Usher

Scream

 

Usher Raymond IV (born October 14, 1978 in Chattanooga, Tennessee), known simply as Usher, is a Grammy Award winning American R&B singer-songwriter, producer and actor. He rose to fame in the late 90s, releasing the multi-platinum albums My Way and 8701. His success continued with the release of his 2004 album, Confessions, which has sold over 20 million copies worldwide, and earned Usher four American Music Awards and eight Grammy nominations. To date, he has sold approximately 40 million albums worldwide and has won five Grammy Awards. He released his debut album in 1994 and has since released 1997’s My Way, 2001’s 8701, 2004’s Confessions and 2008’s Here I Stand. His sixth studio album, Raymond v. Raymond, was released March 2010.

In 1990 Usher joined an R&B local quintet called the NuBeginnings, which was organized by local music svengali, Darryl Wheeler and then he decided to pursue a career in music. Aside from recording, Usher has ventured into business. He has established his own record label, US Records, and is a part owner of the Cleveland Cavaliers franchise. He has also dabbled in acting, with a recurring role on the teen sitcom Moesha, and roles in the films The Faculty (1998, with Josh Harnett) She’s All That (1999, with Freddie Prinze, Jr.) and Texas Rangers (2001, with Ashton Kutcher).

“Scream” is a song by American recording artist Usher from his seventh studio album Looking 4 Myself (2012). The song premiered on April 26, 2012, and was released as a digital download on April 27, 2012 as the album’s second single.

It was written by Max Martin, Shellback, Savan Kotecha, and Usher, and it was produced by Max Martin and Shellback, the same team responsible for Usher’s 2010 hit single “DJ Got Us Fallin’ in Love”. “Scream” is an synthpop song with elements of dance-pop that contains sexual lyrics. It is a synth-heavy song and critics noted that it was a club song, similar to Usher’s previous songs.

It received mostly favorable reviews by most music critics who praised its composition and its club nature. It debuted at number 70 on the Billboard Hot 100 and number 32 on the Billboard Pop Songs chart due to strong radio play. “Scream” later peaked at number 9 on the Billboard Hot 100, and was also a success in Canada, Japan, United Kingdom, Scotland, and Australia. Usher promoted “Scream” by performing it live several times, but most notably at the 2012 Billboard Music Awards.