David Usher | |
|---|---|
 Usher in 2012 | |
| Background information | |
| Born | April 24, 1966 Oxford, England |
| Genres | |
| Occupations |
|
| Instruments |
|
| Years active | 1992–present |
| Labels | |
| Member of | Moist |
| Website | davidusher |
David Usher (born April 24, 1966) is a British-born Canadian musician, best-selling author, keynote speaker, and activist best known as the front man for the band Moist. He has also released a number of solo albums. [1] He is the founder of Reimagine AI, an artificial intelligence creative studio.
David Usher was born in Oxford, England to Thai Buddhist artist Samphan Usher and Queen's University economics professor Dan Usher. [2] He has lived in various places such as Malaysia, New York City, California and Thailand since early childhood, before his family settled in Kingston, Ontario. He attended high school at Kingston Collegiate and Vocational Institute at the same time that Gord Downie of The Tragically Hip and Hugh Dillon of the Headstones attended the school.[ citation needed ] Usher attended Queen's University for one semester before transferring to Simon Fraser University in Burnaby, British Columbia, majoring in political science. [3]
While studying in Vancouver, Usher helped form the band Moist, composed of Usher on vocals, Mark Makoway on guitars, Jeff Pearce on bass, Kevin Young, who, like Usher, had moved to Vancouver from Kingston, on keyboards, and Paul Wilcox on drums. Usher became the principal songwriter for the band.
Moist's debut album Silver was released in 1994 and went on to achieve quadruple-platinum status, selling 400,000 copies in Canada. Their sophomore album, titled Creature , was released in 1996 and reached triple-platinum status, selling over 300,000 copies.
In 1998, Usher took a year to work on his own recordings. [4] [5] He released his first solo album, Little Songs . Most of the album was recorded in the kitchen of David's apartment. The album contains a track titled "Baby Skin Tattoo", which bears no relation to the song of the same name on the Moist album Creature.
In 1999, Moist released their third album, titled Mercedes 5 and Dime , once again achieving multi-platinum status. They followed this with a compilation album and DVD in 2001, titled Machine Punch Through: The Singles Collection , and thereafter entered a hiatus period that would last twelve years.
Usher continued with his solo career, releasing his second solo album, Morning Orbit , which sold 90,000 copies. The song "Alone in the Universe" was released as the first single, and the album featured collaborations with some members of Moist and with several figures of the Canadian music scene including Jagori Tanna and Bruce Gordon of I Mother Earth, Gord Sinclair of The Tragically Hip, and the rapper Snow. The album also included a cover of the Tracy Chapman song "Fast Car". A Thai version of the record was released, and included Usher singing in Thai on two of the tracks.
Usher's third solo album, Hallucinations , came out in 2003, and includes a cover of the Manic Street Preachers song "If You Tolerate This Your Children Will Be Next".
Hallucinations was followed by If God Had Curves , which includes collaborations with Tegan Quin of Tegan and Sara, and Bruce Cockburn.
Usher continued to release solo albums throughout the first decade of the 2000s, with Strange Birds (2007) and Wake Up and Say Goodbye (2008). Strange Birds contains themes inspired by New York City, where Usher had moved with his family. It also includes extensive collaborations with other members of Moist. Wake Up and Say Goodbye includes a bonus track featuring Quebec-based singer Marie-Mai, and the album was nominated for a Juno Award.
In the early 2010s, David Usher released two more solo albums before reforming the band Moist. The Mile End Sessions came out in 2010, and Songs from the Last Day on Earth in 2012. The Mile End Sessions is composed mostly of previously released songs re-recorded in acoustic arrangements, is produced by Moist member Jonathan Gallivan, contains Usher's first French-language recording, and features contributions from Marie-Mai and Cœur de pirate. Songs from the Last Day on Earth is also produced by Jonathan Gallivan.
In 2013, Moist returned from a twelve-year hiatus and recorded their fourth studio album, Glory Under Dangerous Skies , the following year.
In 2016, Usher released his ninth solo studio album, titled Let It Play . The album features English translations of French-Canadian songs, [6] [7] re-recorded originals from Usher's repertoire, as well as high-profile collaborations with artists such as Marie-Mai, Alex Nevsky, Monogrenade, Karim Ouellet, Dumas, Ingrid St-Pierre, Caracol, Daniel Lavoie, Dominique A, and Baden Baden.
Throughout his musical career, Usher has sold more than 1.4 million albums, won four Juno Awards and had several #1 singles singing in English, French, and Thai.
Usher is also the founder of Reimagine AI, an artificial intelligence creative studio based out of Montreal. Reimagine AI integrates interactive and AI technology to build virtual beings.
Usher is the co-creator (with Damon Matthews) of the Climate Clock. Climateclock.net [8]
In 2012 Usher made a presentation about the creative process at the Mesh Marketing conference in Toronto. [9] In 2015 he published a book on creativity and the creative process, titled Let the Elephants Run • Unlock Your Creativity and Change Everything. [10]
He is featured in the 2001 MuchMusic special Musicians in the WarZone, a humanitarian documentary directed by filmmaker Liz Marshall, in which he journeys to the northern border of Thailand to visit a large Burmese refugee community.
