For Senegalese-American R&B star Akon and Grammy winner Usher, performing together on the same stage is a tour de force. The two, who play The Palace of Auburn Hills on Sunda are longtime friends and musical associates. "Man, I've known Usher since the beginning of his career," Akon told The Flint Journal. "Way before the fame. Me and this guy go way back.
"I don't think it was a big issue, coming on this tour as a special guest. We've been friends forever. He doesn't feel threatened, me being on the tour with him. That's the beauty of it. The fact that he welcomed me (and said) 'Yo, come on this tour with me, man. What are you doing around this time?' At the time, it was just me producing and writing. He said, 'You should take time off and come tour with me in the States.' I was like, 'Why not let's do it. I got an album coming out. I can use it as a tool to promote my album.' It all works. We put it together and made it happen."
During the jaunt, Akon said he is playing three to four new songs from his long-in-the-works September 2011 album "Stadium." That includes the single "Angel," which was produced by French knob-turner David Guetta.
"A lot of high-energy record, party songs, feel-good music," Akon said about the expectations for "Stadium." "But I got mids (mid-tempo songs), highs (high-tempo songs). I took it everywhere, but I made sure that every song was very international, that can pretty much gravitate and relate to all audiences, you know?"
Best known for his song "Smack That" with Eminem as well as "The Sweet Escape," his collaboration with Gwen Stefani, Akon explained this album came about over a long period of time. He didn't set out to specifically write a new record. "I'm working on new music every day," he said. "It's just a matter of how it feels at the time when it's time to put it out.”
Besides his own material, Akon is renowned for writing songs for other artists. With 40 Billboard Hot 100 songs and more than 300 guest appearances, Akon is one of the most popular artists and producers in music. He penned "Hold My Hand," which eventually went to Michael Jackson; and co-wrote "Just Dance" for Lady Gaga and "Put It on My Tab" for New Kids on the Block. Akon explained that when he's writing songs he never knows who's going to end up with it.
"When I write it, I just try to write a hit record, or something that feels to me like it could be a smash," he said. "I hold onto it and when I'm in the studio with other artists and they're planting music, I may play some music and they may hear something. 'Oh my God, I love that record so much. What are you doing with it?' I'd be like, 'If you like it, you can take it.' It's that easy.
"That's what happened with 'Hold My Hand' by Michael Jackson. I played him that record and he fell so in love with it. He said, 'I have to have that record. What is it going to take?' I said, 'Mike, all it's going to take is for you to sing it.' That's it."
He said although it was thrilling to work with Jackson as well as Lionel Richie, he counts Eminem among his favorites. Although Eminem has an acute sense of humor, he takes his career very seriously.
"I was surprised to find out how professional he was in the studio," he said. "He literally has regimens that he follows and rules that he follows. I never worked with someone in the studio that actually treated the studio like a 9-to-5 (job). He comes in on time every day at 8 o'clock and leaves at a certain time in the evening. He doesn't go over that time.
"That was kind of wild to me because I never seen anyone operate like that and be that disciplined.”
Now the five-time Grammy nominee is taking a break from the studio to tour with Usher and he's "100 percent" excited about playing suburban Detroit. "When things like this come around, it's always exciting."