Usher throws shade after The Weeknd claims the singer "copied his sound"
9 April 2020, 10:20
Usher sings ‘Climax’ on his Instagram Stories
Usher took to Instagram after The Weeknd said he thought 'Climax' sounded like one of his songs.
Usher has subtly fired back at The Weeknd after the 'Blinding Lights' singer said he thought Usher stole his sound.
R&B fans spark Usher & Trey Songz debate on who has better songs
Speaking to Variety, The Weeknd - whose real name is Abel Tesfaye - said of his 2011 mixtape, "House of Balloons literally changed the sound of pop music before my eyes."
"I heard Climax, that Usher song, and was like, "Holy f**k, that’s a Weeknd song." It was very flattering," he said, adding, "I knew I was doing something right, but I also got angry. But the older I got, I realised it’s a good thing."
'Climax', the debut single from Usher's 2012 studio album Looking 4 Myself, was a huge commercial success and went on to win a Grammy Award in 2013 for Best R&B Performance.
After picking up on The Weeknd's comments, many of Usher's fans took to social media to drag the singer, who recently dropped his new studio album 'After Hours'.
"For The Weeknd to even listen to Usher’s vocals on Climax and think hey, that’s what I do... is wild to me," wrote one. "The children on this app saying The Weeknd has a better catalog than Usher....this is sickening," said another.
The Weeknd really had the nerve to try a legend like Usher. pic.twitter.com/aLEy6bcu61
— the exception. (@PerMyLastTweet) April 9, 2020
The children on this app saying The Weeknd has a better catalog than Usher....this is sickening.
— 2020 Presidential Nominee (@SikuLaFlame) April 8, 2020
The Weeknd, who can't hit a note without drowning his vocals in the depths of autotune, is opening his ugly mouth to talk shit about Usher? Yikes.
— efflictim (@countmagic) April 8, 2020
For The Weeknd to even listen to Usher’s vocals on Climax and think hey, that’s what I do... is wild to me
— hanbin’s smile 💭 💭 💭 💭 (@sseurekii) April 8, 2020
Soon enough, Usher, 41, had picked up on The Weeknd's remarks and came back with a tongue-in-cheek response of this own.
The legendary R&B crooner took to Instagram Stories to belt out an acapella rendition of 'Climax' after spotting the #ClimaxChallenge trending, which sees people try to sing the falsetto-heavy song for themselves.
On the final line of the chorus, however, Usher remixed the lyrics to take a shot at Abel. "Can't take it back, n*****," he signed off with a giggle.
