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NEED TO KNOW
Usher wasn't a fan of his hit single "My Boo," when he was first introduced to the lyrics
In a recent podcast appearance, Adonis Shropshire confirmed it took some convincing for the track to grow on the R&B singer, who was meant to duet with Beyoncé
Beyoncé's packed schedule led to Alicia Keys taking it on instead, sealing the fate of the 2004 hit
One ofUsher's biggest hits almost didn't make it to release.
During a recent discussion on theStorytelling with Dominique Reneepodcast, Adonis Shropshire shared that the Grammy-winner wasn't immediately sold on his 2004 single, "My Boo."
"I got a call at midnight.Jermaine Dupri's like, 'Yo, come to the studio.' He got this beat. And he's like 'Write to this one'. It's all he had. And he already had the melody for the beginning ["There's always that..."]. He already had that. But he don't have the words," Shropshire recalls.
"We do the song. Usher comes in the studio. It's like 4:00 a.m., in the morning. We played 'My Boo.' He hates it. Hates it. He told us, whatever y'all do, don't ever play that for me again. So at 4:30 in the morning, Usher gets in the booth. I'm like, 'I've never seen nothing like this in my life.' I'm thinking, 'Do it tomorrow.' He did it right then."
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As for the female vocals, Shropshire claimed, "Beyoncéwas supposed to do the girl part originally, but she was on tour. So she didn't have the time to do the vocals."
That scheduling conflict opened up the door forAlicia Keysto lend her vocals. The twist of fate turned out great for both artists, with the single spending eight weeks on the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at number one.
The two singers reunited and performed the song in 2024 as part ofUsher's Apple Music Super Bowl Halftime Show, twenty years after the successful single's release.
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Beyoncé had a very impressive 2004 in her own right. The singer started the year taking home five Grammys for her debut solo album at the Grammys. She co-headlined a tour with Keys and Missy Elliott, as well as celebrating the release of Destiny's Child's last album,Destiny Fulfilled,which was followed with a world tour.
Usher and Beyoncé would also cross paths that year, when she danced while he performed "Bad Girl" on a tour stop in Puerto Rico. Four years after "My Boo," Usher and Beyoncé ended up collaborating on "Love In This Club, Pt. II"
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