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Home > Atlanta Music Scene > Archives > 2008 > May > 30
Friday, May 30, 2008
Usher On GMA Today — And His Performances Recently
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
On his way to rehearsals for his performance this morning on “Good Morning America,” Atlanta R&B superstar Usher offered his take on his recent appearances on “Saturday Night Live” and “Dancing With The Stars”:
“First of all, understand, they’re warm-ups for me. And they allow me the opportunity to put the songs out there for a huge audience. Now when you see my show, and everything in proper context, it’s everything: It’s lighting, it’s wardrobe, it’s great sound and shot to perfection.
“With ‘SNL’ (see a YouTube video below) it’s the immediate response in front of the live audience that stood out to me. And the viewing audience for that show is it. That’s the place to be as an artist. It’s what you want.
” ‘Dancing With The Stars’ (see the YouTube videos below) I thought was fun too. A good look. A good place to introduce [his recent No. 1 single] ‘Love In This Club’ in a dance setting, on a very popular show. The finale even. And you know I love dancing.”
“But another reason I do things like that - other than promote an album - are the opportunities to step outside the box. I love that. Like when I did the Gene Kelly tribute on ‘Movie Rocks’ (YouTube video below). It’s a reminder of what a classic performance is. And that I am a product, and student of things like that. Things like Michael Jackson’s “Smooth Criminal’ [performance]. They serve greater purposes than record promotion. They live forever. It’s not just about a moment.”
Usher added that he plans to do four songs on GMA — “Love In This Club,” his new single “Moving Mountains,” “This Ain’t Sex” and the title track to his new CD, “Here I Stand”.
Three will air on TV and the other online. If you watch, come back here and give us your review. And what about his recent appearances on “SNL” and Dancing” — “classic performances,” in your opinion?
