This is my confession…

I was late to hop on the Usher bandwagon. When all of my girlfriends were singing along to his ballads I was more into Darude’s “Sandstorm”. But anyone who listens to Usher knows this guy has an incredible range, both vocally and musically. While he’s best known as an R&B artist, his music incorporates pop, hip hop, and dance. It was the latter genre that peaked my interest. “Yeah” and “DJ got us fallin’ in love” always pull me to the dance floor.

After demonstrating his incredible voice as a church choir singer when he was young, Usher moved with his family to Atlanta Georgia to pursue his talent. The rest is history- to date the artist has sold over 65 million albums worldwide, winning numerous awards including the coveted Grammy.

I was thrilled to learn Usher will be at Global Citizen 2015 Earth Day on the Great Mall in Washington DC, this Saturday, April 18th, because it seemed such a natural fit. In addition to being a global superstar, he also founded New Look at the age of 20 with the help of his mom (because he wasn’t accomplished enough). According the the organization’s website,

“New Look is dedicated to engaging disconnected youth to find a path to leadership and help them make career choices that match their passion.  Our model certifying young people in four leadership pillars – Talent, Education, Career and Service – is making a huge difference in the challenges that the young dreamers of the world face.”

So that’s awesome.

As evidenced by his work at New Look, Usher is a huge proponent of education. On April 9 he called on the US government to increase funding for the Global Partnership for Education so that more kids could have the opportunity to thrive. Check out his video:

Usher always puts on an unbelievable show and this one will be no exception. As he appeals to such a diverse demographic, I can’t wait to feel the energy on the mall when he hits the stage. (Oh, and you can still follow Usher's lead and take action on this issue in the TAKE ACTION NOW)