On Thursday (June 30), Usher closed out Black Music Month with an anticipated performance for NPR’s Tiny Desk concert series. The music icon’s set featured five classics from his catalog, including “Superstar” and “Confessions, Pt. II,” both of which are taken from his diamond-certified album Confessions.
As expected, following Usher’s Tiny Desk debut, a spike in streams occurred, Billboard reports.
According to Luminate, a global music and entertainment data and analytics source, the fan-favorite “Superstar” received a 238% increase in streams. The Dre & Vidal-produced cut jumped from 111,000 to 375,000 streams between Wednesday (June 29) and Friday (July 1).
Usher’s “Confessions, Pt. II,” produced by Jermaine Dupri, increased by more than 48%. The single features additional production from Bryan-Michael Cox, who also co-wrote it with Dupri and Usher. It shot to number one on the Billboard Hot 100 in July 2004 and stayed for two weeks.
How would you rank Usher's albums? pic.twitter.com/azeuifoAh9
— Rated R&B (@RatedRnB) June 30, 2022
Additionally, Usher’s fans consumed music across his decades-spanning catalog, resulting in total streams surge from 4.1 million to 5.6 million. This nice bump helped his 2004 album Confessions re-enter the Billboard 200 at No. 198 during this tracking week of July 9.
The album, which won Best Contemporary R&B Album at the 47th Grammy Awards, debuted initially atop the main albums chart in April 2004. It topped for nine non-consecutive weeks.
At the time of this publishing, Confessions stands at No. 9 on iTunes Album chart (R&B/Soul). The track, “Superstar,” posts at No. 28 on iTunes Songs chart (R&B/Soul), while “Confessions, Pt. II” rests at No. 114, respectively.
Earlier this month, Usher collaborated with rap duo City Girls for the track “Good Love.” The single, which samples Lathun’s 1997 jam “Freak It,” arrived with a music video directed by Daps.
In May, Usher celebrated the 10th anniversary of his adventurous album Looking 4 Myself. Rated R&B’s Keithan Samuels gave an in-depth retrospective with insight from Rico Love, Eric Bellinger, Luke Steele, Pierre Medor and more.
Usher, who looks to release his long-awaited eighth album later this year, will resume his Las Vegas residency at Dolby Live at Park MGM. The second leg begins on July 15 and ends on October 29. Tickets for the new dates are available now.
Earlier this year, Usher appeared on the song “Need Love,” lifted from Mary J. Blige’s new album Good Morning Gorgeous. The two performed the J. White-produced track at Blige’s inaugural Strength of Woman Festival and Summit in Atlanta, Georgia.
Revisit Usher’s performance below.
