我感到自己处于生命的最佳状态——身体棒、精神足、情感丰富、乐感灵敏。而且我知道音乐市场还有人爱我，这给了我力量。教你即刻成专家
1.亚瑟·雷蒙德四世1978年10月14日出生于美国田纳西州。
2.他妈妈跟丈夫分手后独自抚养两个儿子。亚瑟从来不知道父亲是谁。
3.亚瑟的演唱生涯是从母亲的教堂唱诗班开始的。他一度想成为一个传教士。
4.亚瑟小时候要是他喜欢的女孩不肯吻他，就哭。他一直是个不可救药的多情种子。
5. 青春期的时候，他得到一个演唱合同，嗓子却碰巧坏了。“那是我一生中最糟糕的日子，”他说。
6. 现年25岁的亚瑟是如日中天的R&B歌手，最近的歌碟《坦白》已卖出300万张，是2001年以来销售量最高的首张个人专辑。当单曲《燃烧》和《坦白》（下）与《是啊》相继跻身排行榜十大歌曲时，亚瑟堪比1964年的披头士和1978年的Bee Gees，成为同时有三首单曲荣登排行榜前十名的歌手。
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1.Usher Raymond IV was born on Oct 14, 1978, in Tennesse, U.S.
2.His mom had to raise two sons by herself after leaving her husband. Usher never knew his father.
3.Usher's singing career began in his mother's church choir2. At one point, he wanted to become a preacher3.
4.When Usher was little, if a girl he liked refused to kiss him, he would cry. He was always a hopeless4 romantic5!
5.When Usher hit puberty6, he scored a record deal but lost his singing voice. “Hardest days of my life,” he says.
6. Now, at 25, Usher is the biggest R&B artist around, selling over 3 million copies of his latest CD, Confessions, making it the highest-selling album debut since 2001. When the singles “Burn” and “Confessions, Pt. 2” joined “Yeah!” in the Billboard Top 10, Usher matched the Beatles in 1964 and the Bee Gees in 1978 as the most recent artists to have three hits in the Top 10 at the same time.
Usher's Confessions
You play a guy's hit records, you check out7 his half-naked body, you think you know him. Trust us—you don't. Not yet. But you will. Multiplatinum R&B sex symbol8 Usher Raymond, reveals his feeling about his art, soul, sacrifice and tears—and the end of his relationship9 with TLC's Rozonda. Read on to get up close and personal with the hottest man on the music scene.
I AM TOTALLY FOCUSED ON BEING A SUPERSTAR. I think I've brainwashed10 myself into being this way, since I've been doing this for so long. This all started at a very young age, and I love it, even though it hasn't always been easy. Every experience hasn't been a good one, and obviously, every experience hasn't been bad. I used to consider those rocky11 moments mistakes, but now I think of them as lessons learned. Sometimes you got·ta12 go through something to get to something better. If there were no humps13 in life, there would be nothing to get over. Today is the beginning of the rest of my life.
THE PRICE OF FAME
I know I'm totally blessed that so many fans love me the way I am, but I don' think they know about the sacrifices I make for my career. It's very hard to balance a personal life with a career as an entertainer14, and that's part of the reason I can't commit to15 being in a relationship. It's just not the right time for me to be in one.
So that's what I mean when I talk about sacrifices—I'm constantly faced with the decision of making my life or my career the bigger priority16, and currently, it's my career. Right now I'm all about making17 sure that I'm OK so I can perform at my best. If I'm not OK, then I can't be supportive of anyone else, and I'm unstable. Those people closest to me have to understand the sacrifices I need to make for my life and be supportive. Ultimately I need a girl who can be supportive, stand by18 me and understand the pressures I deal with and try to alleviate19 them. PUTTING THE DREAM ON WAX20
The music makes everything worth it, though. I wrote a lot of my new album, so it's like a diary based on my personal experiences. For the first time I'm letting it all come out, so when you hear my music, you'll still hear the Usher you know and love, but it's much more personal. I did a really amazing ballad21 with Jermaine Dupri that's about the turmoil22 of letting a relationship go23. You have to do that when you know that it's not really beneficial24 anymore, when the party isn't jumping like it used to25. Confessions is the name of my new album, and I chose that title because I wanted the music to speak to26 the reality of my experiences. I'm talking about things men go through in their lives that people may otherwise choose to shy away from27. I consider that making great music.
THE BIG PAYOFF28
Every day I ask myself, “I'm smiling, but am I really happy?” And then I think about the fact that I'm about to get back on that stage and perform for millions of fans on tour around the world, and I'm filled with joy. My artistry29 means everything to me, and I work hard at it. I come from the school30 where stars should shine, so I'm a total31 entertainer. I'm in the gym at seven o′ clock every morning, and my body's looking right too. I don't think I'm sexy, I know I'm sexy! That sounds cocky32, but really, that's just confidence, and the fact that I'm confident is the sexiest thing about me.
What it comes down to33 is that I want to make history with my life and the music I make. Every moment, every time I stumble34, every time I succeed, I want that to be part of my history. I am on a mission35, even though it's tough to put my personal life on the back burner36. When I want to cry—and don't be fooled, crying is part of what makes you a man—I don't have anyone I feel I can cry with. I don't have anyone in my life who I feel can be a rock37 for me. I used to. Maybe that person is right in front of my face and I'm too stupid to realize it. Or maybe it's just not my time for that kind of fulfillment38. Right now I'm shooting for the stars, the moon and the mountains39. Ya smell me40, men?
