Usher Delivers Career-Spanning Performance At 2021 iHeartRadio Music Awards
By Peyton Blakemore
May 28, 2021
Usher put his hosting duties on hold at the 2021 iHeartRadio Music Awards on Thursday (May 27) to deliver an unforgettable performance of a few of his greatest hits.
For his career-spanning set, the legendary artist ditched Club Ush — the side stage where he'd been hosting for most of the night — to take center stage at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles.
Usher kicked things off with a harp-backed performance before transporting to the desert where he was surrounded by silver-painted dancers. For the outdoor portion of his set, Usher, of course, delivered a number of his famous dance moves while performing multiple fan-favorites including "Love In This Club," "U Don't Have To Call," and "Dj's Got Us Falling In Love Again."
Without skipping a beat, the multi-talented singer then returned to the Dolby Theatre, but this time he was joined by Lil Jon, who pulled up in a 1972 Impala to perform their smash hit “Yeah.”
After making it rain, Lil Jon ended the set with a short performance of "Get Low."
Before hitting the iHeartRadio Music Awards stage, Usher spoke about what it felt like to perform for the first time since the beginning of the pandemic.
"The beauty of entertainment is not just the creation, it's also the response," he told Z100's Maxwell. "And the response from the fans tonight being able to make sure that these artists know that they're appreciated it with these awards, but more than that, to be able to perform for a live audience, here in Los Angeles, really for the first time for a lot of us, [is amazing]."
Usher added, "For me, I was blown away by the sound — I was like, 'wait a minute, that's foreign.' I forgot what that felt like. It's beautiful to be here. I feel happy and blessed."
Photos: Wes and Alex for iHeartRadio