Earlier this week, Usher announced that his upcoming album UR "isn't scheduled anymore," though it had been slated for release later this year. The singer told Billboard that he was taking his time with the album, which is set to feature Chris Brown, Drake, Skrillex, Ed Sheeran, Nicki Minaj, and more. Usher recently spoke with XXL to give more details on the record, who he's been working with, and what to expect from his upcoming The UR Experience Tour.
On what the album will sound like:
"This time I decided to listen to my own music and really go back to the source of what I had done over the years because I really realized that over the last 20 years with Confessions, one, it's the 10-year anniversary for that record. But over the last 20 years at every benchmark where I decided to make an album, I represent something different. So I want to make sure that no one feels left out, I want to make sure that everybody gets a little bit of what they love that is Usher. I didn't necessarily want to go towards one style or anything like that because everybody loves something different."
On the topics and themes he explores on the record:
"What I've created has been in the space of reconnecting with life in a way that brings me back from a place. ...Things that make up a feeling that, 'I'm getting to know Usher in a way that I didn't feel him or haven't felt him in awhile.' Some of it may be venting at times. Again, I haven't finished the whole album. I worked on like 50 songs and then I slim it down to about 12 or 13 songs."
On working with Drake for the album:
"I had him listen to some of the songs that I thought were definite. I let him listen to three songs and he identified-well, actually he asked me to send him all the records. I said, 'Which one do you love?' and I sent him this record called 'Slow Motion.' What he's touching on in the song is kind of personal. It's always great for an artist to use where they are at the time as inspiration. That song is a relationship song. That all I'm gonna give you."
On working with Nicki Minaj:
"Me and Nicki since 'Lil Freak,' it's been a great artist relationship, every time I bring her a record or an idea. The first time it was Polow [Da Don] and he brought her to me. After we made that connection, I was just waiting for the right moment, waiting for the right song and also keeping my line open as well if she ever felt something that she wanted to try. When I played her 'She Came To Give It To You,' she has actually worked with Pharrell and had already started that dialog. She loved it and she was on it. She was like, 'Give me a couple days and I'll get it over to you,' and she showed out."
On What to expect on his UR Experience Tour:
"Everything is theatrical when it comes to me. You never know what's going to happen. But there are a few unexpected guests. I'm not going to tell you but they'll just happen. There's this magic hour within my show. The show normally runs from two and a half to three hours. Probably around three hours, don't quote me yet. There is this magic hour in my mind where it's all about the experience that's different. The entire show is different but that's when something happens that will probably never happen, happens every night.
"...But The UR Experience is about connecting with my fans in a way that I haven't done in awhile. It's been three years since I've toured but I've had a few shows within the last year that gave me an opportunity to tear away all the choreography and just really make a connection. Sometimes we were just playing instruments, sometimes we were just talking to the audience and making them feel a connection. Having a real dialogue, that right there felt like something I've never felt. I want to have that experience throughout North America. 27 cities. I'll give you guys something to talk about."
