Usher Raymond IV (born October 14, 1978), known mononymously as Usher, is an American singer-songwriter, dancer, philanthropist, entrepreneur, and actor. He rose to fame in the late 1990s with the release of his second album My Way, which spawned his first U.S. Billboard Hot 100 number-one hit, "Nice & Slow". The album has been certified 6-times platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). His follow-up album, 8701, produced the Billboard Hot 100 number one hits "U Remind Me" and "U Got It Bad".

Usher's 2004 album, Confessions, established him as one of the best-selling musical artist of the 2000s decade. It sold over 20 million copies worldwide, bolstered by its four consecutive Billboard Hot 100 number one hits — "Yeah!", "Burn", "Confessions Part II", and "My Boo" — and has been certified diamond by the RIAA. His follow-ups, Here I Stand (2008) and Raymond v. Raymond (2010), debuted atop the Billboard 200 and produced the Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles "Love in This Club" and "OMG". A follow-up EP, Versus, was released in July 2010 and produced the successful track "DJ Got Us Fallin' in Love". His seventh studio album, Looking 4 Myself (2012), contained a more dance-pop sound and experienced lower first week sales compared to his previous efforts.