Editing David Usher

{{short description|Canadian musician (born 1966)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=April 2025}}
{{Infobox musical artist
| background        = person
| name              = David Usher
| image             = David Usher 2012.jpg
| image_size        = 275
| alt               = David Usher wearing a black t-shirt underneath a light checkered shirt, smiling at camera
| caption           = Usher in 2012
| birth_date        = {{Birth date and age|1966|04|24}}
| birth_place       = [[Oxford]], England
| death_date        =
| origin            =
| genre             = {{Flatlist|
* [[Rock music|Rock]]
* [[Pop music|pop]]
* [[alternative rock]]
}}
| occupation        = {{hlist|musician|author|speaker}}
| instrument        = {{hlist|vocals|guitar|keyboards}}
| current_member_of = [[Moist (band)|Moist]]
| past_member_of    =
| years_active      = 1992–present
| label             = {{Flatlist|
* [[Universal Music]]
* [[Capitol Records|Capitol]]
* [[Maple Music|Maple]]
}}
| website           = {{URL|davidusher.com}}
}}

'''David Usher''' (born April 24, 1966) is a Canadian musician, best-selling author, keynote speaker, and activist best known as the front man for the band [[Moist (band)|Moist]]. He has also released a number of solo albums.<ref>[https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/arts-and-life/entertainment/music/resurrected-again-492058651.html "Resurrected again"]. ''Winnipeg Free Press'', By: Alan Small, August 30, 2018</ref> He is the founder of Reimagine AI, an artificial intelligence creative studio.

==Early life==
David Usher was born in [[Oxford]], [[England]] to [[Buddhism in Thailand|Thai Buddhist]] artist Samphan Usher and [[Queen's University at Kingston|Queen's University]] economics professor Dan Usher.<ref>[https://nationalpost.com/entertainment/david-usher-is-a-thinking-mans-musician "David Usher is a thinking man's musician"]. ''National Post'', November 21, 2012</ref> 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 (band)|Headstones]] attended the school.{{citation needed|date=April 2015}} Usher attended Queen's University for one semester before transferring to [[Simon Fraser University]] in [[Burnaby]], [[British Columbia]], majoring in political science.<ref>[https://www.thewhig.com/2016/05/13/usher-continually-challenging-himself/wcm/754398c8-5896-3a4e-0c83-6a80ab39fa70 "Usher continually challenging himself"]. ''Kingston Whig'', By Jane Willsie May 13, 2016</ref>

==Career==
While studying in Vancouver, Usher helped form the band [[Moist (Canadian 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 (Moist 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 (Moist album)|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.<ref>{{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20001013000450/http://www.chartattack.com/features/99/davidusher/index.html "DAVID USHER: LIFESTYLES OF THE MOIST AND FAMOUS"]}}. ''Chart Attack'', May 25, 1999, Interview by Christophe Bergeron</ref><ref>[https://www.fyimusicnews.ca/articles/2016/11/10/five-questions-%E2%80%A6-david-usher "Five Questions With… David Usher"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181104125918/https://www.fyimusicnews.ca/articles/2016/11/10/five-questions-%E2%80%A6-david-usher |date=November 4, 2018 }}. ''FYI Music News'', November 10, 2018, by Jason Schneider</ref> He released his first solo album, ''[[Little Songs (David Usher 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|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 (musician)|Bruce Gordon]] of [[I Mother Earth]], Gord Sinclair of [[The Tragically Hip]], and the rapper [[Snow (musician)|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 language|Thai]] on two of the tracks.

Usher's third solo album, ''[[Hallucinations (David Usher 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|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 (Canadian band)|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,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://popgoesthenews.com/2016/09/21/listen-david-usher-releases-bilingual-version-of-black-black-heart/|title=LISTEN: David Usher releases bilingual version of 'Black Black Heart'|last=JRKM|date=September 21, 2016 |publisher=Pop goes the news|access-date=October 18, 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last1=KENNEDY|first1=JOHN R|title=David Usher's New Album 'Let It Play' Is A Collection of English Versions Of French Songs|url=http://www.iheartradio.ca/news/david-usher-s-new-album-let-it-play-is-a-collection-of-english-versions-of-french-songs-1.2056349|publisher=iheartradio.ca|access-date=December 17, 2017|date=April 22, 2016}}</ref> re-recorded originals from Usher's repertoire, as well as high-profile collaborations with artists such as [[Marie-Mai]], [[Alex Nevsky (musician)|Alex Nevsky]], [[Monogrenade]], [[Karim Ouellet]], [[Dumas (musician)|Dumas]], [[Ingrid St-Pierre]], [[Carole Facal|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 <ref>[https://www.nationalobserver.com/2017/05/19/news/david-usher-sets-climate-clock-and-its-approaching-two-degrees "David Usher sets Climate Clock and it’s approaching two degrees"]. ''National Observer'', By Clothilde Goujard | May 19, 2017</ref>

In 2012 Usher made a presentation about the creative process at the Mesh Marketing conference in Toronto.<ref>[https://business.financialpost.com/entrepreneur/in-internet-age-creativity-is-a-necessity-in-business "In Internet age, creativity is a necessity in business"]. ''Financial Post'', Rick Spence, November 12, 2012</ref> In 2015 he published a book on creativity and the creative process, titled ''Let the Elephants Run • Unlock Your Creativity and Change Everything''.<ref>[https://montrealgazette.com/entertainment/books/david-usher-helps-you-unleash-your-inner-artist "David Usher helps you unleash your inner artist"]. ''Montreal Gazette'',  Ian McGillis, March 9, 2015</ref>

==Personal life==
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.

