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Usher and John Legend's Silky, Sexy Duet Is R&B Greatness
The two The Voice Coaches created a toned-down version of the R&B hit.
Two R&B superstars, Usher and John Legend, joined forces in 2020 for an acoustic rendition of Usher's hit ''Bad Habits.''
During their version, Legend played the piano, while the two switched back and forth, harmonizing perfectly. The duet begins at the 7:30 mark of Legend's "Trailer Talk" video below.
While Usher and Legend have a connection through The Voice (Usher was a Coach on Season 4 and 6, and returned as Team Legend's Celeb Advisor in 2019, and as his Team's Mega Mentor in 2020), their bond actually goes way back. The two first met in 2004 when Legend was playing piano for Kanye West, who was opening for Usher's tour at the time. In the clip, Legend told the story about how they both inspired each other artistically right off the bat.
''The first time we spent time together was on your tour,'' Legend said to Usher. ''You were on top of the world with Confessions, at the height of your power. It was amazing to watch every night, the level of hard work and professionalism that you used to support this amazing gift that you've already had.''
He continued: ''The combination of having a gift, having the ability to sing and dance like you do, but also knowing that every day [you've] got to go in and work on it, study the tape, go into rehearsal with my dancers and make sure everybody's getting every moment to a T, doing all the things [you] need to do, I saw that every night while we were opening for you, and it was just a blessing and a gift to see that as I was launching my own career.''
Usher returned the admiration, saying that he knew that ''there was something really special'' about Legend as a musician, and that he wanted to do all he could to make sure Legend could thrive during his performances. ''Every night it was a treat for the audience, and really an incredible beginning,'' he said.
''You didn't have to make someone less for you to be great,'' Legend responded with a nod.
In a 2019 interview with Access Hollywood, Usher gave more details about their friendship.
“So the first night (John) came out and he blew us away. Like my entire crew was like, ‘Yo, John’s voice is amazing,'” he told the outlet. ''My first impression was professional. He was uniquely on his own path. He was not like anything you have ever seen before.”
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What to know about ''Bad Habits'' by Usher
''Bad Habits'' is a single by Usher released in 2020, which reached the number one position on the US Billboard adult R&B songs chart that year. The lyrics tell the story of someone who is struggling to stay committed to their partner.
The music video accompanying the single was also praised by critics. ''We see [Usher] bust a few smooth moves directed toward his fictional lady friend, ambient lighting and a simple smokiness setting the mood and paving a build to a dramatic climax,'' NME wrote of the music video.
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