As of 2018, he lives in Montreal, Quebec, with his family.
| Title | Details | Peak chart positions | |
|---|---|---|---|
| CAN | |||
| Little Songs |
| 19 | |
| Morning Orbit |
| 9 | |
| Hallucinations |
| 6 | |
| If God Had Curves |
| 12 | |
| Strange Birds |
| 10 | |
| Wake Up and Say Goodbye |
| 12 | |
| The Mile End Sessions |
| 18 | |
| Songs from the Last Day on Earth |
| ||
| Let It Play |
| ||
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart | |||
| Title | Details |
|---|---|
| iTunes Live from Montreal |
|
| Year | Title | Peak Chart Position | Album | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CAN [11] | GER [12] | NED [13] | SWI [14] | |||
| 1998 | "Forestfire" | 27 | — | — | — | Little Songs |
| "Jesus Was My Girl" | — | — | — | — | ||
| "St. Lawrence River" | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2001 | "Alone in the Universe" | 7 | — | — | — | Morning Orbit |
| "Black Black Heart" | 3 | 82 | 87 | 45 | ||
| "A Day in the Life" | 24 | — | — | — | ||
| 2002 | "My Way Out" | 44 | — | — | — | |
| 2003 | "Time of Our Lives" | 16 | — | — | — | Hallucinations |
| "Surfacing" | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2004 | "Galaxy" | — | — | — | — | Single only |
| 2005 | "Love Will Save the Day" | — | — | — | — | If God Had Curves |
| 2007 | "The Music" | 17 | — | — | — | Strange Birds |
| "Ugly is Beautiful" | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2008 | "Kill the Lights" (featuring Marie-Mai) | — | — | — | — | Wake Up and Say Goodbye |
| 2010 | "Je repars" (featuring Marie-Mai) | — | — | — | — | The Mile End Sessions |
| "I'm Coming Down" (Acoustic) | — | — | — | — | ||
| Title | Year |
|---|---|
| Silver | 1994 |
| Creature | 1996 |
| Mercedes 5 and Dime | 1999 |
| Machine Punch Through: The Singles Collection | 2001 |
| Glory Under Dangerous Skies | 2014 |
| End of the Ocean | 2022 |
Heart is an American rock band formed in Seattle, Washington, in 1973. The band evolved from previous projects led by founding members Roger Fisher (guitar) and Steve Fossen, including The Army (1967–1969), Hocus Pocus (1969–1970), and White Heart (1970–1973). By 1975, original members Fisher, Fossen, and Ann Wilson, along with Nancy Wilson, Michael Derosier (drums), and Howard Leese formed the lineup for the band's initial mid- to late-1970s success period. These core members were included in the band's 2013 induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Hallucinations is David Usher's third studio album. It was released on September 9, 2003 via EMI label. Two singles, "Time of our Lives" and "Surfacing" were released off the record. Hallucinations follows two other solo albums, Little Songs (1998) and Morning Orbit (2001), and precedes a fourth solo album, If God Had Curves (2005). The album debuted at #6 on the Canadian Albums Chart, selling 6,300 copies in its first week. It is Usher's highest position on that chart of his solo career.
Everything but the Girl are an English musical duo formed in Kingston upon Hull in 1982, consisting of lead singer, songwriter, composer and occasional guitarist Tracey Thorn and guitarist, keyboardist, songwriter, composer, producer and singer Ben Watt. The group's early works have been categorized as sophisti-pop with jazz influences before undergoing an electronic music turn following the worldwide success of the 1994 hit single "Missing", remixed by Todd Terry.
Moist is a Canadian rock band that formed in 1992. It consists of David Usher as lead vocalist, Mark Makoway on lead guitars, Jonathan Gallivan on guitars, Kevin Young on keyboards, Francis Fillion on drums, and Jeff Pearce on bass. Drummer Paul Wilcox left the band just before its hiatus in 2000.
Morning Orbit is the second solo album by Canadian musician David Usher. The album was released on July 31, 2001 and was successful in Canada, being certified Platinum by the CRIA in April 2002. Morning Orbit won the 2002 Juno Award for Pop Album of the Year.
I Mother Earth, or IME, is a Canadian rock band formed in 1990 and reaching its peak popularity in the latter half of the 1990s. After an eight-year hiatus, it reunited in 2012. Between 1996 and 2016, it was among the top 150 best-selling Canadian artists and top 40 Canadian bands in Canada.
Silver is the debut studio album by Canadian rock band Moist. The album cost approximately $4000 Canadian to make. It included the singles "Push", "Silver" and "Believe Me". The album reached #12 on The Record's Canadian Albums Chart. It is the band's most commercially successful album, being certified 4× Platinum in Canada.
