The Weeknd On His ‘Feud’ With Usher
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - DECEMBER 11: The Weeknd attends the Los Angeles Premiere of "Uncut Gems" on December 11, 2019 in Los Angeles, California.
In Esquire‘s September/October issue, The Weeknd spoke on his “feud” with Usher. During the interview, the singer said that he reached out to Usher to apologize for previous controversial comments and downplayed any beef with the R&B crooner.
“I hit [Usher] up to apologize and tell him that it was misconstrued,” The Canadian artist told the magazine. “He’s one of the reasons why I make music. Definitely. No, no, I have nothing bad to say about Usher. The sweetest, most down-to-earth guy ever.”
https://twitter.com/theweeknd/status/1298219549897170944
Back in April, during an interview with Variety, The Weeknd said Usher’s 2012 single “Climax” reminded him of his early sound.“House of Balloons literally changed the sound of pop music before my eyes. I heard ‘Climax,’ that Usher song, and was like, ‘Holy f—, that’s a Weeknd song,’” The Weeknd said. “It was very flattering, and I knew I was doing something right, but I also got angry. But the older I got, I realized it’s a good thing.”
https://twitter.com/PopCraveMusic/status/1248102155749339148
The R&B veteran indirectly replied to The Weeknd, posting a video where he sang “Climax” a cappella. “Can’t take it back, n—-, we reached the climax,” Usher said at the end of the video. Diplo, who co-wrote and produced “Climax” then took to social media and stirred debate.
“The production on Climax lends itself to House of Balloons era @theweeknd,” the production on Climax lends itself to House of Balloons era @theweeknd. when I heard those early records they blew my mind - soulful in their silences, and a spacey iconic voice that felt uniquely internet. the idea of R&B having dark edges was what I wanted to bring to @usher
— diplo (@diplo) April 9, 2020">Diplo tweeted. “When I heard those early records they blew my mind – soulful in their silences, and a spacey iconic voice that felt uniquely internet. the idea of R&B having dark edges was what I wanted to bring to @usher.”
The Weeknd is set to release his collaboration with Calvin Harris “Over Now” on Friday (Aug. 28). On Sunday (Aug. 30), the singer is also slated to perform at the MTV VMAs, where the Toronto artist has six award nominations.
Glennisha Morgan is a Detroit-bred multimedia journalist and writer. She writes about intersectionality, hip-hop, pop culture, queer issues, race, feminism, and her truth. Follow her on Twitter @GlennishaMorgan.
