Usher Wants To Win An Oscar, Talks Success and Career
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00:00The flaws within my shows
00:03Become the moments. Well, I sure it is great to see you. So excited to chat with you about this film
00:09Why was Paris the perfect backdrop to bring this toward a life for everybody?
00:14Because it was special. Yeah. Yeah, Paris is different and for all of the years that I'd been there for Fashion Week
00:20I wanted to do something that would be memorable. So I decided to
00:25Bring what I had done in Las Vegas to Paris and have this rendezvous
00:33And then to film it
00:36Kingdom films, this will be my first film
00:39But from September the 12th to the 15th, I get a chance to have my fans undivided attention
00:46One, you know beautiful part about going to the movies
00:50Is you have to put your phone down? Yes, that's true
00:53And while I love that
00:55That experience that is live
00:57We put so much energy and effort into making this film
01:01something that the entire world would be able to experience because many people didn't get the chance to make it to Las Vegas they
01:07Didn't get a chance to make it to Paris
01:10But this this film captures so much of the live performance and then some definitely
01:17It really does and what I love about this too is that it's broken up into four different chapters
01:20How would you describe each chapter a
01:23journey, yeah
01:25Yeah, and you know
01:28I'm almost surprised when I look at it sometimes because we shot from so many different angles and selected
01:35All of them to make you feel as though you were right there on the stage with me
01:41Yeah, it just feels as though I'm kind of reliving some of the emotional
01:46Moments that I've had in making the songs. It's like all the way back to the beginning of my career
01:51And bring you up to the current date
01:53You know try some new things is skating. Yeah, there's you know vertical dancers. Mm-hmm
02:02Incredible
02:03Fashionable moments as well as amazing storytelling and vocal ability a live band
02:10But an incredible night everything that usher encompasses in one. Yeah
02:16Yeah, and then there's a cinematic element to it as well
02:19The way we shot it
02:22The the narrative that is in between the live experience. Yeah, and in that narrative
02:27I believe it was the second chapter you say that you sacrifice the best years and in search for lost time
02:32Will you sacrifice many times? Mm-hmm not knowing it. Yeah
02:37But it is all with the hopes that this journey will mean something to you
02:43So rather you choose to recognize it as lost time
02:46Rather it's a relationship rather some of the harder times or the things ambitiously that we're looking for in relationship
02:55it becomes either a life lesson or a love lesson you said before that like
03:01Revisiting some of these chapters in your life was emotional for you
03:04What were some of those emotional moments for you kind of looking back at this unbelievable career?
03:10There's the aspect that is completely about celebrating the song and the energy and the love. Mm-hmm
03:17But you know also to
03:19Some of the emotional moments that really connect me to my fans
03:24Because you know, we may have cried together. Yeah, we may have felon and falling in love together
03:30We may have fallen out of love together. We may have had to let it burn
03:35We may have had to find our voice
03:38When we thought we had it, but we did it. I did it my way
03:42Mm-hmm
03:42I remember what that was like and going back and reliving those moments and putting the wardrobe on and being reminded of what I was
03:49Thinking of creatively
03:52Yeah, that's what it means
03:54Yeah
03:54Is it hard for you to recognize that person sometimes too because if so much has changed in your life since then it feels timeless
04:01Mm-hmm in the same way that a song can be introduced
04:04Yeah
04:06Over and over and over again you have you know people who never experienced certain songs never experienced certain
04:13Creative because they didn't see the original video. Mm-hmm, but I get a chance to relive it on the stage
04:19And emotionally go through that. Yeah. Yeah, what song when you perform it still gives you that emotional rush
04:27Let it burn
04:28confessions
04:31Climax. Yeah. Yeah, those songs really really take me on a journey. Is it ever hard for you to like get through them?
04:39Because you put yourself in that mindset or you just totally focus on the fans and you know
04:43Putting your giving your best foot forward during a performance
04:47The hardest part honestly is the curated setlist you have to think about history
04:52You have to think about kind of the flow and energy of where people are
04:56Emotionally and what they're watching and what they should feel
04:59And also to there's this hero's journey that I was very mindful of when creating
05:05That residency show. Yeah
05:09Yeah, it was it was a bit it was a very very hard set list to create
05:15Catalogs and catalogs to pick from but thank God that I have tons of music to pick
05:20But you saying that it was interesting because you said one of the
05:23Narratives that you said you felt like an outcast at times that you felt alone that you felt like you had to maintain this certain
05:29Status, is it hard sometimes to be usher?
05:33the consistency
05:34that comes with
05:36Being a performer who has to dance and sing. I still have a six-pack at 45 years old. Yeah, there's a little bit of
05:44Mindfulness there, but thank God that I have fans that I go work hard for every night
05:50You know, I'm now on my past present future tour. Yeah, it's keeping me in shape
05:54but
05:55Yeah, it is. Yeah, I'm mindful of it. I don't let it get me
06:01To the point where I'm comparing. Sure. I'm just thinking of it as
06:05You know, maybe there's somebody out there who is inspired by what I'm going through. Maybe there's somebody who
06:12Needs to hear this song and feel this emotion right now and let them know that they're not alone
06:17Yeah, I think you said in an interview
06:19Maybe not too long ago that there was a time that maybe you wanted to take a step back from music
06:23Was there a time where it wasn't as fun for you anymore?
