Source: Jacopo Raule / Getty
Usher’s Vogue cover has left fans puzzled as to why he appears in the magazine with model and actress Carolyn Murphy. The cover shot is a direct homage to his upcoming Super Bowl LVIII Halftime Show performance in February.
On Wednesday, Vogue posted a picture from the “Love in this Club” crooner’s new cover story, in which he could be seen smiling from ear to ear alongside adorable members of the Nevada-based Jr. Gaels 6U football team. Murphy, 49, wore a black Miu Miu jacket, skirt and sandals as she smiled at the star interacting with the youth football players.
Inside the feature, Murphy can be seen in most of the photos posing in lavish garments as Usher flaunts fashionable threads made by high-end brands such as Dolce & Gabbana, Ami and Alexander McQueen. Oddly, Vogue never states why she’s included in the story.
Netizens on X, formerly Twitter, were also baffled by the model and actress’s presence. Understandably, fans were confused as to why Usher wasn’t given his own cover story. Some urged for Vogue to go “back to the drawing board” and conceptualize another feature for the Grammy Award-winning artist. A few netizens said they had no clue who Murphy was. Some were under the impression that she was the singer’s longtime girlfriend, Jenn Goicoechea.
Vogue hasn’t responded to the criticism as of yet.
Usher’s Vogue Cover Backlash
Usher’s new cover story wasn’t a complete bummer. Inside, the father and performer gave a few hints about his upcoming Super Bowl LVIII Halftime Show performance slated for Feb 11. The star told writer Alessandra Codinha that fans could expect “killer choreography,” skating and a few special guests scattered throughout the 13-minute performance.
“This night was specifically curated in my mind to have R&B take the main stage,“ he said. “Not just R&B music, but R&B performance, R&B connection, R&B spirit.”
Usher also revealed that the upcoming show was curated and designed with legends like the late Michael Jackson and Frank Sinatra in mind.
“I’m thinking about the fact that I’ve been able to walk through the front door as a result of their sacrifice and ability. So I’m carrying a little bit of that,” he continued. “It’s made me feel joyous. It made me feel like I want to go out there, and I want the world to smile when they look at me. I want them to feel something, and feel my passion, my love, feel like I was the right person to sit in this position, and I was the right person to bring this kind of energy and love and connection to the entire world.”
By the end of the show, the star hopes that his fans, especially the women in the audience, will feel like they have received a personal serenade from him.
“I’m literally speaking to every woman,” the singer added. “I want to make it feel like that.”
Yes! We can’t wait to see it.
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