亚瑟的坦白
你播放他的热门歌曲，审视他的半裸照片，以为了解他了，其实不然——相信我们！你并不了解，不过你会的。请听亚瑟·雷蒙德这位专辑卖出数百万张的R&B 性感明星的情感倾诉，内容涉及到他的艺术、心灵、所付出的牺牲和眼泪以及他与TLC演唱组歌手洛佐达的分道扬镳各方面事情，走进乐界当红艺人的个人世界。
我一门心思要当超级巨星，我满脑子装的都是这个念头，这是我多年的追求。我很小的时候就有了这样的想法，我喜欢这样，虽然有时候很不顺利。经历的事并非件件称心，当然，也并非事事都不如意。我过去常把困厄当作意外的倒霉，但是现在我觉得那是生活的教训。有时候，你就得吃一点苦才能尝到甜头。生活当中如果没有危机，就没有了克服的对象。我的余生从今天开始。
成名的代价
我知道这么多的歌迷们喜欢我现在的样子真是我的好运气，但是我认为他们并不知道我为事业做出了多少牺牲。在个人生活和艺人生涯之间保持平衡决非易事，我不敢确定恋爱关系的部分原因就在于此。对我来说，确定关系现在还不是时候。
我说牺牲就是指这个而言——我经常要面对这样的选择：重生活还是重事业？眼下，是事业。我现在尽力保持最佳状态以便唱出最好水平。我如果干得不好，就帮不了别人，我就会难以依靠。生活中跟我关系亲密的人一定要理解我为生活所做出的牺牲，给我支持。最终，我需要一个能支持我的女孩，跟我心意相通、理解我、减轻我所承受的压力。 把梦想灌成唱片
不过，音乐使我付出的一切都有了价值。我的新歌碟里很多歌是我自己写的，因此它有点像记录个人生活经历的日记。我这是第一次全面袒露自己，因此听到我的音乐时，你仍然可以认出你所熟悉和喜爱的那个亚瑟，但是这个更私密一些。我跟耶曼·杜普雷合伙制作了一支非常好的抒情歌，写分手的苦恼。当双方都不再有当初的感觉，你知道拖下去也无益处时，那就该放手了。我的新碟名为《坦白》，起这个名字是因为我想要音乐有所针对——关乎我的现实生活。我讲述的是人们生活中所经历的，能避开就想避开的东西。我认为这才是了不起的音乐。
巨大收获
我每天都问自己，“我在笑，但是我快乐吗？”然后我就想：我马上要回到舞台上，在环球巡回演出中为成千上万的歌迷表演，想到这些我的心中就充满了快乐。我的艺术对我就是一切，而我也为此竭尽全力。在我的圈子里明星就该出类拔萃，因此我全副身心投入演唱。我也并不是高枕无忧——每天早上我7点钟就到体育馆锻炼，我的体形保持得很好。我不是认为自己性感，而是确切知道自己性感。这样说听上去有点骄傲，不过说实话，这是信心，而我的自信正是我最性感的地方。
总而言之我想用我的生命和音乐创造历史。每跌倒一次，就成功一次，我要这个成为我的部分历史。我在完成一个使命，尽管把个人生活放在次要地位是一件苦事。当我想哭的时候——别误会，哭是一个人成为男子汉的一部分——却没有一个可以跟我一起哭的人。眼下，我的生活中没有一个我觉得可以做我坚强后盾的人，以前有过。也许那个人就在我眼前，而我太笨还没认出来，也许那种天作之合的事情对我来说还不到时候。现在我还在孜孜以求成名成家。明白了吗，哥们？
1. prime [praim] n． 青春，精华
2． choir n． 唱诗班
3． preacher n． 传教士
4． hopeless adj． 医治不好的，不可救药的
5． romantic n． 浪漫的人，多情的人
6． puberty [?謖pju?蘼b?藜ti] n．青春期；hit puberty：进入青春期
7． check out：调查，查看
8． sex symbol：[口]极富性魅力的人（尤指演员等名人）
9． relationship n． (与异性的)浪漫关系，恋爱
10． brainwash v． 洗脑，向…灌输（思想、观念）
11． rocky adj． 障碍重重的，困难的
12． got·ta ＝ have got to
13． hump n． 危机，困难阶段
14． entertainer n． 演艺人员
15． commit to：使卷入，使承担义务
16． priority n． 优先考虑的事情
17． all about doing：致力于…
18． stand by：支持
19． alleviate v． 减轻
20． put…on wax：给…录音／灌制唱片
21． ballad ] n． 抒情歌曲
22． turmoil n． 动荡，烦扰
23． let sth． go：放开…；放弃…
24． beneficial adj． 有益的
25． the party isn＇t jumping like it used to：这是套成语“The party is over(玩乐到此结束)”而来的，表示参与者不再有同样的兴致，此处比喻拍拖双方热情已经消逝。
26． speak to： 针对…讲
27． shy away from： 躲避
28． payoff n． 报偿，回报
29． artistry n． 艺术生涯
30． school n． 派别，小圈子
31． total adj． 彻底的，全副身心投入的
32． cocky adj． 骄傲的，过于自信的
33． come down to：可归结为，涉及到
34． stumble v． 绊倒，出错
35． be on a mission：承担着一项使命
36． put．．． on the back burner：把…置于较次要的地位；back burner 本意指煤气灶的后灶眼，喻指次要或者从属的地位
37． rock n． 岩石，比喻坚强的靠山／后盾
38． fulfillment n． 实现（抱负、期望）
39． shooting for the stars, the moon and the mountains：shoot for 意为″争取得到；为…而努力″ stars, moon，mountains 都是远离身边的事物，这里喻指远大的目标
40． Ya smell me＝ Do you smell me? （俗语）你懂了吗？