How Usher's career has risen and fallen in tune with RnB itself

The National

18-04-2025

Usher's latest world tour is as much a victory lap for the enduring artist as it is for a genre that has often mirrored his own fortunes. Even the tour name – The Past, Present and Future – serves as an apt summary of modern RnB's trajectory in the 30 years since his arrival. The genre has commercially peaked, plateaued and had a resurgence during this period. The latest revival is partly powered by Usher's own milestones – from his 2024 Super Bowl halftime show and continuing Las Vegas residency to the generations of artists, from The Weeknd and Sza to Chris Brown, citing him as an inspiration. His Saturday headlining set at Abu Dhabi's Club Social festival should also tell that story of a career built on evolution, reinvention and lasting impact. Resilience was forged by the uncertain reception Usher received at the start of his career. While his 1997 album My Way heralded the arrival of a new RnB star, it followed the relatively lacklustre response to his self-titled 1994 debut, released when he was only 15. Usher confirmed his prodigious talent, but its polished production felt at odds with a genre shifting away from the ultra-slick, synth-heavy sound of the late 1980s towards something more organic. The album's sultry tracks like Can U Get Wit It and Think of You felt out of place coming from an artist so young. Its New Jack Swing sound – defined by swaggering drums and glossy textures – was seen by many RnB fans as leaning more towards hip-hop, a reflection of the genre's identity crisis at the time. Hence, My Way was as much a necessary correction as it was a coronation. Executive produced by RnB titan Babyface and rising hitmaker Jermaine Dupri, the album struck a sweet spot. It balanced hip-hop swagger with the warmth and lyrical rawness that RnB fans were craving and beginning to find in a new generation of artists such as Aaliyah and Ginuwine. The career-making hit single You Make Me Wanna, featured in the album, was another example of the lyrical approach that would come to define Usher's songs. He is often the protagonist, plagued by indecision – whether it's choosing the stability of family or the flames of passion, or weighing uncomfortable honesty against convenient lies. Usher had to make a momentous choice of his own at the turn of the century. Once again, the pop music landscape was shifting. Boy bands and girl groups were slowly giving way to a more rugged, yet expertly produced, legion of hip-hop stars such as Eminem, 50 Cent and Jay-Z – all of whom helped establish the genre's commercial dominance for the next two decades. An established star thanks to the success of his 2001 album 8701, Usher – like many RnB artists at the time, including Alicia Keys – faced a decision: grit up his sound and stay in vogue with the moment, or remain loyal to what his fan base wanted, even if it meant potentially diminishing returns. Usher ultimately went one better. His 2004 opus Confessions was unabashedly a proud and modern RnB album that also pushed the genre forward. As lush as it is unflinching, Confessions plays out as a 17-track cycle of shame and regret. He sheds the carefully curated image of the carefree lover boy to reveal someone more complicated – and at times, even callous – across his most expansive arrangements to date, spanning neo-soul, slow jams, hip-hop and pop-inflected tracks. While best known for its blockbuster hit – the marauding club stomper Yeah! – it's in the quieter album tracks that Usher's artistry speaks loudest. On Throwback, he uses memory as a whip to flog himself: 'You never miss a good thing 'til it leaves you – and finally,' he sings, 'I realise that I need you'. While in Confessions Part I and Part II, he builds intensity across confessional verses, ultimately admitting to his infidelities without feigned remorse and the outcome of a life spent being 'stuck on stupid'. Confessions remains a genre classic in that Usher stayed true to RnB's roots of emotive storytelling while expanding the persona of the artist – which at the time often veered from the masculine to the timid. Usher allowed artists to be vulnerable, at fault, heroic and a failure, character traits that would go on to be explored by the likes of The Weeknd, Drake and Chris Brown. While selling more than 15 million copies and reaffirming RnB as a commercial force, the album still wasn't enough for the genre to withstand the sonic shifts brought on by the rise of electronic dance music, dance festival culture and streaming platforms. The move resulted in the fragmentation of the RnB sound, with silky vocals used for hooks for dance anthems, while older tracks by Brandy, Aaliyah and Mario were mixed in sets by DJs Calvin Harris and Kaytranda. While Usher attempted to navigate the new terrain – he scored unexpected hits with OMG, produced by will.i.am in 2011, and his David Guetta collaboration Without You a year later – it proved to be a lean period, marked by forgettable albums like Looking 4 Myself and the misguided foray into hip-hop trap music with A. Some of the same forces that once pushed RnB to the commercial fringes have also fuelled its resurgence. As streaming platforms matured and expanded their catalogues, they became not just hubs for discovering new music but spaces to revisit older sounds. RnB, with its moody textures and narrative-driven lyricism, was well positioned to benefit – offering a clear throughline to artists like The Weeknd, H.E.R. and Frank Ocean. Their seasoned stage presence also helped their tours stand out in an increasingly competitive live scene. That is evidenced by the success of Usher's Las Vegas residencies from 2021 to 2023. Its cultural impact paved the way for his victorious Super Bowl halftime show. When Usher takes to the stage on Saturday in Abu Dhabi, it comes at a moment when RnB is reaching a new zenith – with Mary J. Blige and SZA embarking on large stadium and arena tours across the US and Europe, and RnB-themed festivals like Lovers & Friends in Las Vegas becoming must-attend destinations. RnB's future was once a point of concern, but it is now one to look forward to with relish. Usher performs at Club Social on Saturday; Etihad Park, Abu Dhabi; doors open 7.30pm and tickets start at Dh295