CHINA: R'n'B superstar Usher pleases crowds at his first Chinese concert in Beijing

Record ID: 203909

  • Title: CHINA: R'n'B superstar Usher pleases crowds at his first Chinese concert in Beijing
  • Date: 12th July 2010
  • Summary: BEIJING, CHINA (JULY 11, 2010) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF USHER DANCING AND SINGING 'U MAKE ME WANNA' AUDIENCE VARIOUS OF USHER DANCING AND SINGING 'U REMIND ME' BEIJING, CHINA (JULY 11, 2010) (REUTERS) PEOPLE DANCING IN NIGHTCLUB
  • Embargoed: 27th July 2010 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: China
  • Country: China
  • Topics: Arts / Culture / Entertainment / Showbiz
  • Reuters ID: LVA9D3IH60PO2HT5MCRGF6EC6516
  • Story Text: Chinese fans go wild for Usher's music and sex appeal at the R'n'B superstar's first concert in the increasingly liberal country.
    Multi-million record selling singer Usher drew crowds with his danceable R'n'B and good looks at his first mainland Chinese concert on Sunday (July 11).
    Fans like 18-year-old student, Cholgor, poured into the Beijing's Wukesong stadium hoping for a good night.
    "The first lines in 'Yeah' are like 'dada da da', you could say it's his biggest hit. It's really dynamic. And amongst black men, Usher himself, and his body, are all really hot," she said.
    The five-time Grammy Award winner, who was born Usher Raymond IV, is currently touring Asia to promote his new album 'Raymond v. Raymond'.
    For his first concert in mainland China, he was eager to please the crowd.
    "This is my first time in Beijing and I am so happy to be here with you tonight," he said, before adding in Mandarin Chinese: "I love you."
    Mandarin pop megastar Wang Leehom, a special guest at the concert, had taught him the phrase.
    Usher had invited the singer-songwriter as a treat for his Chinese fans, as well as a stand-in for will.i.am's rapping part in his current hit 'Oh My Gosh'.
    In return, Usher also performed Wang Leehom's song 'The One' in Mandarin.
    Despite a warm welcome by his Asian fans, Usher said he has been bewildered by the way they express their enthusiasm, and was hoping for more crowd participation.
    "You know, I want you to have crowd participation. Which is very odd, in my Asian markets, because a lot of times they don't like to sing out of respect. But I don't mind. I love for my audience to sing along with me. That's the part that makes me really enjoy. And I hope it's, it makes them enjoy the show as well," he said.
    When he sang about having to choose between girlfriend and best female friend in hit 'U Make Me Wanna', the audience couldn't tell him whether he should 'tell my baby bye bye' or 'do exactly how I feel inside'.
    The venue insisted that audience members remain seated for the entire duration of the concert, and whenever someone jumped up in excitement, they would be duly reminded by a security guard to sit down again.
    The artist, fond of showing off his abdominal muscles, kept his t-shirt on for the relatively conservative audience, though the performance was not totally free from sexual suggestion.
    R'n'B and hip-hop enjoy a growing following in China, but American and European artists are still eclipsed by singers from Hong Kong, Taiwan and the Chinese mainland.
    Nonetheless, as Chinese society becomes more liberal, many of the younger generation are listening and dancing to racier, western music that would make their parents scowl.
    At a pre-concert event, party-goers like 23-year-old receptionist Wang Ying were enjoying a catalogue of Usher hits.
    "Every part of my body will unconsciously and automatically start moving, and I just totally revel in it, totally enjoy it. And when I hear his music, I'll just go like this. It's totally unconscious. I'm in the zone."
    In the limelight since eleven years old, Usher, now 31, made his name as a smooth-voiced, body-popping, moonwalking ladies man.
    He has had success with ballads and dance floor anthems including 'Caught Up' in 2004, 'U Make Me Wanna' in 1997 and 'U Remind Me' in 2001, and has sold more than 35 million records worldwide.
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