What Happened to U

Album: Looking 4 Myself (2012)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • This Looking 4 Myself track finds Usher crooning about the causes of a relationship breakdown over Noah "40" Shebib's soundscapes. The album reflects the emotional cost of Usher's turbulent divorce from Tameka Foster and their very public child custody dispute over their two sons. "Over the last three years of my life, it's no secret I went through some heavy transitions and in that I really came out new," Usher told MTV News. "I came out feeling a sense of entitlement and a sense of ownership of all of that I went through to become better and being able to survive it. So I was looking for something in the music. I was looking for something in life. I was looking for something in it that has always been right here. It has always been there. So I kind of used the music as a dairy in a way, but a creative, artistic, art-in-motion diary."
  • Many critics assumed this song is about Tameka Foster, but Usher told The Boombox that is not the case. "The other day I heard something, someone had assumed that 'What Happened to U' was about my previous relationship with Tameka," he said. "It is not at all." Instead it turns out to be "more of an introspective look" at Usher's initial venture into the music industry and how he cut off a romantic relationship early on in his career. "It's all about the sacrifices we have to make as entertainers," he explained, "and the fact that when I first signed as an artist, I had a decision to make and I feel like the relationship with my first girlfriend, suffered in that way."

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Ian Gillan of Deep Purple

Ian Gillan of Deep PurpleSongwriter Interviews

Deep Purple frontman Ian Gillan explains the "few red lights" in "Smoke On The Water" and talks about songs from their 2020 album Whoosh!

Chris Robinson of The Black Crowes

Chris Robinson of The Black CrowesSongwriter Interviews

"Great songwriters don't necessarily have hit songs," says Chris. He's written a bunch, but his fans are more interested in the intricate jams.

Taylor Dayne

Taylor DayneSongwriter Interviews

Taylor talks about "The Machine" - the hits, the videos and Clive Davis.

N.W.A vs. the World

N.W.A vs. the WorldSong Writing

How the American gangsta rappers made history by getting banned in the UK.

Have Mercy! It's Wolfman Jack

Have Mercy! It's Wolfman JackSong Writing

The story of the legendary lupine DJ through the songs he inspired.

Charles Fox

Charles FoxSongwriter Interviews

After studying in Paris with a famous composition teacher, Charles became the most successful writer of TV theme songs.