" — https://www.grammy.com/news/usher-confessions-album-anniversary-tour-hot-100-records/ (primary source)
• Recording Academy / Grammy.com, "Usher's Biggest Hits, From Baby-Making Slow Jams To Dance Floor Classics" — https://www.grammy.com/news/usher-songs-super-bowl-halftime-show-new-album-tour/ (primary source)

Record CTL-E-5338 · CultureTechLens Knowledge Graph · evidence grade: VERIFIED · 3 sources (3 primary) · 2 mapped relationships · CTL research: PPL-001.
Directory: all entity records · the knowledge graph

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