| "Numb" | ||||
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| Single by Usher | ||||
| from the album Looking 4 Myself | ||||
| Released | August 21, 2012 | |||
| Recorded | 2012; Silent Sound Studios (Atlanta); Glenwood Place Studios (Burbank) | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 3:46 | |||
| Label | RCA | |||
| Songwriter(s) | ||||
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| Usher singles chronology | ||||
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| Music video | ||||
| "Numb" on YouTube | ||||
"Numb" is a song recorded by American singer Usher for his seventh studio album Looking 4 Myself (2012). Usher co-wrote it with Ryon Lovett and Terry Lewis, with production and additional writing provided by Swedish House Mafia, Alesso, and Klas Åhlund. After their joint performance at the 2010 American Music Awards, Usher and Swedish House Mafia managed to start working on recording sessions for Usher's seventh studio album in Atlanta. RCA Records solicited "Numb" to contemporary hit radio stations on August 21, 2012 in the US as fourth single from the album.
"Numb" is a dance-pop and electropop song with house elements which contains revolutionary pop music influences. Lyrically, it is "an inspirational song about finding one’s destiny, and becoming numb to the negativity and just following your dreams".[1] The song received generally positive acclaim from contemporary music critics with many of them praising its club-oriented production. "Numb" was a moderate worldwide success and reached the top-forty in five countries including Belgium, Germany and Australia.
American directors Chris Applebaum and Grace Harry shot the music video for "Numb"; it premiered October 11, 2012 on Usher's Vevo channel. It represents footage of Usher's life in the near past and features several dramatic scenes of him including taking care of his sons, standing towards a microphone unable to perform and lying together with a sick woman in a hospital. Critics were divided on the video; although some of them praised the choreography, others criticized Usher's emotions. The singer performed the song during his American Express show on June 11, 2012 in London and at the 2012 American Music Awards.