- 10 months ago
Usher is indisputably one of the most versatile entertainers around. Recently wrapping up his Las Vegas Residency, it’s clear now more than ever that there’s no stopping his hustle. EBONY chatted further with the Confessions vocalist about his storied career. From the viral moments from his My Way: Las Vegas Residency that have kept social media in an uproar to...
Read about it on EBONY
https://ebony.com/video/usher-video-interview-2023/
Read about it on EBONY
https://ebony.com/video/usher-video-interview-2023/
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LifestyleTranscript
00:00it's such a pleasure to be able to speak with you today what's up sister how you doing okay
00:10i'm doing well thank you so much so i know we're short on time and of course there's so much i want
00:16to ask you um because this is literally the season of usher but we will get to the business of it all
00:22speaking of this one pledge movement so you know obviously you released the video today you know
00:28sharing how essentially this disease affects you as a father so what will be your involvement in
00:34this campaign and ultimately what is the impact you hope that it will have well as you said first
00:40and foremost i'm very honored uh to be um a spokesperson uh for it uh having my personal
00:47experience uh living with a child uh who has type 1 diabetes and um you know the preparation for that
00:57really starts with one um the opportunity to potentially be screened uh the one pledge is that
01:06families have the opportunity to be screened for type 1 diabetes and then speak with a doctor
01:11afterwards um but you know it's a it's an urgent call to action because it's you know tons of people
01:17who very well may be in the process of uh living with this journey and the process of being acclimated
01:25understanding how to how to cope with it and then uh being introduced to the community that is needed
01:32to really understand how to navigate through it uh is what i'm hoping uh to bring together i'm hoping
01:37that i'm ushering in something that could be cool um for the world to to not only uh reap the benefits of
01:44because screening is something that could definitely be helpful um you know my personal story starts with
01:49the fact that you know there were you know signs and diagnosis that um you know led to my intrigue about
01:57my my child's health and from that uh this journey started um so i wanted to bring it to the light have an
02:09opportunity to do so i've done some philanthropic work but this is um a bit more heart work um there is the
02:16hard work that we do and then there's the heart work that we do the one pledge.com gives that
02:22opportunity for families to screen and um and have the support that they need i love that i love that
02:29well thank you so much for being that face um and like i said you know i watched the video that you
02:34released on your social channels today as far as how as far as how it affects you as far as having
02:38that anxiety you know worrying about your son you know when you're on the road and things like that so
02:44turning to fatherhood specifically you know how do you ultimately navigate and balance fatherhood with
02:51being such a busy entertainer how do you navigate your two worlds man staying available as i possibly
02:57can um it's a lot like how we manage diabetes you know yesterday might offer obstacles and then
03:06tomorrow we can only learn from you know the things that happened yesterday and be better be present
03:11be in this moment um i try to stay available as a dad at all times for my children um and stay
03:19committed to the very thing uh that sparked my passion as a very young at a very young age
03:25more than anything i'm hoping that uh it's an inspiration to my kids there's the parents who
03:31actively are there every day and then there's the parents who uh have to work hard and they miss
03:37sudden things with their family with their families sometimes you have both parents sometimes you
03:41don't um i have this dynamic that has worked for me you know my work allows me to be able to spend
03:47significant amounts of time with my kids and also to still be able to remain as passionate and committed
03:54to to what i love to do um but that balance is not something that is easy uh that balance is not
04:01something that doesn't come with um even a heightened sense of anxiety when it comes to
04:06dealing with a child who has a disorder um we as type 1 diabetes choose to call it a disorder more
04:13so than a disease because it's not something that um is uh personally induced it's not type 1 diabetes
04:21it's not something as a result of what you chose to eat or what choices you made but it may be
04:26uh hereditary uh it may be something that was in your family line uh of which you know you will
04:32have a physician in the event that you are screened and then you are candidate for type 1 diabetes
04:37there's a doctor and a host of people who will help you begin to understand how to navigate this and
04:41have a true understanding of it um i'm hoping that more information about type 1 diabetes comes out of
04:47this it's very informative um and if we at all can offer the solution to be prepared um that um
04:56that that can happen so the one pledge you see me with this finger up the one pledge.com
05:03that's how you get in and uh it's all for two to everyone
05:07thank you for that um and so let's turn to usher the entertainer um so you know you're about to wrap
05:17you know this last final leg of this amazing vegas residency um i've had the pleasure of seeing it
05:23literally a year ago today i was in vegas for it i was in a trapier show and i saw you at dreamville
05:28so that's three times of the year just had to put that up
05:30uh-oh
05:30um and i do have a bone to pick with you you didn't perform blue in Paris
05:35um you didn't perform glue
05:37wait a minute boo you wait a minute i didn't perform glue
05:41you know what's funny somebody just said the same thing to me last night i'm like wait a minute
05:46y'all wanted me to perform blue really
05:49yeah so i feel like i need to come back to vegas but you need to you know make up for that but you
05:54know so second second time is the charm it only took two times for me to make make the adjustment
05:59i'll i'll be i'll be getting my md um the the note to to put it back in the show
