Usher fan snub gets a Birmingham callback during onstage serenade
Usher appeared to reference a Nashville fan who declined his routine, then brought up a willing concertgoer at his Birmingham show.
By Bianca Rossi · Entertainment Editor
2 min read
The Usher fan snub that lit up concert chatter got a quick callback Tuesday night in Birmingham, where video credited to YouTube/@CultureBitez shows Usher warning the crowd about joining him onstage.
According to TMZ, the singer told fans that anyone who did not want to be part of his up-close serenade should not come up there. TMZ described the line as an apparent reference to a recent Nashville moment involving Gabrielle Cheyenne, a fan who declined to play along during Usher’s onstage routine.
Why did Usher mention fans coming onstage?
The Birmingham comment followed a viral Nashville exchange in which Cheyenne was brought into Usher’s performance but did not appear interested in participating in the suggestive bit, according to TMZ. The outlet reported that Usher’s Tuesday remark came before a new fan joined him and took part in the performance.
In the Birmingham video, TMZ reported, Usher picked a different audience member who was more enthusiastic about the onstage moment. The outlet framed it as the performer moving past the awkward Nashville scene with a crowd member who was ready for the routine.
Onstage fan serenades are a familiar concert move for R&B stars: a performer brings someone from the audience into a choreographed or semi-choreographed bit, often built around flirtation, dancing and crowd reaction. The moment can go viral fast when the fan’s energy does not match the performer’s plan.
What did Gabrielle Cheyenne say about the Nashville moment?
TMZ identified the Nashville fan as Gabrielle Cheyenne and said she appeared Monday on “TMZ Live” to discuss what happened. During that appearance, according to the outlet, Cheyenne said she had attended the show for co-headliner Chris Brown rather than Usher.
That detail helped explain why the exchange drew so much attention online. The onstage bit was designed as a flirty Usher moment, but Cheyenne’s reaction became the story after she did not go along with the routine as expected, TMZ reported.
Chris Brown also figured into the tour drama. TMZ separately reported that Brown appeared to be enjoying himself after a fan danced provocatively on him during a number at the same show where Usher’s Nashville moment happened.
The latest Birmingham clip keeps the whole saga inside the tour’s nightly spectacle: one fan declined the moment, another accepted it, and Usher used the next stop to make his boundary plain for anyone invited onstage.
This story draws on original reporting from TMZ.