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Edition: U.S. Article Save Email Print Reprints Most Popular Most Shared Obama rallies troops on first Afghan trip | Video 28 Mar 2010 Geely shares jump 5 percent after parent's Volvo deal 28 Mar 2010 Obama did not snub Israeli PM: Axelrod 28 Mar 2010 Sex virus blamed for rise in head and neck cancers 26 Mar 2010 Junk food addiction may be clue to obesity: study 28 Mar 2010 Junk food addiction may be clue to obesity: study 28 Mar 2010 U.S. reverses stance on treaty to regulate arms trade 14 Oct 2009 Obama rallies troops on first Afghan trip | Video 28 Mar 2010 GM recalls 5,000 heavy duty vans due to fire risk 27 Mar 2010 Alyssa Milano series gets start date 28 Mar 2010 Post-divorce Usher returns with new attitude Gail Mitchell Sun Mar 28, 2010 9:46pm EDT U.S. singer Usher performs following the medal presentation ceremony at the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics, February 27, 2010 in Whistler. Credit: Reuters/Stefan Wermuth LOS ANGELES (Billboard) - When Usher and his creative team began tossing around ideas for his next album, they had one goal in mind: to get his swagger back. Entertainment | Music "I had checked out," the singer acknowledges. "I went all the way into being super husband and super dad, thinking, 'I've got to be serious all the time. I've got to be the man.' I put my swagger down for a minute, but I didn't throw it away. Now it's time to get it back." Flashing a devilishly engaging smile, Usher exudes steely determination as he shifts position on a rehearsal room couch at Centerstaging in Burbank, California. Clad all in black -- from tennis shoes to the shades he never removes during an hourlong interview -- the singer is there to rehearse for his performance at the Winter Olympics in Vancouver. (He performed February 27 at Whistler Medals Plaza.) His quiet fortitude on a rainy afternoon becomes all the more compelling -- and fitting -- when it's learned that the room he's rehearsing in was last used by Michael Jackson while mapping his own anticipated return on the This Is It tour. "It wasn't intentional," Usher says when asked about the coincidence. "But I love being in this space. That same energy is still here; it lingers. All I've ever wanted as an artist is to appeal to as wide an audience as Stevie Wonder and Michael Jackson." Now all eyes are on Usher as the March 30 release date approaches for "Raymond v. Raymond." It's the often-delayed follow-up to his 2007 album, "Here I Stand" -- and the first since his much-publicized marriage to Tameka Foster ended in divorce. While "Here" eventually became a platinum seller (1.2 million copies, according to Nielsen SoundScan), fans' response to its more serious, mature tone paled in comparison to Usher's previous multiplatinum hallmarks, "8701" (4.7 million) and "Confessions" (9.7 million). With three tracks simultaneously climbing the R&B and pop charts and the recent hire of a new manager, industry veteran and AEG Live CEO Randy Phillips, can the 31-year-old divorced father of two recapture his swagger? Lamonda Williams, director of video on demand for Music Choice, believes that Usher is primed to capture the base he lost. "'Here' was a transitional album that got him from the Usher we knew through his tumultuous marriage and divorce," Williams says. "Now you hear him boldly breaking out on the singles 'Hey Daddy (Daddy's Home)' and 'Lil Freak.' There's an in-your-face cockiness, but in an 'I'm free' kind of way." Despite a title that echoes the confrontational heading of a divorce filing, "Raymond v. Raymond" was never envisioned as a contemporary take on Marvin Gaye's 1979 marriage-rending epic, "Here My Dear." It was more about "we've got to get this old-man s--t off you; you've got to have some fun," says Mark Pitts, president of black music for Jive Label Group. "We said, 'We've got to get the guys wanting to be him and the girls wanting to do him.' That was our approach." CREATIVE FREEDOM IN VEGAS After meeting just before Christmas 2008 to begin laying the groundwork for the album, the next thing Pitts and a still-married Usher did was get out of his hometown of Atlanta. "I didn't want my music to be biased by what I was going through in my personal life or corner myself with a specific sound from there or New York," says Usher, who eventually settled in Las Vegas. "Vegas is an eclectic melting pot that gave me the freedom to be more creative." Usher, who first landed on the R&B singles chart in 1993 with "Call Me a Mack," began collaborating on songs with producers Dre & Vidal and Pharrell Williams. In Los Angeles, he also began working with Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis and Polow Da Don. Then it was back to Las Vegas, joining forces in a self-styled Rat Pack collective that included songwriter/producers Johnta Austin, Jermaine Dupri and Bryan-Michael Cox. During the course of additional songwriter and producer collaborations with Sean Garrett, the Runners, Jim Jonsin, Rico Love, Ester Dean and Jive labelmate Miguel, Usher keyed in on the "Raymond v. Raymond" concept. "People immediately thought, 'Oh, damn, he's about to talk about what happened in his marriage,'" Usher recalls. "But it would be too shortsighted to just talk about my relationship. A lot of the things I spoke about on 'Confessions' weren't my own experiences. It was an outlet for stories I'd heard." The new album's 14 tracks include heartfelt ballads reminiscent of such earlier tracks as "Burn" and "Confessions" intermingled with edgy, sexy party jams like the fantasy romp "Lil Freak" featuring Young Money upstart Nicki Minaj (and sampling Stevie Wonder's "Living for the City") and a pumping anthem to hot females titled "OMG," featuring the song's writer/producer Will.i.am. Also making guest appearances are fellow Atlantans Ludacris ("She Don't Know") and T.I. ("Guilty"). On the latter, Usher and T.I. trade bragging rights as Usher lets it be known in his own singsong rap that he's "single and ready to mingle." The one nod to Usher's personal problems is the Garrett-produced "Papers," recorded before the singer filed for divorce. The song reached No. 1 on