06:05you did it at dreamville but you didn't do it at paris so you know i introduced it at dreamville
06:09so i love that for sure so jumping back into you know business um so you know i've read in past
06:19interviews you know you've been very transparent as far as your past as far as not being raised
06:23you know with your father in your life per se so in this chapter of life how are you navigating
06:28that part of your life and ultimately merging again that into fatherhood and then that into this
06:34chapter of your life as a man um no no it's it's it's it's interesting that you say this right
06:45because um sometimes the greatest reference uh is the lack thereof and sometimes there's a blessing
06:55uh in the choice that god makes doesn't make mistakes to god be the glory and you cannot lean
07:04to your own understanding if you do you might miss the blessing you may miss the opportunity um that is
07:12working through you um you know yes i've been able to share through music a lot of my pain and a lot of
07:20my pleasure um my transition you know my communication my ability to communicate uh and it's been a celebration
07:29it's been a celebration of life um but all of those things have led to what i would say is a pretty
07:38stable guy you know what i'm saying i think that i'm okay i'm not bad i'm not perfect and i don't want
07:43to be or profess to be what i am is transparent and you know what i hope i am is of service of service to
07:52life's process so people can have some reference to say oh wow i'm not the only person that goes through
07:58this or went through this or actually experienced this and how did you navigate through it well this
08:04was my story this is where i am in it uh it made me a better man it made uh me you know resentful it
08:11created suffering as a result of me not understanding how to process it did i want to be better do i want
08:18to be better every day yeah i do uh but it's all perspective the longer you live you know the more you
08:25know you know my grandmother used to say just keep on living and eventually you'll get it you'll
08:30understand there's no one day that's more perfect than the other every day is an opportunity to learn
08:36every day is an opportunity to be better uh and if you are your best self life will treat you the
08:42universe will meet you and um i say i've been very fortunate um i try to be um a better dad than the
08:53one that i didn't have and i try to uh be empathetic to those whom i think need uh what i may be able
09:03to offer rather it's a song rather it's an opportunity rather it's information or rather it's access
09:10um or rather it's just perspective and um you know and i've been very happy and fortunate very happy
09:19and fortunate to be able to have been that vessel uh in this lifetime you know i love that well thank
09:25you for your transparency and so you know turning to lighter notes of course and speaking of this
09:30current chapter of your life you know vegas residency super bowl 58 you know a new album coming
09:37potentially the world tour we don't know oh no it's coming it's on pre-order it's coming yeah it's
09:42coming okay um can you take it back can you take it back so you know speaking of this vegas residency
09:49you know again i've read in past interviews that you know you did this to ultimately fall back in
09:55love with your craft do you feel that you've ultimately done that at this point in this residency
09:59yeah me and this career of mine it's a long marriage you know what i'm saying and it started at a
10:05very tender and optimistic age of 12 or maybe even 11 when i when i finally begin to have some
10:14reference and idea based off of some of the things that i've seen um but um you know it transitions and
10:24you know this residency i think was an opportunity to get back to normal um and the belief no rather it
10:32was the love and compassion that reconnected me or rather it was just the simple fact that i could
10:37be interactive with people and engage in a way that made what i worked on you know feel like it wasn't
10:45you know just kind of in vain you have people who make a planned destination to get on a plane
10:50fly to las vegas pay to be in a hotel come to see boy get dressed beautify the the earrings the lashes
10:58the hair the clothes that all that and they come to see you see you do your thing that that felt
11:05good it felt good and it reminded me of what my um what my true magic was it was to make people feel
11:13things it was to make people um be present um when we didn't have this phone to put up in front of us
11:22all we had was the true connection between what was happening on stage and what people felt
11:28as a result of what was happening on that stage and i needed that it wasn't a song that led me back
11:35it wasn't a offering sometimes that offering can be overly scrutinized sometimes it's celebrated
11:41sometimes it's not in a time when it's a click of a button that you know bears the relevance of a song
11:48or rather the potency of an artist you can kind of get lost in that because what if people aren't
11:54technically you know technically you know advanced the audience that you speak to maybe they like to
12:00see you live maybe they want to see you in person because that's their commitment they don't like you
12:05they didn't heart tap like you they actually love you they really love you so that reconnection
12:13was good for me hopefully it was good for my audience to let them know that i'm still here
12:18that i'm well that i'm you know if not you know that reserve of energy that was a year
12:24you know in hiding because everybody was and we were kind of stuck in in the pandemic uh it was there
12:32and that energy came out and now it's produced something that has been incredible that has led me
12:37to las vegas at a residency and even further now to the big stage playing the super bowl so it's it
12:45it's a it's a real um what is it cinderella story or you know it's a real incredible story about belief
12:53that we one could get back to normal and then when we got back to normal what would happen
12:57you know you talked about um dreamville i don't know if i heard you say lovers and friends because
13:03that's another chapter of what happened here in las vegas that i'm a part of to be able to have had
13:08the festival grounds to host uh the lovers and friends festival here uh is another incredible
