Clark Atlanta University (CAU) students got a Valentine’s Day surprise as R&B superstar Usher entered the Bishop Cornelis Henderson Student Center Wednesday afternoon.
“I knew there was a surprise, but I didn’t know that Usher was the surprise,” said Asia, a Biology major and native of Houston, Texas.
Fresh off his Super Bowl halftime performance, Usher visited CAU, where he received accolades and proclamations from state and local politicians and celebrated his Usher’s New Look Foundation’s 25th anniversary during a “Coming Home” rally.
Amazon Music and the Historically Black University and College (HBCU) hosted the event with the same name as his new album “Coming Home.” The album is his ninth for the Atlanta native. It has been six years since Usher’s last album.
The album cover, which shows a closeup of the back of the singer/songwriter’s head as he lays a peach on his right shoulder, was released days before his spectacular Super Bowl LVIII halftime performance.
This year is also the 25th anniversary of Usher’s New Look Foundation, which gives high school students mentorship opportunities and leadership education to help them graduate from school or college.
To celebrate the occasion, Amazon Photos donated $25,000 to the foundation to help continue their endeavor.
“This collaboration between Amazon, Usher’s New Look, and CAU signifies a collective effort to tackle the challenges that prevent teens from reaching their educational goals and to create a brighter future for the next generation,” said Clark Atlanta University President Dr. George French.
The foundation’s first new look camp was hosted at CAU in 1999. Today, it has served over 50,000 youth to help them get accepted and enrolled in college, most of them being one of the first in their families to do so.
“In my mind, I always thought about curating and building and never thought about being the king to take somebody else out,” Usher said. “I only thought about how can I continue to build things that will be infrastructure in people’s minds so that they can believe in themselves just as much to do the same thing – if not more – than what I’ve done as a Black man in America.”
Asia told The Atlanta Voice that having the two-time Grammy winner on school grounds was exciting, especially after his Super Bowl halftime performance.
“It’s surreal that somebody who we grew up listening to – who we just watched on TV – and now he was sitting on our campus stage. It’s amazing and a blessing in itself,” Asia said.
During the rally, Usher received several recognitions, including an “Usher Bowl” award similar to the NFL Vince Lombardi trophy from Usher’s New Look and proclamations from Ga. Senator Sonya Halpern, State House District 55 Representative Inga Willis, Fulton County Commissioner Natalie Hall, and Ga. Legislative Black Caucus Representative Carl Gilliard.
“I am a product [of Atlanta]. I came here at a very young age, and everything that I and my mother said happened the way we said it would,” Usher said. “I carry the A with me everywhere I go. That’s why you see that peach on my shoulder.”
He then gave some parting words to the CAU students, encouraging them to graduate and become alums and motivating those coming up behind them.
Additionally, he awarded tickets to his “Past Present Future” concert to a few students before departing.
“Coming Home” is now streaming on all major music apps, and tickets for his upcoming shows are on sale now.