Usher is revealing why he wouldn’t be down for a ‘Verzuz’ battle.
via People:
During an appearance on the People Every Day podcast to discuss his Las Vegas residency thus far, the “My Boo” singer opened up about living in Sin City, how he indulges and revealed why he doesn’t want to do a Verzuz battle.
“I think if you ever came to my show, you would understand that I don’t even think a Verzuz could handle all of the songs that I have to be honest,” Usher, 43, told host Janine Rubenstein. “It’s like, I could do it by myself. But I don’t wanna do that. That’s not the purpose of Verzuz, me versus me.”
He continued, “But I think it’s great. It’s great to celebrate music. But the appreciation of it starts with understanding what it is and how long has it taken to do this legacy. And if you choose to compare it, what are you comparing to? Are you comparing it to itself?”
The Verzuz series was created by Timbaland and Swizz Beatz during the pandemic as a virtual DJ battle. It consists of up to 20 rounds of what would be a musician’s hit songs, going head to head against other musicians’ tunes. But for Usher, when it comes to his music, there’s no comparison.
“I’m a different animal, man. I’m cut from a way different cloth man. And when you put those songs on, I’m telling you, I don’t think anybody in the world would want smoke with them songs.”
There are currently two seasons of Verzuz out, with 43 episodes total. So far, the series has featured battles between Alicia Keys and John Legend, DMX and Snoop Dogg, Ashanti and Keyshia Cole, Bow Wow and Soulja Boy, with many more.
The “OMG” singer announced he would be extending his Las Vegas residency at Park MGM earlier this week. He added 25 new dates, slated to kick off on March 3, 2023 and run through July 15, 2023. In honor of the announcement, the singer opened up about why he decided to extend it and what he loves most about Las Vegas living.
“Having an audience come to you is always great. I love the fact that I’ve been able to really celebrate all of the years of my music and see a very mixed, eclectic crowd of people. But I think more than anything, the fact that it fits my lifestyle,” he said.
He added, “I’ve been able to still focus on the things that I love, that are creative, that are kind of ancillary to what I do in music. Whether it’s in film or rather in production or working with other artists and still have family time, but yet still do what I love, which is performing.
The star has also managed to fully immerse himself in the city during his time there.
“I’m doing everything in Vegas. Unfortunately I must say that it does accommodate all of the lifestyle of who I am and what I enjoy. It’s sitting at the crap table or playing a little blackjack, going out to the club a little bit, but I still have the ability to do all the other things that I love as well. [Like] eating some good food.”
“It’s hot as hell out here, that’s the one thing that I’ve had to get used to, it’s extremely dry,” he adds. “But I do, I do indulge and have fun in Sin City. OK. Not too much. Because I still have the obligation of making sure that I show up and enjoy myself on stage.”
We actually agree with Usher.