13:15thing that just made me feel connected again it wasn't just about the celebration of a number
13:20one hit record it was you know man we're celebrating all of your number ones we're celebrating all of
13:27what you offered us from the beginning rather it was your dance or rather it was just fashion or
13:32rather it was your emotions and your transparency and your vulnerability rather it was just a celebration
13:37of this moment i don't know what it was but all of what i got out of here made me fall in love
13:43with it again and speaking of that reconnection obviously you've produced some of the hottest
13:50viral moments of the last few years it's evident kiki palmer most recently asia wilson um doja cat
13:57i would even say so when it comes to your kind of like vip moments having those interactions with the
14:03like vip guests so to say do you kind of go into the show with the intention of like this could spark
14:10a viral moment on social media or is it literally just about like you said that connection with your
14:14guests giving them something to remember um what is it for you and how do you react to these viral
14:20moments well i'm not certain of how you even make any of these things i'm assuming they just kind of
14:28organically happen um you know i'm trying to maintain coolness to my kids so i don't want to say
14:34something that's going to age me or make me look crazy so bear with me but um because you know the
14:41teenagers it's hard to stay cool with them with my two and three year old i'm cool with at least
14:45till they're about you know five and then they find some animated character that they're more infatuated
14:50with but um i don't know if i um i don't know if i plan it but i think a lot of the viral moments
14:58that i've had going all the way back to tiny desk that were about the authenticity of artistic exchange
15:05that's about me singing a song and people reacting which is something that is a love and a true
15:11passion of mine that moment i prepared for when i was 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 on up to not
15:19and and what was instilled in in that moment of showmanship is serving me now and if that
15:27showmanship has turned into a viral moment great that it did because it just reminds you of what
15:32entertainment and r&b is about right it is the serenade it is being in the moment it is that
15:39you know that energy and you know and and the idea of of bringing people to worlds that they otherwise
15:45would never have access to maybe they look at a video but wait a minute seeing it in real time
15:50and looking at these specific dancers who might be in those places are actually on stage oh my god
15:56that's incredible so um yeah i don't know how to make a viral moment i just think um i go out there
16:04and what happens happens and the magic of being able to capture it i guess it becomes viral and the
16:10conversation of it becomes viral yeah yeah i agree i agree so i know we're um almost at the end of
16:17our time but i do want to ask one more question before we do a really quick this or that um so you
16:23know the last question is super bowl 58 obviously it's coming you know you've proclaimed it as you
16:28know the world's biggest stage something that you know you have ultimately dreamed of for a very long
16:33time what will you do if you can even hit us at this point but what will you bring that will
16:39essentially solidify you as one of the greatest super bowl entertainers thus far
16:43celebration celebration of life that's what i'm planning on bringing
16:49um 30 years of a career songs that go with it you know incredible visuals dance movement
16:58uh cultures being brought to uh the rest of the world a language a communication tool being brought
17:07to the world rather than relationships to make it better of how to communicate with each other
17:11um you know i i hope that what i am bringing is a celebration a celebration of life and if that
17:23etches me in the history books or if i'm already etched in it i'm hoping that this just adds to
17:30that legacy that that little boy who was 11 years old um you know had and all of the people who
17:38didn't live to see this moment i'm hoping that they would be proud of me and i'm hoping that the
17:43people who are still here um and are able to celebrate with me maybe wherever they are at home
17:49for that moment those 13 minutes means something incredible to them uh in their life whether they
17:57cried with me or rather we celebrated together or rather we laughed together on a song whatever it
18:04may have been that was in the song that made a connection between me and them i'm hoping that
18:09it was a celebration of life beautiful words that's your beautiful words so very quickly uh just a fun
18:16game just to close things out this or that so i'm gonna call out two things you tell me the top of
18:21your head which one you go for first all right so first one confessions or my way confessions okay
18:29a uh tailored suit by bianca sanders or sweats and a tea by bianca sanders oh a tailored suit by
18:38i'm winning both ways though by the way a tailored suit by bianca sanders
18:42um roller skating or dancing okay um island getaway secluded with your fam or city vacay
18:53turning up well i'm with my fam 100 i did yo by the way i lived the life of turning up i'm done with
19:00that for a minute and this one may be obvious but you know you never know you may surprise me
19:07but cognac or champagne cognac all right well usher i thank you so so much any last words as far as the
19:15one pledge movement goes i would say join me um each and every person watching this go to the
19:21one pledge.com today and pledge to get your family screened for type 1 diabetes this is for you this is
19:28uh an amazing um community there's amazing community there waiting to support you and uh speak to your
19:35doctor and i'm hoping that this uh will be good for you and your family to be prepared in the event
19:41that uh this journey of type 1 diabetes is one that you and your family um are about to have
19:48absolutely well again thank you so so much um i appreciate you as an entertainer as an artist and
19:55you know i'm gonna say you're one of the goats of r&b i know you like to remain humble but
20:00we definitely see it over here so thank you again for all that you thank you very much
20:05so thank you very much
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