Usher was in the April Fools’ spirit during his set at the 2023 Dreamville Fest, joking that Beyoncé would join him onstage. The legendary singer headlined J. Cole’s festival on Saturday night (April 1) and told his audience that he had a special surprise for them.
“I said I would have a special surprise for you tonight. Should I tell you what that surprise is? Ladies and gentlemen, without further ado, put your hands together for the one, the only, Beyoncé,” the crooner announced to roaring approval.
Playing to the crowd’s expectations, the “Glu” singer began signaling to his band and an unknown person backstage. Usher pretended to coordinate with personnel as he slowly walked back to the mic, ready to make good on his promise before joking in the holiday spirit. “April Fools,” he playfully said.
However, while Queen Bey didn’t join him on stage, he did bring out the City Girls to perform a live rendition of “Good Love.”
The Atlanta native recently celebrated the 19th anniversary of Confessions and reflected on his success during that era.
“Confessions is by far one of the greatest albums I’ve had in my career … selling 1.1 million units in the 1st week,” Raymond detailed. “It’s the last R&B album to be certified Diamond with over 18 million copies sold in the US, and the best-selling album by a Black artist in the 21st century. It was an effort of all passion. I wouldn’t do anything different. A one of its kind.”
Confessions was released to critical acclaim on March 23, 2004, featuring production from Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, Jermaine Dupri, Bryan-Michael Cox, and others. Usher snagged his first number-one record with the timeless album and included a bevy of hits like “Burn” and “Yeah.”