Usher is set to be on the cover of the March 13th issue of Billboard Magazine. Usher is the #1 Billboard Hot 100 Artist of the Decade & #2 Billboard Artist of The Decade!
As a treat, I have the issue early for you right here! Read the issue below.
Billboard Mag (March 13)
USHER GIVES A LITTLE DANCE LESSON (MUCHMUSIC CHANNEL)
OPENING (“CAUGHT UP”)
“BURN”
“LOVE IN THIS CLUB”
PICS
INTERVIEW (THE PROVINCE)
R&B/hip-hop heartthrob Usher heated up the resort last night with hit songs and new numbers.
True to form Usher performed his turn-the-lights-down-low numbers, tossing articles of clothing into the crowd to shrieks of delight.
But he also managed to keep the crowd — there not just for his concert but to celebrate the closing of the 2010 Olympic Games here — engaged.
He even got some clothing back at him as people in the crowd threw him the now famous red Hudson’s Bay Team Canada mittens.
Earlier, Usher told The Province that: “The Olympics are about unity regardless of race, gender or creed, so I consider it a blessing to be asked to perform at events such as this year’s Winter Games.
“To be amongst people from all over the world and perform for fans that may not have seen me live before is such an honour. I am happy to be here in Whistler and to perform for my Canadian fans as well as be an ambassador to music.”
Asking for the crowd’s indulgence he played a song from his new album Raymond v Raymond, “There Goes My Baby.”
Judging by the reaction of the thousands at the Medals Celebration Plaza, the album, due to be released March 30 after a long delay, is headed for the top.
Said Usher: “I am really excited about the new album as it speaks to the ‘duality of man’, which is why it’s called Raymond v Raymond. I think it will really connect with fans and will be a natural followup to Confessions and Here I Stand. There is something in it for everyone.”
His six stage dancers, two guys and four girls, helped keep the show moving, their liquid and sexual choreography perfect for the music.
Hits such as “Confessions,” “Hey Daddy,” “Love in This Club” and “Bad Girls” really got the crowd going, especially when he made it personal for his “Whistler girls.”
The crowd didn’t even seem to care when efforts to play the music video to “Hey Daddy” failed. The stage show was mesmerizing enough.
As the nightly fireworks signalled the end of the show, Usher took a moment to honour the athletes, including the Canadian four-man bobsleigh team who were awarded their bronze medals just minutes before he began his performance.
“A lot of hard work has gone into this event,” said Usher.
“We need to all thank the athletes.”
Usher answering questions from MuchMusic fans at the GLC base of Whistler Gondola before his performance at the Whistler Olympic Medal Plaza.
More to come….
Ellen DeGeneres will bring her popular daytime show back to Universal Orlando next month for a couple of episodes.
The show will tape two episodes on Sunday, March 28. They will air on April 1 and 2. “The Ellen DeGeneres Show” can be seen at 3 p.m. on weekdays.
DeGeneres announced the visit today. Her guests will include Sharon Osbourne and Usher; the show will spotlight rides and attractions at Universal Orlando.
“I love going to the Universal Orlando Resort,” DeGeneres said. “I always have so much fun. Last time I was there, I rode The Hulk and The Mummy. … You know what? It was so much fun, we’re going to go back there this year.” You can log on to the show’s Web site for information about tickets.
The tapings will be at the Lagoon Stage at Universal CityWalk.
DALLAS — It’s apparently the season to remake the classics. Mary J. Blige recently recorded a cover of Led Zeppelin’s “Stairway to Heaven” and we all know about the remake of “We Are the World.” Now, Jermaine Dupri s spearheading a new version of a classic song, and just like “We Are the World,” it’s another Quincy Jones tune.
JD has called on Usher, Robin Thicke, Tyrese and Trey Songz to cover Jones’ 1989 hit “The Secret Garden (Sweet Seduction Suite).” The original version starred seductive vocalists James Ingram, Al B. Sure, El DeBarge and the incomparable Barry White.
Right before the NBA All-Star Game, Dupri talked about his and his team’s rendition.
“It took a minute for me to even think about touching it,” JD admitted. “It’s a couple of components in that record that you don’t wanna touch — Barry White being one of the main components. I had to leave him [on the song]. There’s nobody out there in the world that’s got a voice like his or even sounded the way he sounded. So I had to make sure I could leave that. It’s gonna be interesting for y’all to hear how these young guys sound mixed in with him.”
In 1989, “Secret Garden” was one of the highlights of Quincy Jones’ Grammy-winning Back on the Block LP. Each vocalist had a verse and an opportunity to sing to the ladies.
“Luckily, it’s a record that hip-hop really embraced as a ballad,” JD said. “It was a record I lived with so much. I kinda felt it was a record that was a part of my life. So it wasn’t that hard for me to get into it. But I just had to figure out all the ways and who to put on the song. I feel that at the time [Quincy] made the record, each one of the guys had a certain thing for the ladies.”
Jermaine said his version will woo the females all over again. “I think Robin Thicke got something for the ladies,” Dupri said. “Usher, definitely. Trey, definitely. And Barry White. That was hard, because I wanted to put Anthony Hamilton on there, Maxwell on there. But it’s hard, because it’s only a four- or five-man [song]. That was the hardest part for me.”
Jermaine said the “Secret Garden” remake will appear on a new Quincy Jones album; no release date has been announced.
Jamie Foxx interviewed Usher for his radio show “The Foxxhole” in Miami during Super Bowl weekend.
Usher’s Twitter
