It's been a relatively eventful February for the artist born Usher Raymond IV. Having just recently concluded his My Way residency in Las Vegas, Usher spent much of last week getting married, releasing his ninth studio album, and performing at the most-watched television broadcast in history. But for the past (checks calendar) two days, he had been worryingly quiet. Fret not, as Feb. 14 saw the pop star return to the news once again, with the announcement that he's developing a TV series inspired by his music.
As first reported by Variety, Usher is currently developing a drama series with the Universal Studios division UCP, which the producers say will focus on: “Black love in Atlanta and individuals looking to find a place to call home. The series will explore music, style, sex, romance and secrets that threaten to tear relationships apart.”
Usher wrapped up a busy week by announcing the development of a TV drama series.
Usher added in a statement: “My 30-year catalog has resonated with so many people no matter where they were in their lives. I’m happy to be working with UCP to bring the music to life. I hope the series resonates with you the way my music continues to.”
Usher's ninth album, Coming Home, has received largely laudatory reviews since its release last Friday, and it appears to be on track to earn the singer his fourth No. 1 album. Should he achieve that, it will likely be due in no small part to his headlining set at the Super Bowl Halftime Show last weekend, which surpassed the 1969 moon landing in TV viewership numbers. Joined at various points by the likes of Alicia Keys, H.E.R., Jermaine Dupri and Will.I.Am, Usher's set closed with a notably Atlanta-centric finale when he was flanked by Ludacris and Lil Jon for a run through 2004's inescapable smash "Yeah."
Usher is planning a summer tour following the end of his Las Vegas residency.
Q summed up Usher's Super Bowl appearance thusly: "Preceded by an onscreen warning that the performance was 'Rated U' ('may cause singing, dancing, sweating, gyrating, possible relationship issues') and a solemn vow that viewers should 'get ready to witness a performance 30 years in the making,' Usher delivered exactly the sort of show that his fans would’ve wanted from him, including a giant medley filled with more than a dozen of his classic hits."
Considering the checkered history of this particular gig, Usher's Super Bowl show has attracted refreshingly little controversy in the days since, though some sharp-eared observers did notice that a fleeting bum note from Keys' appearance has subsequently been massaged in clips and rebroadcasts.
For anyone distressed by the paucity of Usher content at the Super Bowl, he was also in a commercial that aired during the game.
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It's unclear if Usher will appear in the new TV series, though he has periodically dabbled in acting, most notably playing boxer Sugar Ray Leonard in the 2016 film Hands of Stone. (Those of a certain age will not need to be reminded of his role on the Brandy-starring sitcom Moesha, which remains something of a microgenerational touchstone.)
Boasting 18 Billboard Top 10 singles beginning all the way back in 1997, the singer's music career spans everything from the new jack swing era of '90s R&B through to the electronic dance music crossovers of the 2010s, with his commercial peak arriving in 2004, when he notched four consecutive No. 1 hits. Though his Vegas residency has recently wrapped, he has a nationwide tour scheduled to kick off next summer.
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