==Discography==
===Studio albums===
{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;"
|-
! rowspan="2" style="width:14em;"| Title
! rowspan="2" style="width:18em;"| Details
! colspan="2"| Peak chart<br />positions
|- style="font-size:smaller;"
! width="45"| [[Canadian Albums Chart|CAN]]
|-
! scope="row"| ''[[Little Songs (David Usher album)|Little Songs]]''
|
* Release date: March 17, 1998
* Label: [[EMI]]
| 19
|-
! scope="row"| ''[[Morning Orbit]]''
|
* Release date: July 31, 2001
* Label: EMI
| 9
|-
! scope="row"| ''[[Hallucinations (David Usher album)|Hallucinations]]''
|
* Release date: September 9, 2003
* Label: EMI
| 6
|-
! scope="row"| ''[[If God Had Curves]]''
|
* Release date: April 26, 2005
* Label: EMI
| 12
|-
! scope="row"| ''[[Strange Birds]]''
|
* Release date: March 20, 2007
* Label: [[Maple Music]]
| 10
|-
! scope="row"| ''[[Wake Up and Say Goodbye]]''
|
* Release date: September 23, 2008
* Label: Maple Music
| 12
|-
! scope="row"| ''[[The Mile End Sessions]]''
|
* Release date: September 14, 2010
* Label: Maple Music
| 18
|-
! scope="row"| ''[[Songs from the Last Day on Earth]]''
|
* Release date: October 2, 2012
* Label: Maple Music
|
|-
! scope="row"| ''[[Let It Play]]''
|
* Release date: November 4, 2016
* Label: Evil Empire Inc.
|
|-
| colspan="4" style="font-size:8pt"| "—" denotes releases that did not chart
|-
|}

===EPs===
{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:left; "
! scope="col" style="width:15em; "| Title
! scope="col" style="width:15em; "| Details
|-
! scope="row"| ''iTunes Live from Montreal''
|
* Release date: January 13, 2009
* Label: Evil Empire Inc.
|-
|}

===Singles===
{| class="wikitable"
! rowspan="2"| Year
! rowspan="2" width="180"| Title
! colspan="4"| Peak Chart Position
! rowspan="2"| Album
|-
! width="40"|<small>[[Canadian Singles Chart|CAN]]<br /><ref>
* For "Forestfire": {{cite web|url=https://worldradiohistory.com/CANADA/RPM/90s/1998/RPM-1998-06-15.pdf|title=100 Hit Tracks – June 15, 1998|work=[[RPM (magazine)|RPM]]}}
* For "Alone in the Universe": {{cite web|url=http://www.athleticscanada.com:80/JamMusicCharts/BDS_1.html|title=The Hits Charts (Airplay): Top 100 singles|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20010926023250/http://www.athleticscanada.com:80/JamMusicCharts/BDS_1.html |archive-date=September 26, 2001 }}
* For "A Day in the Life": {{cite web|url=http://www.athleticscanada.com:80/JamMusicCharts/BDS_1.html|title=The Hits Charts (Airplay): Top 100 singles|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20020419104146/http://www.athleticscanada.com:80/JamMusicCharts/BDS_1.html |archive-date=April 19, 2002 }}
* For "My Way Out": {{cite web|url=http://jamshowbiz.com/JamMusicCharts/BDS_2.html|title=The Hits Charts (Airplay): Top 100 singles|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20031228214919/http://jamshowbiz.com/JamMusicCharts/BDS_2.html |archive-date=December 28, 2003 }}
* For "Time of Our Lives": {{cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/artist/david-usher/chart-history/cns/|title=Canadian Digital Song Sales|magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]}}
* For "The Music": {{cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/artist/david-usher/chart-history/can/|title=Canadian Hot 100|magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]}}
</ref></small>
! width="40"|<small>[[German Singles Chart|GER]]<br /><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.offiziellecharts.de/titel-details-5061|title=David Usher - Black Black Heart|publisher=[[GfK Entertainment charts]]}}</ref></small>
! width="40"|<small>[[Dutch Single Top 100|NED]]<br /><ref>{{cite web|url=https://dutchcharts.nl/showitem.asp?interpret=David+Usher&titel=Black+Black+Heart&cat=s|title=David Usher – Black Black Heart|publisher=[[Single Top 100]]}}</ref></small>
! width="40"|<small>[[Swiss Singles Chart|SWI]]<br /><ref>{{cite web|url=http://swisscharts.com/song/David-Usher/Black-Black-Heart-5061|title=David Usher – Black Black Heart|publisher=[[Swiss Singles Chart]]}}</ref></small>
|-
| rowspan="3"| 1998
| "Forestfire"
| align="center"| 27
| align="center"| —
| align="center"| —
| align="center"| —
| rowspan="3"|''Little Songs''
|-
| "Jesus Was My Girl"
| align="center"| —
| align="center"| —
| align="center"| —
| align="center"| —
|-
| "St. Lawrence River"
| align="center"| —
| align="center"| —
| align="center"| —
| align="center"| —

