Usher Raymond IV is an American singer, songwriter and dancer. He was born in Dallas, Texas, but raised in Chattanooga, Tennessee until moving to Atlanta, Georgia. At the age of 12, his mother put him in local singing competitions, before catching the attention of a music A&R from LaFace Records. He released his self-titled debut album, Usher (1994) but rose to fame in the late 1990s with the release of his second album My Way (1997). It spawned his first U.S. Billboard Hot 100 number-one single, "Nice & Slow", amongst top-two singles "You Make Me Wanna..." and "My Way". 8701 (2001) produced the number-one singles "U Remind Me" and "U Got It Bad", and top-three single "U Don't Have to Call". It sold 8 million copies worldwide and won his first two Grammy Awards as Best Male R&B Vocal Performance in 2002 and 2003.

Confessions (2004) established him as one of the best-selling musical artists of the 2000s decade, selling 20 million copies worldwide. Bolstered by its four consecutive Billboard Hot 100 number one singles; "Yeah!", "Burn", "Confessions Part II" and "My Boo", it has been certified Diamond by the RIAA. Here I Stand (2008) and Raymond v. Raymond (2010) debuted atop of the Billboard 200 and produced the number-one singles "Love in This Club" and "OMG". The EP, Versus, produced the top-five single "DJ Got Us Fallin' in Love" before top-fifteen single "More". Looking 4 Myself (2012), also debuted atop the Billboard 200 chart with top-ten single "Scream". Raymond v. Raymond and Looking 4 Myself received Grammy Awards for R&B singles "There Goes My Baby" and "Climax". "I Don't Mind" also reached the top-fifteen in 2014, while Hard II Love (2016) peaked at five on the Billboard 200 chart.

Usher has sold 23.8 million albums and 38.2 million digital songs in the United States. Throughout his career, he has sold 75 million records worldwide, making him one of the best-selling music artists of all time. Usher has won numerous awards and accolades including 18 Billboard Music Awards and 8 Grammy Awards. At the end of 2009, Billboard named him the second most successful artist of the 2000s decade, the number-one Hot 100 artist of the 2000s decade, and ranked Confessions as the top solo album of the 2000s decade. Billboard also placed him at number 6 on their list of Top 50 R&B/Hip-Hop Artists of the Past 25 Years. Usher has attained 9 US Hot 100 number-one singles. Considered an icon and sex symbol, he has made TV and film appearances and seen inductions into the Georgia Music Hall of Fame and Hollywood Walk of Fame. He owns the record label Raymond-Braun Media Group (RBMG); a joint venture with talent manager Scooter Braun that includes Canadian singer Justin Bieber.

Usher was born in Dallas, Texas, the son of Jonetta Patton (née O'Neal), from Tennessee, and Usher Raymond III. Usher spent the majority of his young life in Chattanooga: his father left the family when Usher was a year old. Usher grew up with his mother, then-stepfather, and half-brother, James Lackey (born 1984). Directed by his mother, Usher joined the local church youth choir in Chattanooga, when he was nine years old. There, his grandmother discovered his ability to sing, although it was not until Usher joined a singing group that she considered he could sing professionally. In the belief that a bigger city would provide greater opportunities for showcasing his talent, Usher's family moved to Atlanta, Georgia, where there was a more conducive environment for beginning singers. While in Atlanta, Usher attended North Springs High School.

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