No Limits: USHER’s Visionary Quest to Entertain, Innovate and Empower

2024 continues to be the year of USHER and he steps into each moment with intention. “There’s no detail missed when it comes to entertaining my people. I want them to have an experience that’s memorable. I spare no expense in that process,” says the OG superstar.

On a rare rest day during his megawatt USHER: Past Present Future world tour, USHER took the time to speak with EBONY from his Atlanta home for his EBONY Power 100 cover story. Relaxed, confident and deeply grateful, he greets us with a warm smile as we settle in for our conversation. 

The past two years have been monumental for the EBONY Power 100 Global Visionary. He was propelled back into the focus of the cultural zeitgeist through his Super Bowl Halftime Show, Las Vegas residency, Paris concerts, world tour, and his latest project, Coming Home. Additionally, he has made significant investments in his creative legacy.

In the twenty years since his last EBONY cover in 2004, USHER has not only cemented his place in music history but is actively empowering the next generation of creators through his New Look Foundation. His strategic and authentic service to both his brand and the success of others has reinvigorated support for everything he touches. 

With over two decades of hits, iconic performances and fans across generations, USHER is keenly aware of his star power. While he could “pivot to acting, producing and other ancillaries of [the music] business,” he’s made “a very deliberate choice to lean [toward his brand as a performer] … and curate something again that people will remember.” At a time when performance skills in male R&B aren’t always prioritized, USHER’s commitment to live performance has only deepened his bond with fans. 

As we dive deeper into the digital and streaming age, the model of what it means to be a successful artist has changed. Las Vegas, experiencing a cultural rebirth with legends like Janet Jackson and Mariah Carey, has seen modern icons like Bruno Mars take the stage. Confident in his ability to headline globally, USHER took a calculated risk in Vegas, creating an immersive experience.

His gamble paid off handsomely, with his residencies grossing over $114 million combined. This success fueled his landmark 2024, headlined by his Super Bowl LVIII Halftime Show—an epic 13-minute performance featuring Jackson State’s Sonic Boom Band, Alicia Keys and other collaborators. The setlist struck a chord with global audiences, sparking a major spike in his catalog’s streaming numbers. With a record-breaking 129.3 million viewers, USHER’s halftime show became the most watched of all time. 

The massive reach reconnected longtime fans with memories tied to his music while introducing a new generation to his catalog. With this in mind, he crafted his USHER: Past Present Future tour, adding fresh choreography, creative mashups and elaborate set designs. Building on his 2023 USHER: Rendezvous in Paris shows—aired as a concert film this fall—he hosted exclusive, invite-only gatherings for deeper, more intimate fan experiences. He even brought his love for roller skating to unique venues like Rockefeller Plaza in New York. This innovation sparked viral moments on TikTok, further strengthening his connection with the hard-to-convince Gen Z audiences. 

As he continues to break new ground, USHER remains as driven and deliberate as ever, securing his place as an enduring icon while building a legacy that extends far beyond the stage. 

EBONY: You’ve built a legendary career of unforgettable performances. How do you decide to lean into your legacy as a performer but also stay innovative and fresh?

USHER: More than anything, to be mindful that fantasy is a matter of imagination and being able to celebrate moments and songs of your past. The fact that there’s a genuine connection between you and this audience—an emotional connection that has more to do with where they have come from in their life and what brought them here. I’m mindful of all of those things, from the creative aspects and collaboration with directors who can execute my vision to wardrobe, choreography and arrangement with the band.

There’s no detail missed when it comes to entertaining my people. I want them to have an experience that is memorable. I spare no expense in that process. I don’t think about that part; I think about creating something great. I want to make it a moment to remember. That, I think, contributes to sustainability, to be a showman in that way, challenging the standard of music and entertainment. But also, to be mindful of those who paved the way and the things that made you fall in love with music, whether it was live instrumentation, dance or your connection with the audience.

Taking it further, your presence on stage has resonated with people, helping to sustain an already strong love for you and elevate it to another level. Have you been more cognizant of leaning into your performance abilities and your brand as a performer?

I made a very deliberate choice to lean into creativity as a way of being remembered. I could choose to pivot—go into acting, producing or other business ventures based on some of my experiences. But the purpose and point of sustaining starts with curating something memorable. Las Vegas was just the beginning.

The idea of rivaling some of my past albums was in the back of my mind because I’m competitive. I’m not aiming to meet the current standard; I’m trying to create music and an experience that feels current, modern and competitive. I’ve always viewed myself as the goal, and the goal now isn’t to run away but to run toward what I uniquely do—live performance. It was a risk; I could have played festivals and celebrated those moments, but I decided to take a risk and go somewhere I could reinspire people and reignite interest in live performance for R&B or even beyond that genre. That risk required investment, but it paid off.

And it’s only the beginning. This is the beginning of a new chapter of my life. And now with the audience that I have, I’m going to continue to offer them what I have. 

Your latest project, Coming Home, is your first album outside of the major label system, but how has this chapter been different, and what have you brought from your career along the way that makes you feel ready to steer your music career as the executive?

Well, the credibility of time is the first thing I offer in a new environment as an independent artist working with Gamma. and reestablishing a relationship with La Reid. Finding new ways to make impressions is crucial because the metric of success has changed. Success used to be measured by album sales and arena attendance, but the business has evolved. Now, success is about how many new ideas and approaches you bring, how you create collaborations and how you connect fans to your experience and curation.

