Usher Digipak Analysis

The name of the artist is Usher and this connotes a very personal relationship between the artist and the audience as the name Usher gives the impression of a first name. The fact that a first name basis is established between the audience and the artist indicates what type of music Usher might produce. It seems that the music that Usher produces is personal as the first name basis is produced, it further seems like the music that will be on this album is going to be very honest and out in the open for the audience to interpret as they wish to. Furthermore the name Usher instantly connotes to the audience a Usher in a wedding this can be interpreted by the audience as the artist ushering the audience in to listen to his music. Once again building on this idea that the type of music which makes this album up is very open, personal and honest. The title of this album is 8701, having numbers as solely then title of the album is very unusual for an artist to do. Indicating to the audience that Usher is not similar to other artists; that he is trying to distinguish himself from other type of artists.  Additionally the numbers are not an obvious reference to anything and can be interpreted in many different ways by the audience. This in turn further indicates that Usher’s music whilst being very open and honest can be interpreted in many different ways.

The front cover of the digipak consists of only one image and that is of the artist himself and whilst the image isn’t in the middle of the front cover it does manage to take up the whole front cover. The position of Usher is strange for an R&B artist as most R&B artists look out of the cd out to the audience but Usher isn’t looking out at the audience in fact he is looking to the left. This could symbolise many things for instance that he is looking to the left as that is where his future is. It is additionally connoted that Usher is looking at his future as he right arm is pointing to the right, it could mean that whatever to the right is holding him back and he is holding his arm out to stop them, to warn them off from ruining his future. Another way Usher’s image could be connoted is that Usher is looking out at the horizon at things to come, the fact that Usher is standing under a sun makes this the most likely explanation. Usher’s facial expression looks very stern like he is preparing for something that is making he feel the need to not let his emotions get in the way of what he has got to do. The mise-en-scene of Usher is very stereotypical in the sense that it fits the 2000/2001 R&B scene perfectly. Usher’s shirt is opened in the middle and shows quite a bit of his chest this has been done deliberately as Usher’s image at this time was very sexually orientated. Usher was all about showing of his ‘six pack’ and appealing to women in general from early teens to the older generation of women and the lack of clothing that Usher has on fits into and builds on his image. However Usher’s lack of shirt also helps to build on the idea about his music being open as it not only symbolises but also sends out the message that he is getting things off his chest. The shirt could represent what was holding him back and the fact that the shirt looks like it is in the process of coming of could symbolise that Usher is in the process of getting rid of the past. Usher’s belt looks like some sort of animal skin for instance a snake skin, this firstly connotes to the audience wealth as snake skin belts are expensive. However it could also have a deeper meaning as snakes shed their skin so Usher could be trying to send out the message that he is shedding his old skin and letting go of the past. This certainly fits in with the idea that the idea of Usher letting go of the past which is built on with Usher’s top half. Usher wearing jeans is typical of an R&B artist and this could be a way in which Usher is identifying himself as a certain genre of artist. Identifying himself with the R&B genre gives another clue to the audience as to what type of music Usher sings and that idea is love/romance songs.

The front colours on the front cover of the digipak connote a lot to the audience; the main colour is orange and this looks like this colour is washing over the artist and the cover. This orange colour could be from the sun that is above Usher and the main connotation that this brings to the artists mind is one of pressure that Usher is under some sort of pressure. Moreover as the sun and orange effect connotes to the audience a sense of heat, as the artists shirt is undone, his wearing glasses and there is a sheen of sweet over Usher in the sense that he is hot. This image of heat could be related to his music, it could be denoting that Usher is under a lot of heat, a lot of pressure to get whatever is on his mind off of his chest.  The font of the title 8701 is in big letters and bold font, I think this has been done to connote what type of artist Usher is. That he has a lot of presence and is very bold, this links into earlier connotations that the artist has been given that Usher is very honest in his music. The position of the title dominates the top half of the front cover, this has been done as it means that the title is in the clouds that are present on the front cover. This has been deliberately to connote a sense of being sky high-up in the clouds, as the title has no obvious meaning it can only be something personal to the artist and therefore the positioning could reflect something of the artist.

Similarly to the front cover there is only one image on the back cover and that is once again of the artist Usher. The long shot is positioned exactly in the middle so that the back cover is dominated by this image. Usher’s back being shown to the audience is unusual for R&B artists however when put into the context with the rest of the back cover it makes perfect sense. Usher is positioned looking over a city factor in Usher’s fist raised in the air triumphantly suggests that Usher is on top of the world. Moreover as the colour of the background is that of a sunset it could also be connoted that the sun is setting on an old age and that Usher is seeing it out triumphantly glad that he has made it.The mise-en-scene is entirely different from that of the front cover, the white t-shirt and baggy jeans that Usher is wearing are a typical R&B convention.

The audience can easily tell what genre this artist is even if they are not a fan of Usher; that this alum fits into R&B for a numerous amount of reasons. Firstly the title of the songs for example ‘U Got It Bad’ ‘How Do I Say’ and ‘I Can’t Let You Go’ all connote love and romance and the R&B genre is closely linked to this type of song. The main type of song in the R&B genre is where the guy tries to win over the girl with emotional and romantic lyrics. Secondly the front cover connotes the R&B genre is Usher’s mise-en-scene, wearing one diamond earring is a strong connotation to the R&B scene furthermore Usher wearing a ring is also another connection the R&B genre. Generally Usher fits into this genre as he has the image of an R&B male singer e.g. the earring, the clothes and the dance routines. The main conventions of this genre include a dance routine, minimal clothing, flashy jewellery and expensive locations and cars. On the front cover of this digipak nearly all the boxes are ticked, there is minimal clothing, flashy jewellery, expensive location and a dance routine is implicated from the position of Usher.