ARISTA USHERS IN NEW SMASH

The 22-year-old phenom’s third studio album, 8701, refers both to its 8/7/01 release date and the years (1987-2001) Usher’s performing career has spanned, starting with his church-choir debut at the tender age of 8.

Coming off his ’97 album, My Way, which sold 7 million worldwide and produced a pair of hit singles in "You Make Me Wanna" and "Nice and Slow," the multimedia superstar was under intense pressure to deliver a smash follow-up.

So when Usher pulled what would have been his new album, originally titled All About U, from its scheduled February release, reportedly because of Napster leaks, industry tongues were wagging overtime. And though he had a U.K. hit in "Pop Ya Collar," the artist and his label decided to completely revamp the disc. He retained seven songs from the original sessions but added seven new ones, including "U Remind Me," which is already one of the summer’s biggest crossover hits. His production collaborators include Jam & Lewis, the Neptunes, Jermaine Dupri, She’kespere, Babyface and newcomers Edmund "Eddie Hustle" Clement and Mike City. The album just bowed at #1 in the U.K.

Arista chief Antonio "L.A." Reid, who originally signed the 13-year-old to LaFace back in 1993, has high hopes for the new record: "This new album reflects the confidence he was able to gain from the success of My Way. He’s very clear about who he is, and 8701 is proof of his growth and maturity as a singer and musical conceptualist. I worked closely with him and the producers, and I’m incredibly excited about what Usher has created with this record. In fact, I’m going to buy him a new pair of Gucci loafers right now."

• The album’s hitting the streets to the tune of a million-plus, while retailers foresee first-week sales between 300k-400k.

• Usher’s been on a nonstop promotional radio blitz that started July 11, with stops in New York, Chicago, Detroit, Dallas, Houston, Toronto, Miami, Baltimore, Washington, DC, Philadelphia and L.A., wrapping Aug. 19 in San Francisco.

• Exec. VP Lionel Ridenour said the goal was to reinvigorate Usher’s audience, since the artist had been away for a while: "This album is just too deep to do things the conventional way. We put the time into developing the first 12-inch, ‘I Don’t Know,’ featuring P. Diddy, at clubs and mix shows about 90-120 days before the album release date. We knew we had a Pop hit in ‘U Remind Me,’ and we wanted to be in peak position when the album was released."

• The second single, "U Got It Bad," shipped Monday (8/6) to impact R&B and Crossover radio in two weeks.

• Usher's been featured in People, the L.A. Times Sunday Calendar, USA Today, Associated Press, Rolling Stone, Vibe and Teen People. He’s been compared to classic R&B performers like Michael Jackson, Marvin Gaye and Stevie Wonder with an updated, hip-hop edge.

• Upcoming TV appearances include Live With Regis & Kelly (9/7), MTV TRL (9/12), a Nickelodeon concert special (9/12), The Tonight Show (9/13) and the Teen Choice Awards (9/20).