Usher has more new music for his fans to enjoy. The R&B star has released Coming Home (Expanded Edition), a deluxe version of his ninth album.
The expanded edition includes two new songs, “Believe” and “Naked.” The former is a fan-favorite previously teased on Instagram Live in 2019. The reflective track was produced by Usher’s longtime collaborators Bryan-Michael Cox and Jermaine Dupri, who also worked on songs from the standard edition of Coming Home.
On “Believe,” Usher contemplates a past relationship and why he chose to ignore the red flags. “If you ask me today what made me stay / I’d say that / I wanted to believe / I wanted us to make it,” he sings.
Even though he wanted to remain optimistic, he knew deep down — like others around him — that the relationship was sinking. “Everybody predicted that this sh*t wasn’t gonna last / They knew and I did too / I was so determined to pull this through,” he admits.
On “Naked,” Usher bares all as he candidly explores his complex relationship with sex and how his early experiences, coupled with fame, have influenced his desires. “Since I was young, I had this problem / With me tryin’ to find my manhood inside a woman’s body,” he croons in the first verse.
He later sings in the chorus: “Although I’m better now, there’s a rage in me that won’t settle down / When I was a child, I done seen things I can’t talk about / Now you mix that with money and fame / And millions of women screamin’ out my name / That’s a recipe for pain.”
In the second verse, Usher describes how his experiences have also impacted his relationships: “I be quick to follow lust / Quick to fall in love / Quick to break a heart.”
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Coming Home was released Feb. 9 via mega/gamma., two days before his record-smashing Super Bowl Halftime Show.
Regarding his new album, Usher explained: “COMING HOME is an ode to going back to your roots, whatever or wherever that may be.” He added, “I’m COMING HOME to where I’m comfortable in being exactly who I am right now. My hope is that you identify with the new album no matter where you are or what you’re going through, too.”
Coming Home debuted at No. 1 on the following Billboard charts: Top R&B Albums, Top Album Sales and Top Current Albums.
The album sold 91,000 equivalent units in its first week. Elsewhere, Coming Home opened at No. 2 on the Billboard 200, behind Kanye West and Ty Dolla $ign’s Vultures 1.
Coming Home features collaborations with Summer Walker and 21 Savage (“Good Good“), H.E.R. (“Risk It All“), Pheelz (“Ruin“), and more.
On Aug. 14, Usher will begin his Past Present Future Tour in Atlanta. The extensive North American leg will make additional stops in Washington, D.C., Baltimore, Toronto, Los Angeles, Denver, Miami, Chicago and more before concluding Nov. 30 in Houston.
The Europe/U.K. leg will commence in April 2025.
Stream Usher’s Coming Home (Expanded Edition), which includes “Believe” and “Naked,” below.
