On Saturday night, Usher took the stage at the iTunes Festival in London, where he performed a number of his tracks, old and new. In an interview with Capital FM the next day, he explained why he decided to perform one of his latest hits, “Without You.”
Usher said Sunday that particular track was meant to be a “thank you” to his fans, who have stood by him this summer in the midst of a trying personal time when his 11-year-old stepson died after a jet-ski accident.
“I appreciate each and every one of those [messages of support], which is why I performed ‘Without You’ to my fans last night,”
“It was intended to be a very intimate moment, just to say thank you for all of their support. You know, my fans are just loyal,” he added. “They’ve been there with me through the hardest times; they’ve been there with me through my greater times.”
A funeral was held for Kile Glover in late July, shortly after he was taken off life support following the accident. He was the son of Usher’s ex-wife, Tameka Foster, from a previous relationship. The couple have two sons of their own together, Usher Raymond V and Naviyd Ely Raymond, and late last month, after a lengthy and sometimes nasty custody dispute,Usher was awarded full custody.
On Thursday, September 6, Usher will see if he can walk away with a Moonman at the 2012 MTV Video Music Awards. He is up for Best Male Video for his sultry clip for “Climax.” Usher faces off against his protégé Justin Bieber (“Boyfriend”), Frank Ocean (“Swim Good”), Drake (featuring Rihanna, “Take Care”) and Chris Brown (Turn Up the Music”).
