Usher turns the drama surrounding Keke's appearance at his 'Usher: My Way Las Vegas' residency show into a collaboration!
Talk about turning lemons into lemonade! Keke Palmer and Usher are turning the drama between her and her boyfriend, Darius Jackson, after her appearance at the Usher: My Way Las Vegas residency show into a hit music video!
The duo dropped the music video for Usher's brand new single, aptly titled "Boyfriend," on Wednesday. Although Palmer doesn't lend her voice to the single, she plays a prominent role in the music video.
The video follows the 29-year-old entertainer as she and two friends get ready for a night out in Las Vegas, from doing their hair and makeup to selecting their gorgeous outfits before strutting their way to their destination, posing for pics in the hallway. Palmer's journey is in tandem with Usher's, who is getting ready for another night on stage.
Of course, when Palmer and her girls get in the elevator, the new mom can't resist singing along to Usher's "U Remind Me" playing on the speakers. The video even features a dance break with Palmer and Usher dressed in matching white tees and jeans with a brown leather jacket.
In the end, Palmer is awoken from her sleep by her phone ringing, realizing it was all a dream and she missed the show. "I’m so tired... I am a mother, after all," she says, winking into the camera.
The very last scene sees Palmer laughing as she flashes a glimpse of her phone, showing Usher on the screen via video call. "I was not expecting you to call me!" she cries as she falls back onto the bed.
Palmer took to social media after the video dropped on Wednesday to share a message for Usher, who she has been a vocal fan of since she was young.
"Usher! I remember when I was 12 and auditioned for 'In The Mix' 🤣 You have been killing it all my life. As a true lover of the arts, your talent and craftsmanship are a rare combination that I aspire to achieve as a performer. You are a living legend who is worthy of awe! Thank you for encouraging me and seeing me as the entertainer I am," she wrote. "I know I'm a gUrL but when I watched your videos, I never wanted to be the girl in them, I wanted to be YOU. Thank you for making a dream come true."
Fans first learned of the single when Usher teased its drop on Tuesday. The "My Way" singer took to social media to share a brief clip of the music video, captioning the teaser, "When fantasies become reality...'Boyfriend' Out Tomorrow."
Palmer shared the same snippet but didn't write anything other than the release date.
The collaboration is the genius result after the 44-year-old performer made headlines in July when Palmer attended his show in a sheer dress with a bodysuit underneath. Usher invited Palmer onstage, where he serenaded her while singing his hit, "There Goes My Baby."
When outlets began circulating videos of Usher singing Palmer, Jackson shamed her for the sheer outfit she rocked at the concert, writing, "It's the outfit tho.. you a mom."
The Emmy nominee and Jackson, who met in 2021, welcomed their son, Leodis, in February.
Jackson elaborated on his stance in a second tweet at the time, writing, "We live in a generation where a man of the family doesn’t want the wife & mother to his kids to showcase booty cheeks to please others & he gets told how much of a hater he is. This is my family & my representation. I have standards & morals to what I believe. I rest my case."
The comment sparked controversy online, with fans taking sides. Palmer has never directly addressed Jackson's backlash, but the co-parents did seem to unfollow one another on social media and Jackson appeared to delete all photos with Palmer. The current status of their romance is unknown.
Shortly after the incident, Palmer spoke out for the first time, by sharing a video of her singing a rendition of Stevie Wonder's "Isn't She Lovely" to her baby boy.
"One thing is certain and one thing is true, IM A MOTHA, through and through!" Palmer captioned the post, before revealing that she's now selling shirts that read "IM A MOTHA" and "Stevie to the bulls**t."
"To all my mom’s out there, how did your baby change you??" Palmer questioned. "Mine empowered me! On such another level, my perspective changed because when my baby is good I'm GREAT! Look at that face! Gratitude galore."
Palmer also posted a TikTok that showed her dancing to a clip of her during an interview, saying, "You ain't stopping what's going on with me, sweetheart. So, if you about to act up, I'm 'bout to link up."
Usher recently claimed that he was jokingly labeled a "domestic terrorist" online following the incident.
"I think everybody's vision or a version of what they felt happened there just leads you back to just really having a good time in Las Vegas," Usher told People. "And that's what I hope came out of it. Rather, it was a conversation of what was going on with us having fun in front of the audience or conversation about that song."
Usher regularly pulls celebrity guests onstage for the special moment, and said that he often thinks about how the public will react.
"Every night I'm thinking about how the world now is going to react to this moment that I'll have with whoever I'm choosing to sing to," he shared. "But it was a pop moment, and it was fun to have at least conversation going and we just keep it light. I don't see anything negative happening in Las Vegas."
And of his "domestic terrorist" label, Usher quipped, "The internet is crazy. You can't beat the internet."
Apparently, the internet can be thanked for sparking such a conversation that Usher turned into a catchy single!
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