Given hit clips like “Lil Freak” and “There Goes My Baby,” people also might leave saying that the playboy Usher is back, his loverman ways restored after the 2009 divorce from his wife of roughly two years, Tameka Foster, the mother of his two children, Usher Raymond V and Naviyd Ely Raymond.īut he insists his new show is for everyone, not just the ladies.
I basically tear myself apart emotionally, energetically, you know, connecting with you and making sure that you enjoy this moment and leave saying, ‘OMG - Oh my God!’”
“Not only because I’ve put the time into creating an incredible show, but also (because) I give it all. “The over-arching impression that I’d like to leave,” he says of his new show, “is that this guy is really stepping it up to a level where people can hopefully compare him to people like Michael Jackson and, you know, great entertainers of the past. But even if he falls short of that gold standard, there’s no mistaking the Olympian goal he’s set for himself - and, some might say, steadily reaching. It remains to be seen whether Usher will finally have a very Michael Jackson sort of Grammys come February Eminem’s comeback could stand in his way. Naturally, his new production is named after “OMG,” his chart-topping collaboration with the Black Eyed Peas’ will.i.am and a likely candidate for several Grammy Award nominations (including record of the year) when those are revealed Dec. (His chief competition for the latter prize: Justin Bieber.) Shortly after that he will appear - and probably win something - at Wednesday’s American Music Awards, of which he’s up for three, including favorite album and favorite male artist for both soul/R&B and pop/rock. “I aim to be the best and aim to introduce the best.”Īnd he’s out to top himself with his latest tour, which kicked off Wednesday in Seattle and arrives Sunday night at Honda Center (with Trey Songz and Miguel in tow) for the first of three Southern California performances, including Wednesday at Valley View Casino Center (formerly San Diego Sports Arena) and Thursday at Staples Center in Los Angeles. He claims to stay crucially involved in the kid’s every move, “to stay locked and loaded” on both his creative direction and decisions made on his behalf. “He’s just über-talented,” Usher adds of the Bieb, whose runaway success reflects as positively on the veteran star as his own string of No. “The type of foundation we’ve developed, that all artists strive for - we want some type of substance there, you know, to continue to grow.” “I’m very, very proud of the success that we’ve had,” Usher said last week during a teleconference with a smattering of journalists. Raymond, 32, signed the 16-year-old to his US Records label, a subsidiary of Clive Davis’ J Records. Not even Justin Bieber, the Canadian teen heartthrob with the much-imitated haircut who, for better or worse, was Usher-ed into international stardom when the entrepreneurial Mr. And if his impressive sales figures aren’t exactly Thriller-esque, well, no one’s are. His believers say he’s got it all: the moves, the voice, the songs. Raymond, along with the latter’s recent remix companion Versus - pushed a combined near-million in their first weeks out of the blocks as well.Īt this point he’s not just one of the biggest modern soul stars of the era, he’s an established pop phenomenon - and his sights are still set squarely on being considered the next Michael Jackson. His two most recent hit-stuffed works - 2008’s more mature Here I Stand and this year’s club platter Raymond v.
True, the Dallas-born, Atlanta-bred star hasn’t exactly repeated that feat, though his overall tally now stands in excess of 45 million sold worldwide. Before any further salivating about Taylor Swift selling a million copies of her new album in its first week of release this month, let’s not forget that the sustained R&B sensation that is Usher already did that six years ago, with his fourth album, Confessions.
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