LaFace/Zomba recording artist Usher debuts at No. 1 on SoundScan’s Pop and R&B Albums charts
with his fifth studio album, Here I Stand. This is the highest debut of the
year for a male artist.  

Here I Stand is the Atlanta-based singer’s second No. 1
debut on the Top 200 Albums chart and his third No. 1 debut on the R&B
Albums chart. This week Usher dominates international charts as well, bowing
at No. 1 in Canada, Japan (International Chart), Australia, and for the
third time in a row, debuts at No. 1 on the UK Albums chart. Additionally, Here
I Stand enters Top 5 on album charts in Ireland, Switzerland, New Zealand and
the Netherlands.  

Fans and critics have praised the singer/songwriter’s newest
effort: The New York Times declares, “Usher knows what works in the suave
come-ons that have made him the male R&B sex symbol for a generation;” 
Entertainment Weekly raves, “…Stand’s tunes deserve a place in the
dance-floor pantheon;” The Los Angeles Times observes, “… [Here I Stand] a
more accomplished version of “Confessions,” the hooks more effortless, the
singing even better, the songwriting more consistent.” 

Usher’s latest certified hit, “Love In This Club” featuring Young Jeezy, has remained a  Top
10 staple on Billboard’s Hot 100 Singles chart for 14 consecutive weeks and has
sold close to 3 million digital units (digital singles, ringtones and
ringbacks)  to date.  The poignant follow-up single, “Moving
Mountains” is rapidly climbing the singles charts and the riveting video,
filled with breath-taking special effects, recently debuted on MTV and BET.