‘I want to be part of Afrobeats’ – Usher speaks on collaborating with Nigerian artistes

The American R&B icon, Usher, has disclosed that he collaborated with Nigerian artists Burna Boy and Pheelz in his latest album because he desires to be involved in the Afrobeats wave.

Usher recently joined the ranks of Western artists embracing the Afrobeats genre by enlisting Pheelz in ‘Ruin,’ the lead track of his latest album, and collaborating with Burna Boy on the album’s title track, ‘Homecoming.’

During a recent interview with Apple Music, Usher credited Pheelz for facilitating his collaboration with Burna Boy.

He said, “I am all about collaboration and bringing African, you know, Nigerian culture to my own world. Their music is really popular now. I wanted to be part of it [Afrobeats], that’s why I went to Africa to make this album.

“I picked up things when I was in Ghana. I picked up things when I was in Nigeria. And working with Pheelz, he created the record [‘Homecoming’]. I just felt that Burna Boy would take it to a different level of credibility. I really do enjoy him as an artist. I just felt that this song would only be lifted better if he was part of it.”