UB Celebrates: 30th Anniversary of Usher’s Debut Album
The Album Laid the Foundation for Usher‘s Future Success.
8-time Grammy Award-winning international entertainment icon Usher, is celebrating his 30th Anniversary in the industry and today marks the anniversary of his debut self-titled album.
Usher Raymond IV, is one of the best-selling artists in American Music history. He has sold more than 80 million albums.
He is a singer, songwriter, dancer, and philanthropist. His sophomore album “My Way” sold more than 6 million copies, making Usher a music megastar.
Born in Dallas, Texas on October 14th, 1978, Usher spent the majority of his childhood in Chattanooga, Tennessee. His mother is from Texas, and his father was Haitian, who left the family when Usher was just a year old, leaving his mother to raise him alone.
His mother eventually remarried, and Usher, along with his brother, were brought up by his step-father.
When he was nine years old, Usher began singing in a church choir. His grandmother decided he would have a better chance to develop his musical talents in Atlanta, Georgia, so the family relocated.
When Usher was just 10 years old, he joined a R&B band called NuBeginnings.
The group recorded 10 songs and issued an album, NuBeginnings featuring Usher Raymond IV, was re-released in 2002.
This was the start of his musical career. At 13, Usher appeared on the popular 80’s/90’s show “Star Search.” At 14 he auditioned for LaFace co-founder L.A. Reid, who signed the gospel choir boy to a recording contract.
He made his recorded debut in 1993 on the “Poetic Justice” soundtrack with “Call Me a Mack,” a single that reached #56 on Billboard’s R&B/hip-hop chart.
Then the age of just 15, on August 30th, 1994, Usher‘s self-titled album was released. Executive produced by Sean “Puffy” Combs, featuring writing and production from heavyweights Timbaland, Faith Evans, Eddie F, Dave Hollister, Chucky Thompson, DeVante Swing, Brian Alexander Morgan, Dave Hall, Donell Jones, and Al B. Sure!.
The album peaked at #25 on Billboard Hot 200 albums.
The album garnered attention with the lead single, an unexpected ballad entitled “Can U Get Wit It” and the gold “Think of You.” Those songs and album laid the foundation for Usher‘s future success.
A final single was released, “The Many Ways,” with heavy rotation on BET.
In 1995, Usher recorded a national holiday jingle for Coca-Cola. He also joined several top male R&B vocalists to form Black Men United for the single “You Will Know,” featured on the “Jason’s Lyric” soundtrack. He also teamed with teen singing sensation Monica for a remake of Latimore‘s “Let’s Straighten It Out.”
Since his debut album, Usher has changed music, culture, and countless lives. The multiple Grammy Award winning diamond-selling international megastar, dancer, entrepreneur, and philanthropist inspires change yet again. Beyond selling over 80 million records worldwide and collecting dozens of awards, he has simultaneously lit up the small screen on NBC’s The Voice and the big screen in blockbusters such as “Hustlers.”
He has also tirelessly distinguished himself as a devout humanitarian, raising tens of millions of dollars for various causes and uplifting youth via his New Look Foundation. Since 1999 he has been providing opportunities for young people in underserved communities and enabling them to flourish and achieve seemingly impossible dreams.
A long-time supporter and Global Citizen Ambassador, Usher has performed at events since 2015 raising awareness to defeat poverty, defend the planet, and demand equity. A true outlier, he was equally at home on the stage of his sold-out “My Way Las Vegas” residency as he was on a 2016 government cultural mission to Cuba as part of President Barack Obama’s Presidential Committee for Arts and Humanities.
As the headliner of Apple Music’s halftime show for the 2024 Super Bowl LVIII, Usher delivered a 13-minute-long, record-breaking ratings celebration of his effervescent and timeless sound.
Celebrating 30 years as an entertainer, Usher recently released his ninth studio album, “Coming Home.”
Last week, Usher kicked off his highly anticipated “Past Present Future” global tour, his first in 8 years.
Take A Trip Down Memory Lane With The Debut Era of Usher!
