Usher

The stage is Usher’s first love and it shows. He was discovered while performing live and has meticulously studied the stage presence of top-notch entertainers like James Brown, Frank Sinatra, Fred Astaire and Michael Jackson. LaFace Records’ co-president Antonio “L.A.” Reid describes Usher as “the ultimate entertainer” because of his “great voice, fashionable looks and super star presence.”

Usher was discovered when he was 14-years-old, performing in talent shows around Atlanta. “L.A.” Reid’s brother, who worked for LaFace, went to see the teenager sing and immediately set up an audition with Reid and his partner, Kenny “Babyface” Edmonds. After Usher sang for the heavyweights, Reid and Edmonds immediately signed him to a deal.

Usher’s self-titled debut, co-executive produced by Sean “Puffy” Combs, earned him quite a few fans, both in and out of the business. In addition to Reid and Babyface, one of his biggest fans is his agent, Mark Cheatham at ICM. Another is Usher’s mother, who manages his career.

When POLLSTAR spoke with this teen sensation, he was preparing to take the stage at Madison Square Garden as part of the Puff Daddy & The Family world tour. Did this aspiring young performer ever imagine he would be playing a venue like Madison Square Garden at such an early stage in his career? “I hoped for it,” Usher said matter-of-factly.

The tour is doing big business all across the country. Usher said one reason the tour is so successful is that most of the artists have had top spots on the charts over the course of this last year. “Puffy and Al Haymon came together and just pulled everybody who was real hot for the moment,” Usher said.

But why do other chart topping urban acts have a hard time mounting a successful concert tour? “It’s probably because they can’t perform and their record company doesn’t want to expose them like that,” Usher said. “I think everybody on this tour can hold their own as far as what they represent….. There is such a buzz going around about this tour.” Usher said that buzz, coupled with acts like Busta Rhymes, L’il Kim, Mase, Foxy Brown and Puffy Combs, made the timing right for a successful urban tour.

He points out, though, that the show is not for everyone. “I think the reason that I come on first is because my show is not explicit,” Usher said. “I don’t have a lot of profanity in my show. So for the younger crowd, who want to see a great show, come on out and see me perform. But I don’t advise everybody to stay later, because it can get kind of crazy. If I was a parent, I don’t think I would let my child … come and see the entire show. Or I would be there with them to see the first act and then I would take them home. Because there’s a lot of profanity on this show — a lot of it!”

Despite the serious language, the Puff Daddy tour is giving Usher a great opportunity to reach the masses. Audiences are very racially-mixed, which means a lot to the young performer. “It’s very important for music to be accepted by all races,” he said. “That gives you longevity.”

Usher’s career is being carefully developed to capture that longevity. “I’ve seen a lot of things at an early age,” Usher said. “I’m planning on just keeping my head together and keeping it business. This is a business thing for me. I love it and it’s just not the money. I definitely love music. I look at myself like I’m obligated to be an instrument, now that I have this voice, this God given talent.”

Following the Puff Daddy tour, Cheatham plans to book Usher at some fairs and festivals and then hopefully follow that up with a headlining tour later in the year. Usher said that tour will be the “My Way” tour — a theme by which he lives his life.

In doing it his way, Usher is prepared to take his career to another level. “I definitely want to sell more records and I definitely want more people to see me as an entertainer, forever,” he said. “So I guess I’ll be performing as long as my knees hold up.”

For now, Usher is radiating his positive vibe on the Puff Daddy tour, showing the world that there is a lot more to urban music than gangsters and guns. Why is it important to maintain a positive vibe while many artists embrace the raunchier side of life? “Because that’s how I am,” Usher said. “That’s my heart. That’s how I am on the inside. It’s [important] for people to be themselves. When you’re just selling an image for the money, you’re not as much of an artist. And that’s not what being an artist is about. I mean, from back in the day, anything [great performers] talked about came from their souls. I guess I’m a soul man…. I’m one of the last soul men.”