Usher has become a fan of BLACKPINK, praising the girl group’s live show in a recent interview.
The R&B star recently sat down for an interview with GQ Magazine, during which he talked about seeing BLACKPINK – comprising Rosé, Jennie, Jisoo and Lisa – live in Atlanta last November with two of his sons. Usher told the publication: “I literally went to a BLACKPINK concert in Atlanta, and I was like, man! I’m goofy! I’m looking like, ‘Wow, this is amazing.’ ” The magazine also pointed out that he “took notes in his head” while watching the show.
“They were putting on a show. Wardrobe, great sequencing, with the lighting and everything working in sync – there’s no detail spared. I loved that,” the singer recalled. Usher also said experiencing BLACKPINK’s concert inspired a similar standard of excellence for his own live shows, particularly his ‘My Way’ residency at the Dolby Live at the Park MGM located in Las Vegas, which will run through to July.
“I really wanted to give women something to look forward to, something to come here to Las Vegas with their friends for,” he shared, saying he intended for his concert to be catered to the female gaze. “They’ve been saving up all year and were able to manage to get away from their kids or get away from their problems,” Usher concluded.
BLACKPINK are still in the midst of their ‘Born Pink’ world tour, which is billed as the largest of its kind for a girl group in K-pop history and saw them wrap up a total of 14 North American and 10 European shows last year.
“No expense has been spared on the VCRs, from the opening ‘enchanted garden’ to later sci-fi-themed clips that could be scenes in the quartet’s own space-age movie,” NME reviewer Rhian Daly wrote of the show’s extravagant production at the tour kickoff in Seoul last October. “The constant explosion of fireworks and confetti cannons add peaks of drama and excitement to an already thrilling night, while the live instrumentation makes sure the songs hit just as hard as the visuals.”
After kicking off the Asian leg of their tour last month, BLACKPINK are due to head over to Malaysia, Indonesia, Taiwan and the Philippines in March. BLACKPINK are also slated to perform as headliners at this year’s Coachella in April.
In the meantime, member Jisoo is currently gearing up for her solo debut, with YG Entertainment recently confirming that the singer is filming a music video abroad. This news came about a month after both Jisoo and the label confirmed plans for her debut as a soloist sometime this year.