|-
| rowspan="3"| 2001
| "Alone in the Universe"
| align="center"| 7
| align="center"| —
| align="center"| —
| align="center"| —
| rowspan="4"|''Morning Orbit''
|-
| "[[Black Black Heart]]"
| align="center"| 3
| align="center"| 82
| align="center"| 87
| align="center"| 45
|-
| "A Day in the Life"
| align="center"| 24
| align="center"| —
| align="center"| —
| align="center"| —
|-
| 2002
| "My Way Out"
| align="center"| 44
| align="center"| —
| align="center"| —
| align="center"| —
|-
| rowspan="2"| 2003
| "Time of Our Lives"
| align="center"| 16
| align="center"| —
| align="center"| —
| align="center"| —
| rowspan="2"|''Hallucinations''
|-
| "Surfacing"
| align="center"| —
| align="center"| —
| align="center"| —
| align="center"| —
|-
| 2004
| "Galaxy"
| align="center"| —
| align="center"| —
| align="center"| —
| align="center"| —
| non-album single
|-
| 2005
| "Love Will Save the Day"
| align="center"| —
| align="center"| —
| align="center"| —
| align="center"| —
| ''If God Had Curves''
|-
| rowspan="2"| 2007
| "The Music"
| align="center"| 17
| align="center"| —
| align="center"| —
| align="center"| —
| rowspan="2"|''Strange Birds''
|-
| "Ugly is Beautiful"
| align="center"| —
| align="center"| —
| align="center"| —
| align="center"| —
|-
| 2008
| "Kill the Lights" <small>(featuring [[Marie-Mai]])</small>
| align="center"| —
| align="center"| —
| align="center"| —
| align="center"| —
| ''Wake Up and Say Goodbye''
|-
| rowspan="2"| 2010
| "Je repars" <small>(featuring [[Marie-Mai]])</small>
| align="center"| —
| align="center"| —
| align="center"| —
| align="center"| —
| rowspan="2"|''The Mile End Sessions''
|-
| "I'm Coming Down" <small>(Acoustic)</small>
| align="center"| —
| align="center"| —
| align="center"| —
| align="center"| —
|-
| 2024
| "Run to the Sea"
| align="center"| —
| align="center"| —
| align="center"| —
| align="center"| —
| non-album single
|}

===with Moist===
{{Main|Moist (band)#Discography||l1=Moist discography}}

{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:left; "
! scope="col" style="width:15em; "| Title
! scope="col" style="width:1em; "| Year
|-
! scope="row"| ''[[Silver (Moist album)|Silver]]''
|
1994
|-
! scope="row"| ''[[Creature (Moist album)|Creature]]''
|
1996
|-
! scope="row"| ''[[Mercedes 5 and Dime]]''
|
1999
|-
! scope="row"| ''[[Machine Punch Through|Machine Punch Through: The Singles Collection]]''
|
2001
|-
! scope="row"| ''[[Glory Under Dangerous Skies]]''
|
2014
|-
! scope="row"| ''[[End of the Ocean]]''
|
2022
|}

===Other appearances===
* "Watching the Wheels" (John Lennon cover) (''Instant Karma: The Amnesty International Campaign to Save Darfur'', 2007)

===DVDs===
* ''walk.don't.run'' (2005)

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{commonscat}}
* {{official website|davidusher.com}}
* [https://www.reimagine.ai/ Reimagine.ai]
* {{IMDb name|nm1247384}}

{{Moist (Canadian band)}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Usher, David}}
[[Category:1966 births]]
[[Category:Canadian alternative rock singers]]
[[Category:Anglophone Quebec people]]
[[Category:Canadian humanists]]
[[Category:Canadian people of Jewish descent]]
[[Category:Canadian people of Thai descent]]
[[Category:Canadian rock singers]]
[[Category:Canadian male singer-songwriters]]
[[Category:20th-century Canadian singer-songwriters]]
[[Category:English emigrants to Canada]]
[[Category:English people of Thai descent]]
[[Category:English people of Jewish descent]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:MapleMusic Recordings artists]]
[[Category:Singers from Montreal]]
[[Category:Musicians from Oxford]]
[[Category:Simon Fraser University alumni]]
[[Category:Juno Award for Pop Album of the Year winners]]
[[Category:21st-century Canadian singer-songwriters]]