Usher has met his match.
After serenading Keke Palmer in an interaction that went viral and allegedly sparked an argument in her since-ended relationship, Usher recently did the same to Janelle Monáe at a concert in Las Vegas. This time, however, it was him who was blushing during the performance.
Alongside a series of videos shared by Monáe, 37, on Instagram, she wrote, “we bl(ush)ed in vegas💋 🖤 thank you @usher🖤1 of 1. incredible show."
In the clips, Monáe was seen lying back on a railing as Usher serenaded her with "Superstar." They later danced and shared intense eye contact. "I promise you, that was a moment to remember," Usher, 45, told her in one of the clips. It wasn't just one song he performed, either. He also sang his track "There Goes My Baby" at one point as they took a sip of Champagne together.
Usher famously serenades some of the luckier women in the audience of his shows, but it caused something of a furor when he sang to Keke Palmer earlier this year. It led to an outburst from Darius Jackson, the father of her baby. They've since split and she filed a restraining order against him earlier this month.
In an interview in August, Usher suggested that the reaction from Jackson was overblown and it was all about having fun. "Every night, I'm thinking about how the world now is going to react to this moment that I'll have with whoever I'm choosing to sing to," he shared. "But it was a pop moment, and it was fun to have at least conversation going, and we just keep it light. I don't see anything negative happening in Las Vegas."
Despite Usher's great chemistry with Monáe, he shared just how much his girlfriend Jennifer Goicoechea means to him in an interview with People this month. "I have an amazing partner, a support system," he said of Goicoechea, with whom he shares two children. "We have an amazing dynamic between our relationship where I'm able to be passionate still about what I do and have an incredible partner to work through some of the harder times as a young man dealing with children and dealing with the dynamic of how you communicate with them."
Usher is set to perform at the Super Bowl LVIII Halftime Show on Feb. 11 at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas. “It’s an honor of a lifetime to finally check a Super Bowl performance off my bucket list. I can’t wait to bring the world a show unlike anything else they’ve seen from me before,” Usher said. "Thank you to the fans and everyone who made this opportunity happen. I’ll see you real soon.”
