After some teasing, today (June 30) sees NPR Music unveiling the latest episode of their critically acclaimed “Tiny Desk” series, which features none other than Usher as the performer. In addition to a top tier backing band, the R&B legend was also supported by fellow singers Vedo and Eric Bellinger, both of whom provided background vocals. During the roughly 25-minute clip, Usher delivered amazing renditions of classic cuts like “You Make Me Wanna…,” “Superstar,” “U Don’t Have To Call,” “Nice & Slow,” “Confessions Part II,” and “My Way.”
Usher‘s “Tiny Desk” appearance comes after he handled co-headlining duties for this year’s Something In The Water festival, where the “Burn” star became one of the event’s biggest highlights. He even made sure to honor the festival’s creator Pharrell Williams, who came out to join the party before Usher left the stage.
It’s been six years since Usher released his last official body of work Hard II Love, a 15-song offering with contributions from Priyanka Chopra, Young Thug, Future, and Rubén Blades. The project became Usher‘s eighth top ten album on the Billboard 200 thanks to 38,000 first-week album equivalent units sold. Currently, he’s said to be working on a sequel to the 2004 behemoth Confessions, which he has been teasing as far back as 2019. At one point, Usher debuted “Confessions Part III” in the midst of a rousing set for Cricket Wireless, which — as longtime collaborator Jermaine Dupri explained on Twitter — turns its predecessor’s subject matter on its head:
“CONFESSIONS PART 3 is from a females perspective … The song is about a girl cheatin’ on him and gettin’ pregnant by another man. She is then being stuck with the decision to keep or abort it. Now that he knows, Should he stay or Leave ???”
Press play on Usher‘s “Tiny Desk” concert below.