Billboard's Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart and peaked at No. 31 on the Hot Billboard 100. "'Papers' let everyone know that Usher knew what everyone was saying about him, his marriage and his relationship with his mom (and former manager); that he understood what was being said," Pitts says. "It was just to make a statement. We didn't realize it would be as big as it was." Usher adds, "The song wasn't intended to glorify my personal situation or people breaking up. I didn't know if it was going to be the single or part of the album. I just thought it was a special track that would represent me well." Jive vice president of marketing Lisa Cambridge-Mitchell says the label is crafting a promotional campaign focusing on "the pedigree that Usher has created for himself: great R&B music that turns pop." After using "Papers" (which didn't have an accompanying video) to let Usher address his personal problems "without actually having to talk" about them, Cambridge-Mitchell says, the label has been building buzz through high-profile TV performances, radio interviews and contests, plus retail tie-ins. MANAGEMENT SHAKE-UP One factor that's steered conversation away from the music is the turnover in Usher's management team. Early this year Usher hired AEG's Phillips to be his fourth manager in four years. Phillips succeeds Usher's longtime manager -- his mother, Jonnetta Patton. The singer severed management ties with Patton in May 2007 while dating his future wife, Tameka Foster. Usher was then briefly managed by industry veteran Benny Medina (Mariah Carey, Jennifer Lopez) during the launch of "Here I Stand." Patton, who heads JPat Management, then reteamed with her son in August 2008. New management rumors resurfaced in early February. A report in New York's Daily News stated the singer had cut ties with his mother in November. Phillips -- who also manages Lionel Richie and worked with Jackson on the aborted This Is It tour -- says he regularly consults with Patton. He downplays any concerns over the recent management kerfuffle. "Careers are roller coasters," says Phillips, who in his AEG role has promoted tours for Britney Spears and Justin Timberlake. "My job is to balance all the factors around him so Usher can just be the artist. Part of the problem with 'Here' was Usher changing managers; I'm not sure there was a coherent plan with that. And (Jive) had inherited him (from LaFace/Arista). So there was a lot of stuff outside the quality of the music that might have impacted that success. This time around, everything is more connected." During the past 17 years, the Usher brand has grown to include the New Look Foundation, dedicated to empowering inner-city youth; a successful line of male and female fragrances, including the September 2009 launch of another male scent, Usher VIP; forays into acting on stage, TV and in film ("Chicago," "Texas Rangers"); an ownership interest in the NBA's Cleveland Cavaliers; and the introduction of Island pop phenomenon Justin Bieber. Usher says he and Bieber have been working to find the right song to record for Bieber's upcoming sophomore set, and predicts, "Justin is having an incredible moment right now that's going to turn into even more history in the future." Despite the challenges of trying to reclaim his superstar status in a drastically downshifting industry climate, Usher is still determined to create more history of his own. "I've come through a metamorphosis and I'm in my new skin," the singer says as he rises from the Centerstaging couch. "A lot of things have happened in the last few years that could have broke me, but I'm still standing; rejuvenated with a new peace, confidence and energy. I've got fire in my eyes." Entertainment Music More from Reuters China jails Australian Rio Tinto exec for 10 years SHANGHAI (Reuters) - A Shanghai court on Monday sentenced a Chinese-Australian executive of Rio Tinto to 7 years in prison on Monday on charges of accepting bribes and 5 years on charges of stealing commercial secrets. Suicide bombers kill at least 37 in Moscow metro Euro extends gains; stocks firm | Video Secrecy, surprise: Anatomy of Obama's Afghan trip Can Republicans win by opposing Obama? Athens bombing kills one, injures two: police » More Top News From riches to squatters camp This is Coronation Park, a squatters camp in South Africa, where hundreds of formerly comfortable white Afrikaners now live in cramped tents and trailers on the fringes of society -- victims, they say, of color. Full Article | Video Slideshow: South Africa's white poverty Slow recovery strikes home Africa Journal Places to have a midlife crisis What better way to reinvent yourself than having an Elvis wedding in Las Vegas, followed by a beach-side tummy tuck in Thailand? Full Article Family holidays, annoyance on the rise Travel Postcard: 48 Hours in Geneva Lifestyle © Copyright 2010 Thomson Reuters Editorial Editions: Africa Arabic Argentina Brazil Canada China France Germany India Italy Japan Latin America Mexico Russia Spain United Kingdom United States Reuters Contact Us Advertise With Us Help Journalism Handbook Archive Site Index Video Index Analyst Research Mobile Newsletters RSS Podcasts Widgets Your View Labs Thomson Reuters Copyright Disclaimer Privacy Professional Products Professional Products Support Financial Products About Thomson Reuters Careers Online Products Acquisitions Monthly Buyouts Venture Capital Journal International Financing Review Project Finance International PEhub.com PE Week Thomson Reuters is the world's largest international multimedia news agency, providing investing news, world news, business news, technology news, headline news, small business news, news alerts, personal finance, stock market, and mutual funds information available on Reuters.com, video, mobile, and interactive television platforms. Thomson Reuters journalists are subject to an Editorial Handbook which requires fair presentation and disclosure of relevant interests. NYSE and AMEX quotes delayed by at least 20 minutes. Nasdaq delayed by at least 15 minutes. For a complete list of exchanges and delays, please click here.

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