Raymond addressed the rumors that circulated around Usher's marriage. Dust off the bed and get it popping and young again." Pitts noted that it was important Raymond v. We felt like we had to get his swagger back. Pitts told The New York Times that "Usher had a rough couple years", elaborating: "The scrutiny of everything going on, he was worrying too much about what people were thinking. Jive Records urban music president and album executive producer Mark Pitts also conceived the album as a return to the themes of the latter album "based on what happened with Confessions", Pitts wanted to reproduce its success. Raymond mirrors Usher's 2004 Confessions, as a self-confessional album, with several recordings from the album inferring to Usher's marriage. Raymond, taking inspiration from the 1979 American drama film Kramer vs. Initially under the title Monster, the album's name was changed to Raymond v. Producers involved with its production included Jermaine Dupri, The Runners, Ester Dean, Polow da Don, RedOne, Jim Jonsin, |Danja, Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis, Bangladesh and Tricky Stewart. The album was recorded at the Studio at the Palms in Vegas and Atlanta. Prior to the filing, Usher relocated to Las Vegas in 2009 to begin working on his sixth studio album. Usher's interpretation of Here I Stand 's low performance. Here I Stand was very specific to where I was in my life. People felt like I'd stepped away from the perception I'd sold for all the years I'd been doing this, when people buy my albums, they buy them for the connection. The divorce was highly documented by the press. Once the divorce was finalized on November 8 that year, Usher explained that there was "no reasonable hope of reconciliation" and their marriage was "irretrievably broken" both Foster and Usher had been living separately since July 2008. A year and a half later on June 12, 2009, following his marriage, Usher filed for divorce from Foster, with no initial reasoning. It featured more mature, adult-oriented themes, influenced by his marriage to Foster this thematic shift ultimately led to the album becoming less successful with fans and sales than his previous work. Usher released his fifth studio album Here I Stand on May 13, 2008.
Foster gave birth to Usher Raymond V later that year. In December 2005, Usher became romantically involved with stylist Tameka Foster, whom he then married on August 3, 2007.
Usher promoted the album with a supporting international tour, OMG Tour, in 2011. Nonetheless, the album earned Usher several awards, including Grammy Awards for Best Contemporary R&B Album and Best Male R&B Vocal Performance. Raymond received generally mixed reviews from music critics, who were ambivalent towards its songwriting and themes. The album also produced five singles that achieved chart success, including US hits " Hey Daddy (Daddy's Home)", " Lil Freak", " There Goes My Baby", and international hits " OMG" and " More". It sold over one million copies in the United States and was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). The album debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200 chart, selling 329,000 copies in its first week.
Production for the album took place in 2009 and was handled by several producers, including Jermaine Dupri, The Runners, Ester Dean, Polow da Don, RedOne, Jim Jonsin, Danja, Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis, Bangladesh, Zaytoven, and Tricky Stewart. Raymond is the sixth studio album by American singer Usher, released on March 26, 2010, by LaFace Records.