He was born in Oxford, England to a Thai Buddhist and a Jewish Montrealer. He has relocated to Malaysia, New York, California and Thailand since early childhood before his family settled in Kingston, Ontario.
Attending college in Vancouver, Usher joined the Canadian rock band Moist in 1993 and their 1994 debut release, Silver, went quadruple-platinum in Canada. As the lead singer of the band, he shot to stardom in his native country with his soulful voice and vaguely exotic good looks.
After releasing their multi-platinum follow-up, Creature, in 1996, he took some time during the band's hiatus to record his debut solo album, Little Songs, released in 1998.