For me, it started with entertainment, and the rest followed from a successful residency. We built new relationships, partnerships and collaborations—that’s the business side. But what’s still true is that people want to feel something. They buy a product or invest their money because they seek an emotional connection, and that’s valuable to me as a creator. I strive to make something qualitative, something worthy of their time and money. That’s who I am as an entertainer, curator and developer. Now, as a historian of my story, I’m stepping into a new chapter as a visionary, as someone considered legendary. Staying committed to that idea has been everything.

In 2004, you released Confessions, but it was also a time when you were on the EBONY cover in June 2004. When you look back 20 years ago versus now, what are some of the things that you can see in yourself that have remained true to you?

I’m still a performer. I’m still committed to my audience. I’m still dedicated to my creativity. And that feels true to me. I’m happy to have been on the cover then and now have the ability to be among the incredible 100 powerful visionaries of this time. I was motivated always by those people that you guys recognized back then, and now being able to be recognized is an honor.

When you think of Global Visionary of the Year, there has been a lot of focus on you in a global capacity. You’ve dabbled in Afrobeats and K-Pop. Has it been a particular focus for you to show up in different elements in different areas of the world and not just zone in on America?

It was a very deliberate decision many years ago to start diversifying myself in terms of the kind of music that I created, the type of business that I would engage in, who and what I would be able to offer and who wanted it. I was very mindful as I traveled the world. I would go places for the first time and introduce my music because there was some interest, but then there was this disconnect that allowed me to view other genres of music and think, “How can I inject R&B into that genre to now be relevant to them so that they care about this song and dance man?” I was very mindful as a result of growing. I didn’t grow to stand still—nothing on this planet does. Everything intended has happened because I’ve just wanted to grow. I’ve always wanted to go further, wanted to know more, wanted to have a broader and bigger audience.

As a visionary – there was so much debate around ‘King of R&B’ and you came out and shut that conversation down when you were just in your hotel room, laying on your bed, singing “Climax” a song that’s very hard for most people to sing yet it was so seamless for you. When you think of that and also just your continued impact, where do you see your impact show up in a direct way, and you think, “Oh, that’s USHER, I did that?”

I mean, for those who know, they collect that reward; I don’t. I just create, I create and inspire. And for that reason, I live on through those people. Most of the people who are a part of the fabric and the makeup of who I am, they don’t get recognized either. It’s not for that reason, but it is great that I have this opportunity and this honor to be able to speak about it and get the accolade. But, nah, I don’t know if I could point to one specific area, but I know that what I did in this time matters. And not just because I have awards to say it, or because I have highlight moments and higher viewership than any other person in history. That’s not it. It’s really the influence and the feeling that I gave people to hopefully inspire their creativity, to hopefully inspire and move the ball forward. And that’s probably why I’m in this position. I think that God has given me a true opportunity to express myself. But it’s not just for me; it’s for an entire world of people who’ve either experienced what I’m talking about, who’ve either had this journey with me because we’ve experienced these things at the same time, or simply because they were motivated by what it is that I created.

It’s so necessary to build the next generation of creatives and professionals. Was there a specific moment 22 years ago that made you say, ‘Okay, I need to launch the New Look Foundation?

I think it had a few things to do with the mentors and people who were motivating me to do something that would serve someone other than myself. And I chose to invest in youth. I thought, ‘What’s significant to me?’ I decided to advocate for youth because I really feel like they are the future. I really do feel they need the tools, and my life and experiences can be an example.

The thing that makes New Look what it is, is we now have 20-plus years of not only being able to graduate young men and women but also bringing them into the business field, the private sector, and helping them find their entrepreneurial passions and desires, and hopefully building sustainable businesses as a result.

For me, it was really the Boys and Girls Clubs that helped me understand mentorship. It was after-school alliance programs that helped me see that outside of what I would learn in school, it’s the things I’m passionate about that would drive me toward success. So, what I wanted to do was create a sustainable 501(c)(3) foundation that would do the same thing—teach kids real-world experience, giving them a view into fields they may not know exist. That’s what New Look is. And what’s great is that I’d be able to come full circle and team back up with the Boys and Girls Club and After School Alliance to not only speak from experience but show what it can become and what it could be for you as a businessperson, an entertainer, an athlete or whatever it is.

What does it mean to you to be honored by EBONY as the Global Visionary of the Year?

As a Black man, to be seen by EBONY Power 100 means I accomplished something major in this lifetime. It’s hard enough for us to find our way, right? I am a story that is not very unique, but I made it unique in my life. I come from a single-parent home where there was no father. That’s frequently discussed in our communities. And if I could be an example that speaks to the young man or the young lady whose father or parent is not there, that you can do something incredible with your life… by way of being recognized by EBONY, it is an honor… But it lets it be known that this investment in our Black culture, in the same way we have all other publications, [is] something meaningful.” 

What is your definition of power?  

My definition of power is choice. Ownership. You have to ignite power yourself. It’s not given. It is something that you take ownership of. 

TEAM EBONY – CONTENT

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 Cover Team

Talent  
USHER – @usher  

Cover Story Writer 
Emanuel Okusanya – @kusanye 

Photographer  
Marcus McDonald 

Project Manager, Creative 
Janald Dufont – @justjay_d 

Designer  
Robert Reed – @robertreeed 

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