Usher

Usher Raymond IV (born October 14, 1978) is an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and actor. An influential figure in contemporary R&B and pop music, he was ranked among the greatest singers of all time by Rolling Stone and the greatest pop stars of the 21st century by Billboard. Usher released his self-titled debut album in 1994, at 15. He rose to fame with the release of his second album, My Way (1997), which spawned his first US Billboard Hot 100 number-one single "Nice & Slow".

Usher's third album, 8701 (2001), saw continued success, selling eight million copies and yielding the US number-one singles, "U Remind Me" and "U Got It Bad". His fourth album, Confessions (2004), remains the best-selling album by a Black artist of the 21st century and received a diamond certification from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). It was supported by four consecutive US number-one singles: "Yeah!", "Burn", "Confessions Part II", and "My Boo". After splitting from his manager and mother Jonnetta Patton in 2007, Usher released the album Here I Stand (2008), which spawned the number-one single "Love in This Club". Billboard named him the second-most successful artist of the 2000s, and the number-one Hot 100 artist of the decade.