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Billboard’s Greatest Pop Stars of the 21st Century: No. 11 — Usher

Usher is one of the greatest pop stars of the 21st century thanks to his incredible catalog, decades of evolution & recent legacy-confirming comeback.

And all this follows on the heels of Usher’stalk-of-the town My Way – The Vegas Residency that packed both The Colosseum at Caesars Palace in 2021 and the larger Dolby Live at Park MGM a year later – an act he took across the pond with the eight-date Rendez-Vous Á Paris, documented in a concert film released this September. At a time when the ‘70s-influenced neo-soul movement — embodied by D’Angelo, Erykah Badu and Maxwell — was making its mainstream ascendance, Usher’s refreshing brand of contemporary R&B was striking a chord with fans by way of its youthful, vibrant take on love, sexuality and burgeoning adulthood. 1s: the club-ready “Yeah!” with Lil Jon and Ludacris, the yearning “Burn” and the guilt-wracked “Confessions Part II.” Added as a bonus cut to the album’s deluxe edition, the nostalgic love duet “My Boo” with Alicia Keys became Usher’s fourth No.

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