By Han Sang-hee
Staff reporter
R&B superstar Usher will perform in Korea for the first time in his 16-year career next month.
The 31-year-old will be in Korea for just one night.
He plans to perform the hit numbers that helped him win five Grammies, 13 Billboard Music Awards and even become selected as one of the hottest single artists in the 21st century by Billboard magazine.
Usher released his sixth album ``Raymond v. Raymond’’ this March, and fans will get to listen to his new songs live.
In a recent email interview with The Korea Times, the singer said the new album was a reflection of the past couple of years, where he experienced some ``serious things.’’
``There is validation in accepting change. Having gone through a marriage, a divorce and having children have taught me very valuable lessons and that's what I put into my career and my music,’’ he said.
The song ``Hey Daddy’’ is a tribute to his father who passed away in 2008, while ``Papers’’ deals with his experience after divorcing his former wife. The track ``OMG’’ is also be a must-listen-to number, as it features Will i.am from the Black Eyed Peas.
The singer’s popularity in Korea is high, with a number of his songs being used in commercials and television shows. Numerous male singers follow his moves and tunes at concerts and other various events, proving that he is indeed one of the most popular R&B singers in Korea.
Born Usher Raymond IV in Dallas, Texas, 1978, he discovered his talent at a very young age. He made his first television debut when he was 13 years old through the program ``Star Search,’’ where he was spotted by a music label representative. He auditioned and signed a contract with LaFace Records, where he made his debut as a musician on the original soundtrack of the movie ``Poetic Justice.’’
In 1994, he released his first album ``Usher,’’ which was produced by artist Sean ``P Diddy’’ Combs, and started his journey as a highly talented R&B artist.
His second album ``My Way’’ was released in 1996, and its second single ``Nice & Slow’’ became his first number one hit in the United States. He received his first Grammy Award nomination as Best Male R&B Vocal Performance for ``You Make Me Wanna’’ from his second album.
In 2003, he became the only artist aside from Luther Vandross and Stevie Wonder to consecutively win the ``Best Male R&B Vocal Performance’’ with ``U Remind Me’’ and ``U Don’t Have to Call.’’
With his fourth album ``Confessions,’’ Usher sold more than 10 million copies in the U.S. and more than 20 million worldwide, becoming truly international. The album earned him numerous awards, including four American Music Awards, two MTV Europe Music Awards, two MTV Video Music Awards, three World Music Awards and three Grammies.
His latest album made him the first male artist since Eminem to have three consecutive albums debut at number one on the Billboard 200 chart.
The singer has branched out in different areas besides singing throughout the years, including his founding of his own record label US Records and a non-profit charity organization called ``New Look.’’
Usher’s first concert in Seoul will be held at the Gymnastics Stadium, Olympic Park, on July 3.The concert is the tenth in a series of concerts titled ``Super Concert’’ by Hyundai Card.
Tickets cost from 80,000 won to 146,000 won. Hyundai Card holders can get a discount of 20 percent. For more information, visit www.interpark.com. For bookings in English, visit https://ticket.interpark.com/Global/