Best Pop Singers of 21st Century (No. 11)

With the primary quarter of the twenty first century coming to an in depth, Billboard is spending the subsequent few months counting down our employees picks for the 25 best pop stars of the final 25 years. We’ve already named our Honorable Mentions and our No. 25, No. 24, No. 23, No. 22, No. 21, No. 20, No. 19, No. 18, No. 17, No. 16, No. 15, No. 14, No. 13 and No. 12 stars, and now we bear in mind the century in Usher — a complete-package celebrity who’s advanced with the occasions and amassed one of many century’s most formidable pop and R&B catalogs.

Not many artists can say they’ve made the profitable transition from teen sensation to grownup celebrity. It’s an unique membership whose membership brings to thoughts all-time greats like Stevie Surprise, Michael Jackson, Beyoncé, Taylor Swift… after which there’s Usher, child: the singing, dancing triple-threat within the Braves hat and the U chain. 

This yr, Usher has principally been working on one lengthy career-spanning victory lap, celebrating his thirtieth anniversary in music and the twentieth anniversary of his diamond-certified 2004 traditional Confessions, and performing on the Apple Music Tremendous Bowl LVIII Halftime Present in February to the tune of 123 million viewers — the most-watched halftime present ever. And that’s to not say that he’s been caught up to now both: This February additionally noticed the discharge of his ninth studio album Coming House (debuting at No. 2 on the Billboard 200), whereas in August, he additionally launched his Previous Current Future enviornment world tour. And all this follows on the heels of Usher’s talk-of-the city My Method – The Vegas Residency that packed each The Colosseum at Caesars Palace in 2021 and the bigger Dolby Reside at Park MGM a yr later – an act he took throughout the pond with the eight-date Rendez-Vous Á Paris, documented in a live performance movie launched this September. Backside line: the eight-time Grammy Award winner, who turns 46 on Oct. 14, is using the wave of one of the spectacular, legacy-cementing comebacks of the final decade.  

It’s a multigenerational R&B/pop legacy constructed on 9 Billboard Scorching 100 No. 1 singles and 18 prime 10 singles plus 4 Billboard 200 No. 1 albums. The latter streak started with the singer-songwriter’s epic 2004 album Confessions, whose 9 weeks on the prime led to it being topped the Yr-Finish Billboard 200’s No. 1 album – the identical yr that his era-defining “Yeah!” team-up with Lil Jon and Ludacris ended up No. 1 on the Yr-Finish Scorching 100. However extra vital than the history-making chart stats, gross sales certifications and business accolades that Usher has racked up alongside the best way is his innate artistry — a vital key to his endurance.  

There’s his sensual, supple tenor, which simply shape-shifts from crooning balladeer to occasion jam belter and hits all the emotional spectrum in between. Equally as arresting are the intricate choreography and clean footwork which can be the hallmarks of his energetic and fascinating stage presence. Who else might make rollerskating and singing concurrently look so cool and simple? Then there’s the music itself: Sure, R&B and pop performed the central roles in his profession evolution, however the inquisitive music lover has by no means shied away from experimenting with different genres — dabbling in every part from hip-hop and crunk to EDM and entice, crafting participating melodies, ear-worm lyrics and hooks you’ll be able to’t assist however sing together with. He’s additionally been unafraid to achieve out to the subsequent technology, linking up over the past a number of years with youthful artists like Chris Brown (“New Flame”), Summer time Walker (“Come Through”), Ella Mai (“Don’t Waste My Time”), H.E.R. (“Threat It All”) and Justin Bieber (the remix to Bieber’s Scorching 100-topping hit “Peaches”) — all of whom little doubt additionally depend Usher as a key affect on their very own artistry.  

Usher Raymond IV was simply 15 years outdated himself when LaFace/Arista Information started setting the stage for the precocious newcomer with the 1994 launch of his self-titled debut album. Mixing R&B, hip-hop and new jack swing, the album — preceded by puberty claiming Usher’s vocal vary at one level — reached No. 167 on the Billboard 200. Regardless of that low peak, the undertaking nonetheless proved to be a buzz-builder, presaging Usher’s first main breakthrough as a singer-songwriter on the cusp of the brand new millennium: 1997’s My Method.   

