USHER FIX

Usher was spotted leaving Fog restaurant in South Yarra in Melbourne, Australia on Wednesday night after reportedly sampling some Moreton Bay bugs.

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- Cameron Adams

• You’re in a purple patch now with a run of hits. Is the plan to have a break or strike while the iron is hot with a new record?

I won’t have too much of a break. I’m in the midst of making another album while I’m on the OMG world tour.

• Are you recording on the road?

Well, I’ve been working creatively in theory, not physically in the studio. But if you think about it, if you travel all around the world, that is the best time to really absorb what other cultures are out there, what other types of music are informing other artists. I’m doing the groundwork, figuring out what type of songs people would enjoy hearing, what they would be receptive to.

• You’re riding the electro wave right now with OMG, More, DJ’s Got Us Fallin’ In Love …

It’s a world-resonating sound, that’s one of the things I like about it more than most.

• The OMG setlist is pretty much a greatest-hits affair …

It’s non-stop. I’ve got a catalogue that stretches back 15 years.

• You get a lady on stage each night for some bumping and grinding. What happened when one woman kicked you in the face – as seen on YouTube?

Well, it wasn’t good. I didn’t like it. Every now and again you have a blooper, I just didn’t think the entire world would see my blooper. But they did. There’s much more to see in my show that’s a pleasure. If you come expecting to see a girl kick me in the face, that’s not going to happen.

• How do you choose the lucky ladies?

I look for good kickers. No, honestly, I go out and look at my fans, the ones I feel really want to be there, who will represent all the ladies for the night.

• OMG seems to have got you a new, younger generation of fans …

Of course. Songs like OMG are very pop-oriented, they’re rejuvenating in terms of my style. It’s ever-evolving. It’s not just one thing. The one thing you always know that will be associated with me is soul, entertainment and dance. I look for songs that will speak my message and help me really articulate my passion.

• You’re sweating like an athlete out on stage in this show …

I’m more like an athlete on this tour than any other I’ve done. It’s two hours of non-stop movement. I sing live, I dance, there’s wardrobe changes. It’s a very physical show.

• How do you train for that?

There’s four months of preparation for the tour musically, then choreography.

• What is the first thing you do when you come off stage?

I come backstage, I’m greeted by my masseuse, I take a cold dip and a hot dip. It’s a jacuzzi full of ice, I sit in that for two minutes, then a hot tub, just to rejuvenate my body. It’s what athletic training has taught me. It keeps my body in shape. It releases toxins from my body so I’m not hurting the day after. If there’s a swollen ankle or bruises, it helps keep the inflammation down.

• If you’re training like an athlete, presumably you can’t party like a rock star?

That’s not true. One advantage is I can party a little bit. Not a lot. I don’t make it a habit to party too hard. I’ll come for a minute, greet the fans and then I go back and do my study. I’m a little bit obsessive- compulsive in terms of just perfecting the show. I’ll go back to my suite or my bus or my plane and look at the show, to see any things that need to be worked out. I want to perfect anything that needs to be fixed. I want it to be perfect.

• So you film the show every night?

Every night. I review the tapes every night.

• That is slightly obsessive- compulsive. What are you looking for?

I want to make it better, I look for missed lighting cues, musical adjustments, vocal adjustments, choreography that’s out of place, dancers that might not be in the place they need to be in, spots where the energy may need to be picked up – things in the show that aren’t working.

• So what are you like as a boss when you spot something someone’s done wrong?

I’m an encouraging boss. At the same time I strive for excellence and I want the same from everybody. Shoot, I’m paying you guys to be here, make sure you get it right. People pay their money for a perfect show and I want to give it to them.

• Your protege Justin Bieber missed out on a Grammy this year. How was camp Bieber after that?

Things like that happen. It wouldn’t be the first time an artist didn’t win a Grammy who expected it and worked really hard. I told him, ‘The fans define who you are as an artist, so keep working. You didn’t win best new artist, but there’s always best vocal, best R&B song, best pop song … these other categories’. A lot of it is experience. It’s something that helps to grow you and make you better.

• Is it true you’ve hooked him up with the vocal coach who helped you when your voice broke?

That’s true. He’s going pretty good. It’s a difficult transition, but with proper training and him understanding the seriousness of taking care of his voice, he’ll be OK.

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