R&B superstar Usher has been dealt a New Year's blow - his upcoming album has leaked online more than two months before its expected release date.

The Yeah! hitmaker's sixth studio release, Raymond vs. Raymond, was scheduled for release in Europe in February and the U.S. in March.

But label executives at LaFace Records and its parent company Sony Music may have to rethink their plans after the whole project surfaced on the internet last week.

Usher's album leak comes weeks after 50 Cent suffered a similar setback - his latest CD, Before I Self Destruct, appeared online a month before it was due to hit music retailers in November.