American singer Usher has released nine studio albums, ten compilation albums, eight extended plays, and 81 singles. His music has been released on the LaFace, Arista, Jive, RCA, and gamma record labels. Usher has sold more than 33 million albums in the United States alone and over 65 million albums worldwide. With over 150 million total records sold worldwide, he is one of the best selling music artists of all time. He has nine number-one singles and 18 Hot 100 top-ten singles on the US Billboard Hot 100. In 1994, Usher released his self-titled debut album in North America, which went onto sell 500,000 copies, and produced the singles "Can U Get wit It", "Think of You", and "The Many Ways". The former two peaked in the lower half of the UK and US charts. His follow-up 1997 album My Way sold over 8 million copies worldwide, becoming his breakthrough album. It is certified seven-times platinum in the US, and spawned three successful singles, including his first UK number-one song, "You Make Me Wanna...", and first US Hot 100 number-one song, "Nice & Slow". Usher's success continued in 2001, with his third studio album, 8701. It debuted at number four on the Billboard 200. The album produced two number-one singles, such as "U Remind Me" and "U Got It Bad". In 2002, the album was certified five-times platinum in the US for sales of 5 million copies. As of 2010, its worldwide sales stand at over 8 million.
"Black Velvet" is a song written by Canadian songwriters Christopher Ward and David Tyson, and recorded by Canadian singer-songwriter Alannah Myles. It was released as one of four singles from Myles' 1989 eponymous album from Atlantic Records. It became a number-one hit for two weeks on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in 1990 and reached number one on the Album Rock Tracks chart, as well as number ten in her native Canada and number two on the UK Singles Chart. The power ballad also reached number one in Norway, Sweden, and Switzerland and was a major success in several other countries. It contains blues verses with a rock chorus.
Bobby Ray Simmons Jr., known professionally as B.o.B, is an American rapper, singer, and record producer. Raised in Decatur, Georgia, Simmons signed with record producer Jim Jonsin's Rebel Rock Entertainment in 2006. Two years later, he signed a joint venture recording contract with fellow Georgia rapper T.I.'s Grand Hustle Records, an imprint of Atlantic Records. Following his major-label deal, Simmons quickly achieved commercial success when his 2009 debut single, "Nothin' on You", peaked the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart and received three nominations—Record of the Year, Best Rap Song, and Best Rap/Sung Collaboration—at the 53rd Grammy Awards.
"Black Black Heart" is a song written by David Usher and Jeff Pearce and released as the second single off Usher's 2001 album, Morning Orbit. It became a minor hit in Germany, the Netherlands, and Switzerland, and rose to number three in Greece, spending over 25 weeks on the country's singles chart. The music video won two MuchMusic Video Awards.
Jonathan Gallivan is a Québec-based producer, musician, and lead software developer for Reimagine AI in Montréal.
Keidran Kenmore Jones, better known by his stage name Iyaz, is a British Virgin Islands singer and songwriter, formerly signed with the record label Warner Music Group. He is known for his singles "Replay", "Solo", and "Pretty Girls". He released his debut album Replay in 2010.
"Hey Daddy (Daddy's Home)" is a song by American singer Usher. It was written by longtime Usher collaborator Rico Love, Usher, Plies as well as Andrew Harr and Jermaine Jackson from production duo The Runners for his sixth studio album Raymond v. Raymond (2010), while production was helmed by Love, Harr, and Jackson. "Hey Daddy (Daddy's Home)" was released as the album's first single in the United States, following the buzz single "Papers". It peaked at number twenty-four on the Billboard Hot 100, and at number two on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs.
The Mile End Sessions is the seventh album by solo artist David Usher. It was released on September 14, 2010 and is composed mostly of previously released songs re-recorded in acoustic arrangements. There were two singles released off the record.
Bleachers is an American rock band from New Jersey, formed in 2013 by singer, producer and songwriter Jack Antonoff. Antonoff was the only permanent member of the group until 2023, when longtime touring musicians Mikey Freedom Hart, Sean Hutchinson, Evan Smith, Michael Riddleberger, and Zem Audu became official members.
Glory Under Dangerous Skies, originally titled Moist IV, is a 2014 studio album released by the Canadian alternative rock band Moist on October 7, 2014 through Universal Music Canada. The album is Moist's first studio offering since their 1999 album Mercedes 5 and Dime, and the first album to feature new members Jonathan Gallivan, Louis Lalancette, and Francis Fillion. Original drummer Paul Wilcox had left the band just before its lengthy hiatus in 2000, and bassist Jeff Pearce left in early 2014 during the production of Glory Under Dangerous Skies.
Songs from the Last Day on Earth is the eighth studio album by Canadian solo artist David Usher. It was released on October 2, 2012 via MapleMusic Recordings label.
"Crash" is a song by American singer Usher, recorded for his eighth studio album, Hard II Love. It was released by RCA on June 10, 2016, available for digital download and online streaming. The audio for the song was also released on his Vevo and YouTube accounts the same day. "Crash" is the follow-up single to "No Limit", released the day before. Both singles appear on Usher's eighth studio album, Hard II Love. The song was written by Usher, Corey Latif, Lee Stashenko, Carlos St. John, while production was handled by Saint JHN and f a l l e n.
End of the Ocean is the fifth studio album from Canadian alternative rock band Moist. Originally set to be released on October 1, 2021, it was released on January 14, 2022. The album and its title track are centered around themes of human consumption and its "devastating results" on the planet.
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Artists | |
| Other | |