06:26Or did you ever feel the pressure to be at the top of this game that you've been on for so long?
06:31I think the statement came as a result of the fact that I spend so much time
06:37Thinking about the next step sure and not allowing myself to savor
06:42The hard work that I've put in and being able to step back and say I want to be inspired again
06:48Yeah, I want to feel
06:51Excited about this again. I was able to do that by
06:55Going to Las Vegas and feeling that love but feeling as though I could be creative in a way that made people
07:03experience me in a way that they've never experienced me before which is why I was so adamant about filming it and
07:10The other side is why I want people all over the world to feel it. Mm-hmm, you know
07:15September the 12th to the 15th
07:17I hopefully get your undivided attention and you can put your phones down and you can really experience a live experience
07:26With me. Yeah, because you can't really but you shouldn't have your phone up when you're looking at the screen should really be there
07:31It's true be present with me. We talked about the most emotional part to perform on this show. What's your favorite part?
07:38What's that part that you look forward to every single night? I think the serenade moment is really yeah
07:44One of the incredible moments in my shows
07:48It has a permanent feature
07:51Since Las Vegas, I haven't put it down
07:54But it expands and we try different things because then that's what makes it unique. Yes, because
07:58Every time I do it, there's a different very unique experience that happens in that room, right? You never know what to expect
08:04Yeah, I love the different elements of everything. There's so there's sexiness
08:08There's seductiveness and you you play around with different songs and different melodies. I love the creep a little interlude as well
08:15Why was that fun for you to put in with rendezvous? I was able to
08:20show
08:22The musical inspirations behind some of these songs and kind of mix in things. Yeah, rather you hear it or not
08:29Yeah, you're good listener. Yeah
08:31Is there some people who may not necessarily have understood the value of that moment
08:36Yeah, and the value of what's being said within the song, but if you look deeper, oh, wow
08:42It's there because of this
08:44so that's the nuance that comes with being a fan of my music and a fan of
08:49That genre in that time of music. So there's all these little like Easter eggs
08:54Maybe you sprinkle throughout the film that just your fans will really understand as Easter eggs throughout this entire movie. Mm-hmm
09:01the cinematic references, you know, I don't know if you understand how much of a fan I am of
09:08Gene Kelly. Mm-hmm and the fact that you know when I skate and I sing it's because of seeing him do it. Mm-hmm
09:15seeing
09:16American in Paris. Yeah, and the idea of
09:20This storytelling and this, you know this American in Paris having this incredible experience
09:27What are your kids think about it do they have they screened the the movie, you know, my kids are you know, they're different
09:36You know, they they may really enjoy something and may not tell me okay because sometimes I'm you know
09:43I'm just dad to them. Sure
09:44Yeah, so they tend to be a little bit more critical at times and don't give me their notes as opposed to just enjoying
09:51The show yeah a lot of people
09:53Can't say that their dad performed at the Super Bowl and has a concert movie in theaters. That's pretty impressive
10:00Looking back at the Super Bowl
10:01Was it everything that you wished for and more did everything go exactly as planned because I mean for me it was flawless
10:07But for you, what did everything go exactly as planned for you?
10:11the flaws within my shows
10:14Become the moments sure. Yeah, and that's how you have to look at it as a performer
10:21Um, there are no mistakes. Yeah, you know if I look back at it
10:25I'm
10:26celebrating the history of 30 years and
10:30The simple fact that that many people tuned in and made history with me. Mm-hmm. It made me feel good
10:38It made me feel appreciated. It made me feel
10:41Seen and recognized for the work and the offering that I put
10:45into every bit of the blood sweat and tears that I put into my
10:50Creative you've checked off so many boxes in your career. What is left to check off for you? I could win an Oscar
10:57Do you want to delve more into acting? Who knows? Yeah
11:01You know, there's many ways, you know, there's
11:03Documentaries that have won Oscars. There's live performances that have won Oscars. Who knows? Yeah
11:09Musical scoring. Mm-hmm, you know so many different things in musical
11:15Categories that may potentially play. Yes. I would love to find a script
11:20and also to I've worked so hard on the character that is usher to be able to tear him apart and
11:27recreate
11:29a different nuance to how I create
11:33It is it's gonna be a task to do it. Yeah, but in the same way that you know, incredible comedians and
11:41Singers like Jamie Foxx has been able to do. Mm-hmm. He's a hero of mine. Yeah
11:47But I'd love to be able to someday say that I
11:52Yeah
11:54Do you feel like that's why
11:56you have such staying power to is that you are able to kind of break yourself down and kind of put yourself back together and
12:02Morph into the next person that you want to become if that makes cut if that makes sense
12:06No, I think I'll try to answer it. Um, I
12:10Think in life you have to have some consistency in order to be great at anything
12:14You have to have a model focus. Mm-hmm on what that is
12:18Yeah
12:19But you also to have to understand the matter of pivoting and pivoting isn't necessarily always about
12:26Disconnecting from what you're passionate about it's about rising to a different level
12:30It's about maybe letting go of some of the things that may be holding you back so that you can go forward
12:37facing your fears and
12:40Allowing yourself the space
12:42Yeah to be better and married life is beautiful, oh my god amazing