Today, American Express, in partnership with VEVO and YouTube, announced
that seven-time Grammy® award-winning and multi-platinum recording
artist Usher and director Hamish Hamilton have been selected to create
this art-in-motion experience for its popular livestream music series,
“American Express Unstaged.” Usher’s exclusive performance will be
livestreamed from the Hammersmith Apollo in London, at 4:00 PM ET
/ 1:00 PM PT on Monday, June 11 at www.youtube.com/UsherVEVO.
Fans can also watch the live event on VEVO's
free mobile apps for iPhone, iPad, Android, and the YouTube mobile
website. The stream is also available for the first time ever on VEVO’s
Xbox Live app. The global event will coincide with, and celebrate, the
debut of Usher’s highly anticipated album, LOOKING 4 MYSELF (RCA
Records), set for release June 11th in the UK and June 12th
in the U.S.
Comments Usher, “I am excited to introduce my new album LOOKING
4 MYSELF with a worldwide performance in such an
innovative way. It’s very exciting to interact with my fans from a
global stage through American Express Unstaged’s live stream. Using the
cutting-edge ‘take the stage’ technology will allow my fans to join me
virtually via their dancing avatars on stage at London’s renowned
Hammersmith Apollo Theatre. Be there on June 11th.”
Renowned for his innovative directing style and technical skill in
capturing live events, along with possessing an innate artistry in
filming music and movement, Hamish Hamilton, Grammy and BAFTA
award-nominated director of the 2011 and 2012 Bridgestone Super Bowl
XLVI Halftime Show, 2011 MTV Video Music Awards and the 82nd Academy
Awards® telecast, was hand-selected by Usher and American
Express to flawlessly capture this unique, high-energy performance for
fans watching across the globe, via online music leaders VEVO and
YouTube. Usher and Hamish Hamilton have had a long-standing creative
bond, having worked together on several live performances, creating
historic cinematic moments that fans love and anticipate from Usher.
“I’m really excited about partnering with Usher – he is an exhilarating
performer. I’m going to transport every viewer to Hammersmith in my home
town of London to enjoy Usher in the most visceral way possible,” said
filmmaker Hamish Hamilton. “Helping to elevate his killer performance,
artistic flair, and his new sounds out to the global masses for the
‘American Express Unstaged’ livestream experience will be fun.”
Innovative Digital Experiences
American Express, in partnership with VEVO and YouTube, will continue to
provide revolutionary access to Usher fans and music enthusiasts
worldwide through several innovative digital features and one-of-a-kind
content that further blur the line between an at-home and in-concert
“Unstaged” experience.
For the first time in “American Express Unstaged” history, American
Express will unveil a new total viewing experience as the performance
stage itself will transform into an interactive conduit between the
global audience, Usher and Hamish Hamilton. A new in-venue stage
display, complete with state-of-the-art LCD screens and revolutionary
technology, will deliver an interactive digital canvas showcasing the
unique in-stream collaboration and enhanced access that music
enthusiasts have come to love and expect from an “American Express
Unstaged” production. During key moments of Usher’s high-flying
performance, the stage will digitally come to life and reflect the
tremendous energy and self-expression of fans worldwide as they come
together to virtually impact the show.
Pre-Show
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“Take the Stage”: For the first time ever, fans
worldwide can virtually take the stage with Usher during his “American
Express Unstaged” performance. Beginning tomorrow, fans can visit www.amexunstaged.com/usher
to create a customized digital dancer featuring some of Usher’s best
choreographed dance moves. A selection of fan-submitted dancers will
“Take The Stage” with Usher in a two-way live and digital montage,
during the performance of his hit single “Scream.”
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“Press Pass Challenge”: Fans can submit questions to
Usher at http://americanexpressentertainment.com
where members of the American Express Entertainment community will
vote on their favorite, with the winning question ultimately answered
by Usher. The lucky fan who submits the winning question will receive
two tickets and backstage passes to an upcoming Usher performance. See Official
Rules for details.
In-Concert
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“Word to Usher”: During the performance, select fan
tweets containing #AmexUNSTAGED will be chosen to appear in an
interactive visual installation that is reactive to Usher’s dance
movements on the stage display.
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Xbox Live Integration: For the first time ever, Usher’s
performance will be livestreamed on Xbox Live for fans around the
world, via the VEVO application.
Post-Show
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Rebroadcast: Following the live performance, Usher’s
“American Express Unstaged” performance will be rebroadcast for 12
hours at www.youtube.com/UsherVEVO.
Following the rebroadcast, fans can watch clips of the concert on
YouTube, Twitter, and XBOX Live, via the VEVO application.
Exclusive Specials for Cardmembers
American Express created the “American Express Unstaged” music series as
a means for delivering premium music experiences to fans everywhere. For
Usher’s June 11th performance, Cardmembers can take advantage
of a variety of exclusive offers and experiences:
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Free Music Downloads: Beginning today, and for a limited
time only, Cardmembers can download a free copy of Usher’s hit single
“Scream” by visiting iTunes at http://amexunstaged.americanexpress.com/usher/itunes/.
