- Usher Raymond IV (born October 14, 1978) is an American singer, songwriter, and dancer. He is recognized as an influential figure in contemporary R&B and pop music. Usher first released his self-titled debut album (1994) at the age of 15, and rose to fame in the late 1990s following the release of his second album, My Way (1997). It spawned his first Billboard Hot 100 number-one single “Nice & Slow”, and the top-two singles “You Make Me Wanna…” and the title track. His third album, 8701 (2001) saw continued success and contained two number-one singles, “U Remind Me” and “U Got It Bad”, as well as the top-three single “U Don’t Have to Call”. It sold eight million copies worldwide and won his first two Grammy Awards for Best Male R&B Vocal Performance consecutively in 2002 and 2003.