[11] Believing 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.

The year closed out with a trio of TV series appearances, all in November, on The Twilight Zone, 7th Heaven, Moesha, and American Dreams, the latter in which Usher portrayed Marvin Gaye.

[34] By that time, Arista went inactive[47][48] and following its parent, BMG's merger with Sony Music,[49] his previous label, LaFace, was revived under the Jive/Zomba Group banner, bringing Usher back to the fold.

[55] Usher at select dates would bring out a special guest, during his Atlanta show taping he brought out his artist at the time Rico Love to rap a verse on the song "Throwback".

On June 15, 2019, Usher, alongside Erykah Badu, headlined the second annual Smoking Grooves Festival at the Queen Mary Events Park in Long Beach, California.

He was joined by vocalists Eric Bellinger and Vedo, bassist, Dmitry Gorodetsky, trombonist Lemar Guillary, trumpeter Brandyn Phillips, saxophonist Jay Flat, keyboardist Darek Cobbs, guitarist Erick Walls and drummer Ryan Carr.

[182] In addition, he announced in an Apple Music interview with Zane Lowe that his ninth studio album, Coming Home, would be released on February 11, 2024, the same day it was reported that he would perform at the Super Bowl.

[5][192][193] Elias Leight of Rolling Stone wrote that "catching pop's waves has always been one of Usher's greatest strengths, whether that means collaborating with Lil Jon when crunk was going mainstream or charging into EDM".

[197][207][208] Hard II Love sees Rolling Stone's Maura Johnston view it to "stretch the boundaries of R&B while winding toward the brooding atmospherics that have enveloped much of pop over the past 12 months".

"[213] Other musical influences are Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder, Luther Vandross, Janet Jackson, Maze featuring Frankie Beverly, Al Green, and Boyz II Men.

[226][227] Here I Stand displayed his vocals as "agile" and "balletic",[228] as well as his ability to "easily drift from wavering tenor to fine-tuned falsetto" that create emotions of urgency and burning according to Clover Hope of The Village Voice.

[235] For Hard II Love, Jon Pareles of The New York Times commented "a genuinely expressive voice that encompasses an ardent croon, a melting falsetto and quick, singsong declamation".

[226][239] Vibe magazine notes him as being Bobby Brown-esque for his displays of "brash sexuality and arrogance",[240] leading to antics such as being "prone to dropping his pants",[241] and a "tendency to shed his shirt on stage",[242] while John Aizlewood of The Guardian observed that "For all his pelvic thrusting and crotch-grabbing, Usher is a rather courtly presence.

Of course, that's how James Brown, Jackie Wilson and Usher's most obvious role model Michael Jackson did it, but in today's high-tech, gimmicky concerts, it's a lost art", claiming his show "ended the reign of 'Nsync, Britney and the rest of the lip-synching, teen-pop acts".

Chad Batka for The New York Times said "He has established himself as one of R&B's supreme performers and craftsmen, following through on what he learned from Michael Jackson in particular: songs that alternate between choppy and smooth, vocals punctuated by exultant high whoops, a dance vocabulary.

[252] Maura Johnston of Rolling Stone labels him the "Award Show King", explaining "His dedication to choreography dates back to the days when Janet Jackson made videos that looked like they were shot in one take.

[263] After his marriage to Tameka Foster, his sexual appeal was expected to mature as The New Yorker writer Sasha Frere-Jones wrote "The challenge here is to convince us that he is a married and responsible man—grown and sexy, [...]—without sacrificing the louche, frictionless sense of play that made him famous.

[197] Attaining 9 Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles to tie with the Bee Gees, Elton John, and Paul McCartney,[285] Justin Charity of Complex referred to him as "the greatest male pop singer of the past couple decades" in 2015.

[298][299] The BET Honors highlighted his influence on many contemporary artists such as Chris Brown,[300] Trey Songz,[301] Drake,[302] Justin Bieber,[303] Jason Derulo,[304] Miguel,[303] Omarion,[305] Ray J,[306] August Alsina,[307] and Eric Bellinger.

[309] Other artists who have also cited him as an influence are Zayn Malik and Liam Payne of One Direction,[310] Bryson Tiller,[311] Jungkook of BTS,[312] Lucky Daye,[313] 6lack,[314] Rico Love,[315] Jeremih,[316] Anderson Paak,[317] Trevor Jackson,[318] Sam Hunt,[319] Leon Bridges,[320] Sammie,[321] B.Smyth,[322] Jacob Latimore,[323] Kevin Woo,[324] Keke Palmer,[325] Justine Skye,[326] BJ The Chicago Kid,[327] Roy Woods,[328] YK Osiris,[329] Lukas Magyar of Veil of Maya,[330] Bruno Mars,[331] and actor Tahj Mowry.

Usher joined as a new coach on the NBC American reality talent show The Voice, alongside Adam Levine, Blake Shelton, and Shakira in season 4, which premiered on March 25, 2013.

[391] Usher, along with sixteen artist stakeholders (such as Alicia Keys, Kanye West, Beyonce, Rihanna, Madonna, J.Cole, Nicki Minaj, and more) co-own Tidal, with the majority owning a 3% equity stake.

[397] On March 6, 2017, it was announced that Universal Music Group, Evolution Media, Jon Jashni, Usher, Steve Stoute, Charles King, and others invested $6 Million in Mass Appeal.

On July 23, 2019, it was announced Usher, Kevin Hart, Justin Bieber, Demi Lovato, DJ Khaled, Scooter Braun, and Kendall Jenner among others collectively invested $5 Million in Liquid I.V., a health-science and nutrition wellness company based out of El Segundo, California.

The project went on one street at a time, and the funding was helped through part of the proceeds of Usher's team-up with Armani Exchange in creating "Love 4 Life" dog tags, which were made available at the company's stores and Web site.

[424] In 2015, Usher teamed up with Anthony Anderson, Kevin Hart, Big Sean, Chris Paul, and more collectively donating more than $500,000 in scholarships that was given to 20 students attending historically black colleges and universities.

On October 23, 2015, Usher and the founder of Sankofa, former Civil Rights Activist, Harry Belafonte led the conversation titled "Breaking the Chains of Social Injustice" at 92nd Street Y in Manhattan speaking about popular culture and activism.

The music video is geared towards facing the issues of social injustice and features images of Trayvon Martin, Rekia Boyd, Sean Bell, Marlon Brown, Ramarley Graham, Amadou Diallo, Caesar Cruz, and other recent victims of police violence.

[460] In February 2009, two months after the birth of their second son, Foster suffered a cardiac arrest in São Paulo, Brazil, when she was given general anesthesia prior to scheduled cosmetic surgery (reportedly liposuction), which was ultimately not performed.

[468] Foster's 11-year-old son Kile Glover, Usher's former stepson, was declared brain dead on July 8, 2012, after being struck by a personal water craft on Lake Lanier the previous day.