A late edition to an Usher album may go down as the finest in his career. The song My Boo got rave reviews from fans, but it wasn’t something he was initially on board with.
In a recent interview, Adonis Shropshire, who helped write that song, says Jermaine Dupri called him and Usher to the studio to listen to the melody he wrote for that now-famous track. Neither were particularly fond of it at first. Usher’s voice and some work on the track eventually sold them on the tune, believing it would be successful. The song, however, still lacked a female voice, with Beyoncé and Alicia Keys on their short list of people to ask.
Usher and Beyoncé were supposed to duet on My Boo
Sometimes your second choice turns out to be the right one. That’s what some might say about Alicia Keys singing the My Boo duet with Usher. In an interview, Dominique Renee Adonis admits that “Beyoncé was supposed to do the girl part originally.” Unfortunately, she was on tour and didn’t have the time. Alicia, however, did, and the rest, as they say, is history.
The song enjoyed massive success, spending eight weeks on the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at #1. The pair would reunite to perform that song at the Super Bowl Halftime Show in 2024, 20 years after it first came out. Last week, Usher celebrated a personal milestone, his two-year wedding anniversary with Jennifer Goicoechea.
My Boo collected multiple awards, winning a Grammy in 2005 for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals. The song was the fourth single release on Usher’s fourth album, Confessions.
While she wasn’t part of Beyoncé’s success, Beyoncé had a pretty strong 2004 herself. The former lead singer of Destiny’s Child co-headlined a tour with Alicia and Missy Elliott that year. She also celebrated the release of her band’s final album, Destiny Fulfilled.
Usher and Beyoncé, meanwhile, would work together in the future. She danced on stage in Puerto Rico while he performed Bad Girl in 2004. Four years later, the pair collaborated on the song Love In This Club, Pt. II.
TELL US – DO YOU THINK BEYONCÉ’S VOICE ON MY BOO WOULD HAVE MADE THAT SONG AS SUCCESSFUL AS IT BECAME?
