Usher Raymond

Usher was born to Usher Raymond III and Jonetta Patton. He was raised with his mother. Usher and his family later relocated to her home town of Chattanooga, Tennessee. Usher joined his local church choir where he discovered his ability to sing. As early as junior high school, Usher successfully entered local talent shows imitating his idol Michael Jackson. As a pre-teen Usher was a member of a boy band, although his mother later withdrew him from the group to concentrate on his solo work. Usher's family moved to Atlanta, Georgia, in the belief that the city would provide greater opportunities for showcasing his talent. While in Atlanta, Usher attended the Performing Arts Magnet North Springs High School, and participated in show choir. Usher also studied karate under professional wrestler Ernest Miller for four years.

On August 22, 2006, Usher took over the role of Billy Flynn in the long-running Broadway musical Chicago. Critical response to his appearance has been mixed: his singing and dancing received more positive reviews, while his acting received negative notices. Usher is currently engaged to girlfriend and stylist Tameka Foster.
Usher is also back in the recording studio to work on his as yet untitled new album. The album is rumored to be called "Mr. Entertainment", but this is not confirmed. Supposedly, there is a leaked Usher album on the Internet called The Masterpiece, however this is not an official album but a collection of unreleased material from his other albums.
A one minutes clip of a song entitled "Make It Rain" has leaked to the internet. It is unknown as of so far if this will be a single or not. "The Realest" is a track produced by Jermaine Dupri and is expected to make the album according to an interview MTVNews.com had with Usher on April 12, 2007.