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Usher Says Watching Justin Bieber Win at AMAs Was an 'Out of Body Experience'

As the mentor to young pop superstar Justin Bieber, ... Credit: Getty Images
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The recently-divorced star, who is responsible for launching the career of pop phenomenon Justin Bieber (who just picked up his AMA for Artist of the year and dedicated it to his mentor, Usher), is taking some time to focus on his own career. His 2010 album Raymond v. Raymond went platinum and spawned one of the year's biggest singles 'OMG.' Currently the singing, dancing R&B sensation is busy on his OMG Tour until March 2011.
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Usher'S BIOGRAPHY

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  • Birth Date October 14, 1978
  • Birthplace Dallas, Texas
  • Height 5'9"
  • Relationship Status Dating record executive Grace Miguel
  • Where You've Seen Him Singing, gyrating and flaunting his washboard abs to become one of the biggest R&B stars of this generation. He's also influencing a whole new generation with his protégé Justin Bieber.
  • Defining Quote

    “I’m really happy that I’m able to pull from my own experiences to help [Justin Bieber] understand certain things and understand how to handle it.”

Ever since he burst on the scene at the age of 16 with his killer voice, and the abs to match, Usher has become a modern day R&B icon. And this piece of serious eye candy isn’t shy about constantly showcasing his fancy footwork alongside his sculpted physique. Besides mentoring one of pop’s newest sensations Justin Bieber, this sexy crooner is responsible for some of the biggest infectious dance hits and sultry, confessional songs that air more than his feelings. 
 
SOUL CHILD
 
Usher’s talent was evident at a young age. He harnessed his seductive voice from singing in a choir at St. Elmo’s Missionary Baptist Church at the age of nine. Hoping for more exposure for the budding singer, his family moved from Chattanooga, Tennessee to Atlanta. Usher flouted his singing capabilities on Star Search and won best teen male vocalist for his rendition of “End of the Road.” With the help of some gigs, he landed a chance audition for L.A. Reid a year later, who promptly signed him to LaFace Records.
 
However, this was merely a stepping stone before Usher moved to New York and met his mentor, Sean “Diddy” Combs. Diddy reinvented Usher’s image and collaborated with him on his first eponymous album, Usher, in 1994 when he was just 16. The album sold modestly and was panned for being overly sexual. But shedding his bad boy image, Usher followed it up three years later with My Way, which had the opposite reaction and sold eight million copies. His hit single “You Make Me Wanna” went double platinum. The sexy sensation was born.
 
BURNING UP THE SCREEN
 
With his newfound popularity, Usher was approached to do other projects, such as recording the jingle for Coca Cola. Usher then began flaunting one more talent he had up his sleeve—acting. He began acting in shows such as Moesha alongside Brandy and The Bold and the Beautiful. Branching out, he tried his hand in movies, acting in The Faculty, She’s All That and Light It Up.
 
Surfing his popularity streak, Usher dropped his smash hit 8701 in 2001, which won the Grammy for Best Male R&B Vocal two years in a row for separate songs on the same album. It sold eight million copies. Usher was officially unstoppable.
 
CONFESSIONS
 
What made Usher relatable to so many of his fans was that many of his hits were reportedly inspired by his real life. After 8701, Usher began dating Rozonda “Chilli” Thomas from TLC, claiming that she was his “dream girl.” The couple split in January of 2004 due to allegations of infidelity. Some claim that his infidelity inspired his record-breaking album Confessions. Usher claimed that he wrote it based on experiences from some of his friends.
 
Confessions may have been the defining album of Usher’s career. In the first week alone, it sold 1.1 million copies climbing to 15 million worldwide. The singer received eight Grammy nominations in 2005, winning two for the album and one for a collaboration with Alicia Keys. The alsom also won two MTV Video Music Awards, four American Music Awards, and e11 Billboard Music Awards. Usher became the first solo artist to have three singles in the Hot 100 Top 10.
 
If being an international singing sensation wasn’t enough, Usher had a two-month Broadway stint as Billy Flynn in Chicago, tapping into his singing roots.
 
BRAND NEW BEGINNINGS
 
Usher finally settled down after a reported fling with supermodel Naomi Campbell. In 2007 he married Tameka Foster, who was then serving as his stylist, in two separate wedding ceremonies. She was pregnant at the time with Usher Raymond V. Their second son, Naviyd Ely Raymond, was born a year later. During that time, Usher released one more album album, Here I Stand, to little success. But that wasn’t the only flop he’d have to deal with—the couple divorced in 2009.
 
But Usher didn’t stay out of the game for long, he decided to pass on the favor Diddy had done for him as a teen when he discovered and mentored the talented YouTube sensation Justin Bieber. In addition to collaborating with Justin, Usher still managed to release another album Raymond v. Raymond.
 
Usher has proven himself as more than just eye candy. He’s a powerful force of nature with a multifaceted array of work. It’s easy to agree that at the heart of all his work is a personal, almost confessional piece of him that even outshines his charm and acrobatic dance moves.
 
-Candice Horn

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