Usher has revealed where the inspiration behind his famous “watch this” meme from his Tiny Desk concert in July came from.
The R&B singer sat down with Angie Martinez in Las Vegas as a special guest for her popular podcast titled, “Angie Martinez IRL Podcast,” which was released on YouTube on Nov. 2, 2022.
As the video reached its end, Usher thanked Bishop Eddie Long for inspiring him on his three-second ad-lib that he says in the beginning of his song “Confessions” and hand gesture that has now become a popular clip used all throughout social media as a way for people to humorously describe an event.
He told Martinez, “I didn’t know it would be as wildly successful as it was. Thank God for Eddie Bishop Long for “watch this.” I don’t know if y’all ever heard of that.”
Usher talked of being in attendance as a child during Long’s church services and how he heard the late bishop constantly say the two-worded phrase which now seems to stay in his head.
“He would always do this, ‘Watch this, watch this’ I kind of picked it up.”
While Long may have inspired Usher’s ad-lib, the “Confessions” singer made sure to credit himself as the creator of his hand gestures.
“He didn’t put that part [hand movements] together no, that’s my own little remix yeah.”
Usher also admitted his “watch this” line was already a part of his 2004 hit, but he decided to add more razzle dazzle as he sang the song during his live performance.
“I was just having fun man,” he told Martinez.
The beloved star recently celebrated his 44th birthday in Vegas with a surprise birthday party. Celebrities such as Floyd Mayweather, Chris Brown, LHH Hollywood star Hazel E, and many more came together in celebration of the popular artist.
According to TMZ, “The party moved to Mayweather’s skating rink around 3:30 AM, Skate Rock City, for some late-night skating.”
