Challenging himself creatively and testing musical boundaries are characteristics that have defined Usher’s career since he was first discovered twenty years ago on Star Search . Usher has been ranked by the Recording Industry Assn. of America as one of the best-selling artists in American music history, having sold over 50 million albums worldwide. He has won numerous awards including 8 Grammys and was named the #1 Hot 100 artist of the 2000s decade. Billboard named him the second most successful artist of the 2000s decade, with his career-propelling 2004 album “Confessions” being ranked as the top solo album of the 2000s decade. Usher has attained nine Hot 100 #1 hits (all as a lead artist) and 18 Hot 100 top-10 singles.
Earlier this year he completed filming his role as boxer Sugar Ray Leonard in the upcoming film “Hands of Stone,” a biopic of champion boxer Roberto Duran which co-stars Robert De Niro and is due in theaters early 2015. In addition, Usher recently completed his second season as a coach on NBC’s Emmy award winning hit TV show “The Voice” where he proved his top-notch coaching capability by mentoring Josh Kaufman who became the champion of season 6.