At a time when the ‘70s-influenced neo-soul motion — embodied by D’Angelo, Erykah Badu and Maxwell — was making its mainstream ascendance, Usher’s refreshing model of latest R&B was placing a chord with followers by means of its youthful, vibrant tackle love, sexuality and burgeoning maturity. The now-7x-platinum RIAA-certified undertaking spun off three top-two Scorching 100 smashes: “You Make Me Wanna…,” “Good & Sluggish” (his first No. 1) and “My Method.” 

A yr after the millennium’s arrival, Usher catapulted into the higher stage of the Billboard 200 with the No. 4 first-week debut of 8701. Initially titled All About U, his third album was delayed from its authentic 2000 launch date because of leaks of a number of tracks, together with under-performing first single “Pop Ya Collar.” Collaborating with a bevy of hitmakers — Antonio “L.A.” Reid, Kenneth “Babyface” Edmonds, Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis, The Neptunes, Jermaine Dupri and Bryan-Michael Cox — the revamped and retitled album (reportedly a reference to the yr Usher first carried out publicly, 1987, and the album’s Aug. 7, 2001 launch date) discovered Usher delivering a spirited and emotive next-gen tackle love and relationships primarily impressed by R&B/soul giants corresponding to Surprise, Jackson, Marvin Gaye and Donny Hathaway.  

Two of the album’s U-titled tracks, “U Remind Me” (the brand new album’s official first single) and “U Acquired It Dangerous” nabbed the highest spot on the Scorching 100. A 3rd, “U Don’t Should Name,” reached No. 3. Since licensed 5x platinum, 8701 gave Usher his first Grammy for finest male R&B vocal efficiency (“U Remind Me”) plus a second win in that class the next yr (“U Don’t Should Name”). An added plus: followers lastly received the possibility to expertise firsthand the versatile tenor’s falsetto and different vocal riffs plus his agile dance strikes when the showman-in-the-making launched into his first live performance outing, 2002’s 44-city 8701 Evolution Tour. 

If 8701 was Usher’s coming-of-age bow, 2004’s Confessions was the coronation of his standing as one of many marquee pop artists of the 2000s. Bowing at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 with first-week gross sales of 1.1 million, the now diamond-certified, career-defining undertaking discovered the 25-year-old crooner reuniting with Dupri and Cox and Jam & Lewis, sharing deeper experiential musings about love and relationships alongside banging occasion jams. Chief among the many choices on the dance, pop, hip-hop and crunk-infused album have been three Scorching 100 No. 1s: the club-ready “Yeah!” with Lil Jon and Ludacris, the craving “Burn” and the guilt-wracked “Confessions Half II.” Added as a bonus reduce to the album’s deluxe version, the nostalgic love duet “My Boo” with Alicia Keys grew to become Usher’s fourth No. 1 of the calendar yr, with fifth single “Caught Up” changing into the set’s closing prime 10 hit. Confessions later received the Grammy for finest up to date R&B album. Previous to the top of 2004, Usher added yet one more prime 5 hit to his arsenal when he and Ludacris reteamed with Lil Jon on the latter’s single “Lovers and Buddies.” 

Confessions’ epic success sparked a string of three extra Billboard 200 No. 1 albums for Usher, harking back to idol Michael Jackson’s No. 1 run starting with 1982’s Thriller. Usher’s personal run kicked off 4 years after Confessions with 2008’s Right here I Stand. By then a husband and father, Usher ongoing maturation musically and personally was mirrored in its six single releases. These included the synth-layered, Polow da Don-produced lead single “Love in This Membership” that includes Younger Jeezy (one other Scorching 100-topper, and the set’s largest hit) and the Grammy-nominated ballad/title monitor. Right here I Stand was one other success, however business observers famous as properly that the album’s double-platinum success paled compared to Confessions’ extra eye-popping achievements.  

