Surprise! Usher releases new album days before his 40th birthday

The eight-track record entitled, A, is entirely produced by Atlanta-raised pianist Zaytoven

Usher surprised fans by dropping his ninth studio album two days before his upcoming 40th birthday

Oct 13, 2018

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Usher surprised fans by dropping his ninth studio album two days before his upcoming 40th birthday on Oct 14.

The Grammy-winning singer teased followers on social media with a snippet of the sounds of his comeback and PEOPLE reports that the eight-track record entitled, A, is entirely produced by Atlanta-raised pianist Zaytoven. The outlet also noted that some songs on the album will remind listeners of the singer’s biggest hits on the 2004 album Confessions.

“I don’t think that there’s any way to not sound like what I’ve created in the past, but that wasn’t the purpose,” Usher told The Fader. “We really were just making music and … There are tones that are always gonna sound similar and if it makes you feel that way then that’s a great thing because that was a very successful album.”

Usher also revealed that in the process of creating A, he “really was honest with the feelings,” and was “in the moment.”

The album, which features collaborations with rappers Future and Gunna, was initially set to drop later this month.

“I was like, ‘Nah, let’s put [it] out over the weekend,’” he said. “They still up driving like crazy to make it happen, and thank God it has, but it feels urgent. I mean, I just feel the urgency and I feel the energy of this. That’s what I’m loving right now, man.”

Fans in the land down under can catch Usher performing at multiple shows in Australia as a headliner for “RNB Fridays Live” in November.

The release of A comes seven months after the R&B crooner and his wife and manager, Grace Miguel, announced their separation.

“We remain deeply connected, loving friends who will continue supporting each other through the next phases of our lives,” they confirmed in a statement back in March. “The enormous amount of love and respect that we have for each other will only increase as we move forward.”