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Valuable Purchase Offers: Fans who register for Serve® from
American Express will receive a $25 statement credit when they spend
$25 or more on their first purchase. Serve is a digital prepaid
account that's loaded with features and benefits. Use the prepaid card
everywhere American Express Cards are accepted in the U.S. And use it
to send and receive money online, mobile, and on Facebook. Get the app
for your iPhone®, Android™, or Windows®
Phone.
-
Sync and Save: Music-loving Cardmembers who sync their
eligible American Express Card with their Facebook, Twitter or
Foursquare accounts at Sync.AmericanExpress.com can unlock savings and
experiences to fuel their passion for film and entertainment. Special
offers will be announced during Usher’s livestream performance.
Usher’s “American Express Unstaged” performance will be the ninth
installment of the innovative digital livestream series created by
American Express, in partnership with VEVO and YouTube. Tickets for the
June 11th performance at the Hammersmith Apollo in London are
now available for American Express Cardmembers during an exclusive
presale window at http://www.ticketmaster.co.uk/.
Tickets for the general public will be available beginning June 1st,
at 9:00 AM CET at http://www.ticketmaster.co.uk/.
For more information about American Express and music, please visit http://www.americanexpress.com/entertainment.
About Usher and his Upcoming Album LOOKING 4
MYSELF
On his seventh studio album, LOOKING 4 MYSELF,
seven-time Grammy winner Usher takes some bold steps into unexpected
musical territory. Assuming the most active role of his career as a
songwriter, and working with a wide range of producers and
collaborators—including Diplo, Swedish House Mafia, Max Martin, Will I.
Am, and Luke Steele of Empire of the Sun— Usher is one of the
best-selling musical artists in history, with over 43 million albums
sold worldwide, and has blended electro dance beats with his signature,
era-defining R&B, pop, and hip-hop sounds to create a style that goes
beyond genre. The lead single from LOOKING 4
MYSELF "Climax," is Usher’s 12th #1
single, extending Usher's lead for the most No. 1s on R&B/Hip-Hop Songs
during the Nielsen Music era (since December 1992) according to
Billboard Magazine. His recently released new single “Scream” was #1
Most Added at Rhythm & Top 40 Radio first week out and his just released
third single “Lemme See” featuring Rick Ross which was #1 most added at
the Urban radio format upon debut. Challenging himself creatively and
testing musical boundaries are characteristics that have defined Usher's
career since he was first discovered an unbelievable twenty years ago on
Star Search. Usher has been ranked by the RIAA as one of the
best-selling artists in American music history, having sold over 43
million albums worldwide. He has won numerous awards including seven
Grammy Awards and was recently named the number one Hot 100 artist of
the 2000s decade. Billboard named him the second most successful artist
of the 2000s decade, with his career-propelling 2004 album Confessions
being ranked as the top solo album of the 2000s decade. Usher has
attained nine Hot 100 number-one hits (all as a lead artist) and has
attained seventeen Hot 100 top-ten singles. www.usherworld.com.
About “American Express Unstaged”
Usher’s June 11th performance represents the ninth
installment within the innovative music series “American Express
Unstaged,” which launched in the summer of 2010 in partnership with VEVO
and YouTube. Bringing the in-concert and at-home viewing experiences to
new heights, “American Express Unstaged” showcases some of the music
industry’s most breakthrough artists playing at landmark venues across
the country, while tapping some of today’s most influential filmmakers
to direct the live-streams and using digital and social media to connect
the online audience to the live shows in unexpected ways.
About American Express
American Express is a global services company, providing customers with
access to products, insights and experiences that enrich lives and build
business success. Learn more at americanexpress.com
and connect with us on facebook.com/americanexpress,
foursquare.com/americanexpress,
linkedin.com/companies/american-express,
twitter.com/americanexpress,
and youtube.com/americanexpress.
About VEVO
VEVO
is the world’s leading all-premium music video and entertainment
platform with offices in New York, London, Los Angeles, Chicago, Detroit
and San Francisco. VEVO is available in the United States, Canada,
United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand through VEVO.com,
Mobile
and Tablet Apps (iPhone, iPad, Android, Windows Phone 7, BlackBerry
Playbook), Connected
Television (Xbox, Boxee) and user embeddable video players. VEVO
powers music videos on artist pages across Facebook, as well as
syndicates to dozens of online sites, including AOL, BET, CBS
Interactive Music Group (including Last.fm and MP3.com), Fuse.tv,
Univision, Viacom Media Networks and Yahoo! Music. Additionally, through
a special partnership with YouTube, VEVO is accessible in over 200
countries, expanding the platform’s reach around the globe.
About YouTube
YouTube is the world's most popular online video community allowing
millions of people to discover, watch and share originally-created
videos. Our mission is for YOU to discover and shape the world through
video. YouTube provides a forum for people to connect, inform and
inspire others across the globe and acts as a distribution platform for
original content creators and advertisers large and small. YouTube, LLC
is based in San Bruno, CA and is a subsidiary of Google Inc.