Right here I Stand was adopted by fellow No. 1 albums Raymond v. Raymond in 2010 and Trying 4 Myself in 2012. The previous undertaking, licensed 3x platinum and launched within the wake of the artist’s divorce from Tameka Foster, included the Scorching 100 No. 1 dance-pop single “OMG,” produced by and that includes will.i.am, in addition to the R&B hits “Hey Daddy (Daddy’s House)” and “There Goes My Child.” Additionally of notice was the track “Papers”: Recorded earlier than the singer filed for divorce, the track was a insightful and susceptible nod to the non-public struggles he was coping with on the time. The track reached No. 1 on Billboard’s Scorching R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart and peaked at No. 31 on the Scorching 100. 

Usher deepened his experimentation into digital music, with forays into Euro-pop and dubstep, on Trying 4 Myself. His first undertaking for RCA Information boasted the respective prime 10 and prime 20 hits “Scream” and Grammy winner for finest R&B efficiency “Climax,” co-produced by Diplo. The latter monitor, an electronic-punctuated sluggish jam a couple of tenuous relationship, introduced Usher a few of his strongest essential acclaim. Nevertheless, the album – lauded for its alt-R&B vibes in what Usher described as “revolutionary pop” — was his lowest-selling No. 1 entry. At that very same time, mainstream R&B was within the midst of shifting away from the pop star hybrid mannequin that Usher symbolized, and shifting in direction of extra underground-leaning rising stars like The Weeknd, Frank Ocean and Miguel. 

The ebb and circulate that may accompany any veteran hitmaker’s profession trajectory continued for Usher into the mid- to late 2010s. Previous to the 2016 launch of his eighth studio album Arduous II Love, he launched three singles in 2014 — the Grammy-nominated, platinum-certified R&B hit “Good Kisser,” “She Got here to Give It to You” that includes Nicki Minaj (a prime 20 Rhythmic Airplay hit and the electro/R&B percolator “I Don’t Thoughts” that includes Juicy J (No. 11 on the Scorching 100; No. 1 Scorching R&B/Hip-Hop Songs). All three have been supposed for Arduous II Love, however solely appeared on the album’s Japanese version. 

Leaning again in a extra R&B route, the artist collaborated with songwriter-producers corresponding to Raphael Saadiq, Pop & Oak, The-Dream and Metro Boomin for the ensuing Arduous II Love. Debuting at No. 5 on the Billboard 200, the album gained the doubtful distinction of changing into Usher’s first album to not bow at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 in 12 years, and did not generate a Scorching 100 hit larger than the No. 32-peaking Younger Thug collab “No Restrict” (although the track topped R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay, whereas later single “Missin U” went prime 10 on Grownup R&B Airplay). In the meantime, his final North America tour had been 2014’s UR Expertise. 

5 years after Arduous II Love — with no new full-length releases, apart from his 2018 mini-album A alongside producer Zaytoven — Usher and his crew positioned their bets on one other enterprise: launching his first Las Vegas residency. The July 2021 gamble paid off in additional methods than one: The sold-out My Method tenure wasn’t solely an affirmation of Usher’s estimable profession, it additionally doubled as a inventive rebirth and introduction to a brand new technology of followers. Subsequent got here the Tremendous Bowl and the continued world tour. In between, Usher’s ninth studio album Coming House arrived — the primary launch on his indie label Mega, co-founded with L.A. Reid and in affiliation with Larry Jackson’s gamma. That includes the No. 25 Scorching 100 hit “Good Good” and “Threat It All,” the undertaking bowed at No. 2 on the Billboard 200 to develop into his highest-charting effort in over a decade. 

Rising up musically and personally within the public eye isn’t a simple feat. However Usher has confirmed his endurance with aplomb — and an indefatigable outlook. As he advised Billboard in August 2021 together with his always-disarming smile, “Individuals are essential. However you proceed to do it for the love. You do it for the folks to attach with what you’re attempting to articulate. That strain is there each time. That’s why I attempt to give myself as a lot of a shot as I presumably can by giving followers selection. You’re going to love one thing.” 

Learn extra in regards to the Biggest Pop Stars of the twenty first Century right here — and make sure you verify again subsequent Tuesday as we begin to unveil our prime 10 artists!