Usher's top 10 quotes

1. Janet
"I learned a lot about how to make the artist look like a star. On the personal side, I got to hug her."

2. Acne
"That's one thing that I think will really knock a person down, a teenager's self-esteem down."

3. Sound
"I'm a rapper/singer, y'dig? I'm the king of hip-hop.

4. On his role model Madonna
"She's always changing and evolving, like me! I'm just the male version of her."

5. Abandoned by P Diddy
"My biggest heartbreak. I felt I was being abandoned...a lot of the lessons you learn later on in life, I learned at an early age. When I was 15, I know what it was to be a man.

6. The low
"If you don't have a successful record people start to doubt you. At one point, I felt like nobody cared about me."

7. R&B
"The essence of R&B is real experience. It's based on soul...If you think back to Whitney Houston's early days, Aretha Franklin's... it's like they were crying to you in records.

8. Favourites
"Obviously R Kelly. Beyoncé is definitely doing her thing. Joe understands. You've got new cats...but to do it in a fusion of different styles like Robin (Brand New Jones) Thicke - that truly understands the essence of real music."

9. Live
"I believe in coming to the people ... videos are good. But what really makes an impression is being able to do what you do on an album in front of people.

10. Excess
"I just don't let it affect me. It can come, it can go...the downfall of black men in America is the sex, drugs and rock 'n roll... I don't want to destroy myself at an early age"