By Sarah Mosqueda
For nearly three decades, Usher Raymond has made music that is revered and relevant. Since breaking into the industry at a young age, the contemporary R&B artist known for his silky voice and ethereal dance moves has built an empire that continues to put out hit music and sell out stadiums. He has stayed busy, coming off one of the most-watched Super Bowl Halftime shows, a residency in Las Vegas, Nevada, the birth of his fourth child and his marriage to music executive and longtime girlfriend, Jennifer Goicoechea. Not to mention the release of his latest studio effort, Coming Home.
Managing an ongoing music career, multiple businesses, family life and his nonprofit, Usher’s New Look, is a balancing act the 45-year-old has mastered with the help of daily yoga classes.
“I make it a practice to wake up every morning at six or seven o’clock, no matter where I am,” he told Essence Magazine of his yoga ritual.
After 30 years in the music business, Usher still manages to stay centered.
Signed on the Spot
Usher began his career as a child when, at his mother Jonnetta Patton’s behest, he joined the church choir in Chattanooga, Tennessee. When the family realized he could sing, they left Tennessee and moved to Atlanta, Georgia, where they felt his developing talent might be met with better opportunities. The move proved to be successful when, at just 10 years old, Usher joined NuBeginnings, a local R&B quintet founded by music promoter Darryl Wheeler. A performance on Star Search led to an audition for the legendary star-maker and founder of LaFace Records, L.A. Reid, who is said to have signed Usher on the spot.
In 1994, LaFace released Usher’s self-titled debut album, which peaked at number 25 on the Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart. He followed it up with My Way in 1997, which included the hit single, “You Make Me Wanna.” The song reached number one in the United Kingdom and was a gold- and platinum-certified single in the United States. The album’s second single, “Nice & Slow,” topped the Billboard Hot 100 at number one in January of 1998. The sophomore effort led to Usher joining Puffy’s No Way Out our and Janet Jackson’s The Velvet Rope tour.
During the 1990s, Usher also began pursuing an acting career, appearing on the UPN television series, Moesha, which starred fellow R&B artists Brandy and Ray J. Usher was on the big screen too, landing a role in the 1998 sci-fi thriller, The Faculty, and the 1999 teen rom-com, She’s All That. His acting career kept him out of the recording studio, and a live concert album, simply titled Live, was released in 1999 to hold fans over until he released his third album, 8701, in 2001.
“I think there’s a connection I feel to my audience, and a connection to the people, that’s based on my service to them,” Usher told Essence. “I want to make certain that they know I’m committed to serving this art.”
In 2004, the singer released Confessions, which contained the single, “Yeah!” featuring rappers Lil Jon and Ludacris. The song topped the Billboard Hot 100 chart for 12 consecutive weeks, until it was knocked out of the top spot by his own newest single, “Burn.” Other chart-topping albums from Usher include Here I Stand (2008), Raymond v. Raymond (2010), Looking 4 Myself (2012) and Hard II Love (2016). This year, the eight-time GRAMMY award winner released Coming Home, his ninth studio album.
Power to the City
Early in his career, Usher said he looked to iconic musicians who came before him for inspiration, but as his career continues, he said he finds himself turning more to younger artists.
“As a young person, I was always trying to figure out how to be like the greats of my past. And this time, I think it’s kind of reversed,” he said.
On his new album, for example, he collaborated with American rapper Latto for the track “A-Town Girl” and singer/songwriter H.E.R. for “Risk it All.”
Usher will head out on tour for his album beginning in August through 2025. The long, multi-city tour will be a change from his Vegas residency at Park MGM, which has kept him grounded over the last few years.
While performing in Sin City, he not only spread the wealth by pulling in contemporaries like Keke Palmer, Saweetie and Doja Cat but also helped demonstrate Black spending power since the shows grossed more than $100 million.
“This was about offering people something that was new: a Black audience that did not exist in Las Vegas,” Usher told Essence. “[I realized] this is actually serving more than just the legacy play and celebrating my catalog. It’s creating an industry for people who don’t have as much power in this city. So, I’m selling the culture that comes from our true background. Every time you see me on stage, you see our Black culture.
“That is the attraction,” he continues. “But that did not exist in Las Vegas…before my residency.”
Along with helping the economy, Usher is no stranger to also helping out the community. His nonprofit organization, Usher’s New Look, is dedicated to assisting under-resourced youth with comprehensive programming designed to develop passion-driven, global leaders from middle school through college.
Fueled by the statistic that 1.3 million students drop out of high school every year, leading them to be four times less likely to earn a living wage, the organization offers programs like Pass the Torch, a virtual college and career support system that helps students navigate school and transition into their career. Since its inception, Usher’s New Look has provided mentorship and educational opportunities to over 55,000 young people worldwide.
Usher is also a strategic businessman, with co-ownership of restaurants, the music streaming service Tidal and the NBA’s Cleveland Cavaliers. He says his fellow musician, 50 Cent, inspired him to diversify his assets.
“You look at 50 Cent, right, he creates power. You heard the music first, then you see the visuals,” Usher said in an interview with Rhyme Junkie. “I’m hoping I can do more of that with the brands I’ve created from the songs. It’s a matter of managing to monetize and, at the same time, emotionally giving people an escape.”
Staying Centered
This year, Usher was honored with the President’s Award during the 55th annual NAACP Image Awards, hosted by fellow DiversityComm Magazine cover star, Queen Latifah. The award was established in 1987 to recognize individuals for their outstanding achievements and notable contributions to society. NAACP President and Chief Executive Officer Derrick Johnson cited Usher’s community advocacy efforts in empowering under-resourced youth through initiatives like college readiness programs and financial literacy.
“We are honored to present this year’s President’s Award to Usher for his unparalleled talent and remarkable contributions as an artist and advocate for our community,” said Johnson.
Usher’s dedication to social activism earned him the key to his hometown of Chattanooga, Tennessee this year—the second key to a city he has been awarded since he received the key to Las Vegas, Nevada, for his contributions there during his residency.
“The city of Chattanooga provided a spark that ignited the fire in me to pursue my dreams as a singer, and I’m thankful for the support I received from so many great family members, friends and mentors so early in my journey,” Usher said in a statement.
In his personal life, Usher is father to Usher “Cinco” Raymond V (16) and Naviyd Ely (15) from his first marriage to fashion designer Tameka Foster. He also has two younger children, Sovereign (3) and Sire (2), with music executive Jennifer Goicoechea, whom he married in Las Vegas, Nevada, in February of this year. He makes an effort to spend time with all of them together but also individually, recognizing that one-on-one time is important.
His full schedule of physically and mentally demanding work is why the music icon squeezes in daily yoga sessions.
“I have a few places that I go that reserve a back corner for me, where nobody notices,” he says of the public classes he likes to attend when he can. “And typically, in these rooms, it’s pretty dark—so you don’t really see who’s there until they turn the lights up, and people realize, ‘Oh, wait a minute, is that who I think it is?’”
It’s how Usher remains centered as he continues to entertain the world.
Explore more articles for the Black Community here.
