50 facts about Usher: he is a vegan

Usher is a vegan. He adopted a vegetarian diet shortly after the death of his father, Usher Raymond III, from a heart attack in January 2008. After several years, Usher dropped all egg and dairy products, embracing an entirely vegan diet for health reasons.

1. Usher Terry Raymond IV is an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and actor.

2. 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).

3. His follow-up album, 8701, produced the Billboard Hot 100 number one hits "U Remind Me" and "U Got It Bad".

4. 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.

5. 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".

6. 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.

7. The RIAA ranks Usher as one of the best-selling artists in American music history, having sold over 23 million copies in the United States alone.

8. To date, he has sold over 65 million records worldwide.

9. Usher has won numerous awards including eight Grammy Awards.

10. At the end of 2009, Usher was named the number one Hot 100 artist of the 2000s decade.

11. Billboard named him the second most successful artist of the 2000s decade, with his 2004 album Confessions being ranked as the top solo album of the 2000s decade.

12. Billboard also placed Usher at number six on their list of Top 50 R&B/Hip-Hop Artists of the Past 25 Years.

13. Usher has attained nine Hot 100 number-one hits (all as a lead artist) and has attained eighteen Hot 100 top-ten hits.

14. Usher was born in Dallas, Texas, the son of Jonetta Patton (née O'Neal) from Tennessee and Usher Raymond III.

15. Usher spent the majority of his young life in Chattanooga: his father left the family when Usher was a year old.

16. Usher grew up with his mother, then-stepfather, and half-brother, James Lackey (born 1984).

17. Directed by his mother, Usher joined the local church youth choir in Chattanooga, when he was nine years old; there, his grandmother discovered his ability to sing, although it was not until Usher joined a singing group that she considered he could sing professionally.

18. In the belief that a bigger city would provide greater opportunities for showcasing his talent, Usher's family moved to Atlanta, Georgia, where there was a more conducive environment for beginning singers.

19. While in Atlanta, Usher attended North Springs High School.

20. At age 11, Usher joined an R&B local quintet called the NuBeginnings, which was organized by local music svengali, Darryl Wheeler.

21. Usher recorded 10 songs with the group in 1991, and the ensuing album, Nubeginning Featuring Usher Raymond IV, was only made available regionally and by mail order. However, Patton took him out because, according to her, it was a "bad experience". The album was re-released nationally in April 2002 by Hip-O Records.

22. At age 13, Usher competed on Star Search, where he was spotted by an A&R representative from LaFace Records, who arranged an audition for Usher with L.A. Reid, the co-founder of LaFace; Reid signed Usher to a contract with the record company.

23. Usher's mother left her job as a medical technician to manage his career, but later broke up their relationship as manager-client in May 2007.

24. Usher was introduced on "Call Me a Mack", a song he recorded for the soundtrack album to the 1993 drama-romance film Poetic Justice.

25. On August 30, 1994, LaFace released Usher's self-titled debut album. Sean "P Diddy" Combs produced several of the tracks and co-executive produced the album.

26. After graduating from high school, Usher continued to develop his skills as a stage performer and laid the groundwork for his second album.

27. He was also featured on "I Swear I'm In Love" off the 1996 Kazaam soundtrack.

28. Usher developed a friendship with American record producer, Jermaine Dupri, with whom he co-wrote and produced several tracks for his second album, My Way, released on September 16, 1997.

29. "You Make Me Wanna" won the Best Male R&B/Soul Single at the 1999 Soul Train Music Awards.

30. In the closing months of 1997, Usher embarked on a series of tour engagements including a spot on Puffy's No Way Out tour, dates with Mary J. Blige, and the opening spot on Janet Jackson's The Velvet Rope Tour.

31. Usher's first concert album, Live, was released in 1999, which featured appearances by Lil' Kim, Jagged Edge, Trey Lorenz, Shanice, Twista and Manuel Seal.

32. Usher made his acting debut on the UPN television series Moesha, which resulted in a recurring role on the series and subsequently his first film role in 1998's The Faculty.

33. Usher's extracurricular activities outside of the recording industry gathered momentum over the following year as he was cast in the soap opera, The Bold and the Beautiful.

34. He completed two more films, She's All That, and his first starring role in Light It Up.

35. He also appeared in the Disney TV movie "Geppetto".

36. Usher has a leggero tenor vocal range.

37. Usher's music is generally R&B, but he also incorporates pop, dance and hip hop into his songs.

38. On many occasions, Usher has named Michael Jackson as his biggest influence. Usher once told MTV, "He influenced me in so many ways, more than just music ..... as a humanitarian, as a philanthropist, as an artist, as an individual who transcended culture. I wouldn't be who I am today without Michael Jackson."

39. During the television special 'Michael Jackson: 30th Anniversary Special', Usher was able to dance with Michael while performing "You Rock My World".

40. In addition to Jackson, he has spoken of Marvin Gaye and Stevie Wonder as great musicians and philanthropists stating that "they figured out what they were as they were going, by inspiration as well...allowing their music to speak to where they were and what they had to say".

41. Aside from recording music, Usher is involved in other businesses, including several restaurants.

42. Usher is a part owner of the Cleveland Cavaliers professional basketball team.

43. Usher served as the contestant mentor for the Top 10 Week of Season 9 of the television show American Idol.

44. He appeared on the ITV1 show Britain's Got Talent on June 5, 2010.

45. Usher founded New Look, a non-profit charity organization which aims to "provide young people with a new look on life through education and real-world experience".

46. In 1999, Usher participated in "Challenge for the Children", a benefit basketball game hosted by American boy band NSYNC. The event, which was held on the campus of Georgia State University, had raised an estimated $50,000 for several local charities.

47. In 2005, Usher is one among the artists who signed on for a Hurricane Katrina relief concert.

48. He has also performed a public service announcement to promote Do Something's campaign for civic engagement.

49. In November 2005, Usher began dating stylist Tameka Foster, who had worked as his personal stylist for several years. Their engagement was announced in February 2007. After the sudden cancellation of a planned July wedding in the Hamptons,the two were wed on August 3, 2007, in a civil ceremony in Atlanta. Usher and Foster also have two sons together: Usher "Cinco" Raymond V, born in November 2007, and Naviyd Ely Raymond, born in December 2008.

50. Usher is a vegan. He adopted a vegetarian diet shortly after the death of his father, Usher Raymond III, from a heart attack in January 2008. After several years, Usher dropped all egg and dairy products, embracing an entirely vegan diet for health reasons.

Source: Wikipedia.org