Here I Stand (Usher album)
Here I Stand is the fifth studio album by the American singer Usher, released on May 13, 2008, by LaFace Records. Inspired by love for his then-wife—Tameka Foster—and son, Usher recorded many ballads for the album. Prior to the album's recording, Usher split with his mother, Jonnetta Patton, as manager and hired Benny Medina. Usher's estranged father died months before the release of Here I Stand; this also influenced themes of the album. It was originally to be titled Measure of a Man, but the singer named it Here I Stand to mark "a new chapter in life".[1]
Here I Stand
May 13, 2008
74:10
- Usher Raymond
- Polow da Don
- Tricky Stewart
- will.i.am
- Jermaine Dupri
- Dre & Vidal
- Bryan-Michael Cox
- Stargate
- Danja
- James "JLack" Lackey
- The-Dream
- Jazze Pha
- L.O.S.
- Manuel Seal
- DJ Toomp, Darkchild
- J. R. Rotem
- LRoc
- WyldCard
- Craig Love
- Ne-Yo
Usher promoted Here I Stand by performing on several television shows including Total Request Live, 106 & Park and Good Morning America. Among other concert appearances, he embarked on a One Night Stand: Ladies Only Tour, performing fifteen shows in November 2008. Six singles were released from Here I Stand: "Love in This Club", "Love in This Club Part II", "Moving Mountains", "What's Your Name", "Here I Stand" and "Trading Places". "Love in This Club", which features rapper Young Jeezy, topped the Billboard Hot 100 and New Zealand Singles Chart.
Here I Stand received generally positive reviews from music critics, who viewed it as a sign of growth and maturity from Usher, although others were unimpressed by the change in style from his 2004 album Confessions. It debuted atop the Billboard 200, and sold 433,000 copies in the US in its first week of release, and as of 2010, has sold 1.3 million copies in that country. The album also reached number one on the Canadian Albums Chart, UK Albums Chart and Australian Albums Chart.
Although it had sold two million copies by August 2008, Here I Stand was seen as a commercial failure compared to Confessions, which had sold fifteen million copies.[2]
Release[edit]
In November 2007, Usher hoped to release his fifth album, titled Here I Stand,[12][38] but "issues in his personal life" delayed the album.[39] According to reports, Usher has to spend more time with his then-pregnant wife. The expected November release date was booked to coincide with that of Usher's fragrance line.[40][41] Released on May 13, 2008. The continually changing release dates became frustrating for Usher; Dupri said to Billboard, "The last couple [of] times I've been around [Usher], you could tell he's got the bug to hurry up and put this record out. He wants to get back out here and give the people that. He's got that itch."[19] Here I Stand was first released by LaFace Records in Mexico and several European countries on May 13, 2008; releases in other countries followed.[42]
Associated album
Here I Stand
November 2, 2008
November 25, 2008
1
15 in North America
Singles[edit]
Five singles were released from Here I Stand. "Love in This Club" was leaked in early 2008 by its producer, Polow da Don,[66] prior to its release on February 22, 2008.[67] The song topped the US Billboard Hot 100,[68] the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs and the New Zealand Singles Chart,[69][70] while reaching the top ten of numerous other record charts. It was certified five-times platinum in the United States and platinum in New Zealand.[71][72] A sequel was created, titled "Love in This Club Part II" with Beyoncé & Lil Wayne, and was sent to radio as the album's second single on April 28, 2008.[73] While it did not have the commercial success of the original, it emerged on the Hot 100, the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, the Canadian Hot 100,[74] and the ARIA Singles Chart,[75] and received a platinum certification from the RIAA.[76]
"Moving Mountains" was released on May 23, 2008.[77] It appeared on multiple singles charts outside the top twenty. However, it peaked at number six on the New Zealand Singles Chart,[78] and was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of New Zealand on March 29, 2009.[72] The fourth single to be released from Here I Stand was "What's Your Name"; it impacted radio on August 18, 2008.[79] "What's Your Name" charted on the Canadian Hot 100 and the ARIA Singles Chart, where it peaked at numbers eighty-four and ninety-one, respectively.[80][81] "Here I Stand" was released to urban adult contemporary radio on August 18, 2008,[82] managing to peak at number 18 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart.[83] The album's final single, "Trading Places", was released on October 17, 2008[84] and reached number forty-five on the Hot 100 and number four on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs.[85]
Commercial performance[edit]
Here I Stand had unweighted first-day sales of 146,000 in the US,[98] and in its first three days of release sold an unweighted 267,000 units.[49]
The album debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 chart.[99] Selling 433,000 copies domestically in its first week of release, it was the second highest selling US debut of the year at the time, behind Mariah Carey's E=MC2.[99] In its second week of release, it sold 145,000 copies and dropped to number three on the Billboard 200.[100] As at May 2012 it had sold 1,308,000 copies in the United States,[101] and it has received a two-times platinum certification from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).[102] Here I Stand also debuted atop the Canadian Albums Chart,[103] and spent eight weeks on the chart.[104]
On the UK Albums Chart, Here I Stand debuted at number one on the chart of June 7, 2008, selling 56,897 copies.[105][106] It was certified gold by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI),[107] and lasted seventeen weeks in the chart before dropping out.[105] The album peaked at number two on the Irish Albums Chart, remaining for fifteen weeks in the chart[108] and was awarded a gold certification from the Irish Recorded Music Association (IRMA).[109] In mainland Europe, the album was received well; it appeared at number three on the European Top 100 Albums,[110] and reached the top ten in the Belgian Ultratop charts of both Flanders and Wallonia, as well as in the album charts of France, Germany, the Netherlands and Switzerland.[111][112] In Oceania, Here I Stand attained a number-one position on the Australian Albums Chart and reached number five on the New Zealand Albums Chart.[111] It received a gold certification from the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA), denoting shipments of 35,000 copies in the country.[113]
Impact[edit]
Usher's publicist, Patti Webster, resigned on August 1, 2008. Usher rehired Patton as his manager on August 6, 2008 and "dissolved his management arrangement with Benny Medina".[114] At the time of the split from Medina, Here I Stand had sold two million copies worldwide compared to Confessions' fifteen million copies;[2] some speculated that the disunion was because of the poorer album sales. Medina said that he and the singer "parted ways amicably", and deflected comments that he was responsible for the lower album sales. He pointed out that Here I Stand and "Love in This Club" reached number one on the US charts, and that the music industry had changed since the release of Confessions.[114] Due to the lower sales, Here I Stand was seen as a commercial failure.[115][10][23] According to Tyler Lewis from PopMatters its failure was spurred by Usher's marriage to Foster: "his fanbase hated his wife".[115]
Usher filed for divorce from Foster in June 2009,[116] stating that their marriage was "irretrievably broken".[117] "Papers", the first single from Usher's next album Raymond v. Raymond (2010), discussed the divorce process,[118] although it was recorded before the couple split.[119]
Notes