Usher Raymond wrapped up Black Music Month in the most dynamic way with his long-awaited Tiny Desk performance for NPR.
The crooner celebrated the 25th anniversary of his sophomore endeavor, My Way, with new renditions of his classics, “You Make Me Wanna” and the album’s title track. He also revived They Have The Range’s “Superstar Challenge” and gave fans a new meme-worthy moment with his “watch this” ad-lib from “Confessions, Pt. II.”
Now, the performance—which has been viewed over 6 million times—has led to a spike in Usher’s streams, according to Billboard and Luminate.
Usher’s Bryan-Michael Cox and Jermaine Dupri-produced chart-topper, “Confessions, Pt. II,” increased by over 48%—which probably had a lot to do with the unavoidable meme.
Meanwhile, the infectious fan-favorite, “Superstar,” received a 238% increase, leaping from 111,000 to 375,000 streams between Wednesday (June 29) and Friday (July 1). Overall, streams for Ursher’s discography rose from 4.1 million to 5.6 million, and his Diamond-certified album, Confessions, reentered the Billboard 200 during the last tracking week.
Usher will resume his Las Vegas residency on Friday (July 15) and is set to release his eighth album later this year.
Relive the magic of Usher through his Tiny Desk debut below.