2023-10-01 14:41:13
Holder of eight Grammy Awards, author and performer of major R&B hits, such as My Way, My Boo, Yeah ! or You Make Me Wanna, Usher is in residence at La Seine Musicale in Boulogne-Billancourt (Hauts-de-Seine) after having played fifty concerts in Las Vegas. Before returning to Arizona to prepare for the Super Bowl halftime show on February 11, 2024, and the release of his new album at the same time Coming Homethe singer gave an interview to Monde where it appears less smooth than its tubes suggest.
You were chosen to perform at the Super Bowl halftime show. Which of the previous shows do you prefer?
That of Michael Jackson, who forged in me this idea that this show is the stage to which you must reach if you want to be considered as an artist who makes history. The one who left the biggest impression on me was Prince. It was a celebration of his legacy, which showed how relevant and creative he was. During this concert, I could see the audience’s love for his music and it was raining purple that evening! It was so beautifully prepared. I know there will be a lot of expectations surrounding mine. What I want to do is celebrate my heritage.
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Which ? What do you think you leave to the world?
I’m a showman. I know how to put on shows like no one else.
During your concert in Paris, you said you exported a little bit of Las Vegas. We especially saw the culture of your city, Atlanta. What was your goal?
Put her on a pedestal. And I did it by telling a theatrical story, where you are immersed. It’s Atlanta: the melting pot, the fashion, the skating, the singing, the dancing, the hip-hop… And also the dramatic settings. Technically, the stage also rises. This is not just for Atlanta, but for the elevation of black culture, the elevation of what it means to be confident and show some class, to have poses, to celebrate street culture. At the same time, all wrapped up in one show.
The attitude, the strip clubs, and when you go on stage the first time you appear as a pimp…
I would say more like Valentino, a guy who is having fun and having a good time with women until he starts having drama in his life. The culture of strip clubs, I don’t see it like that, I think more of Paris, the brothels, the Moulin Rouge, the French Cancan, the French quarters in Baton Rouge, Louisiana which in some way convey this idea of French libertinage, which is partly the reason why I chose to do my Vegas show in Paris. And then historically, artists like Quincy Jones, Miles Davis, had to come to France to be celebrated because they were not celebrated in our country. Besides, the idea that we become more integrated as black men is not the reality. It is important for us to embrace everything that is part of our culture.
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