It appears that the saga between Usher, Keke Palmer, and her ex-boyfriend Darius Jackson is far from over. On Tuesday (Aug. 15), Usher posted a teaser for an upcoming music video featuring Emmy-winning actress Palmer.
“Somebody said that your boyfriend’s lookin’ for me,” Usher croons near the end of the 15-second teaser. The mysterious mini-trailer doesn’t give away much about the concept of the video, but between Usher’s lyrics and the moody beauty shots of both him and Palmer, the visual appears to be riffing on the controversy that exploded between the two artists last month. The “Boyfriend” video is slated to drop on Wednesday (Aug. 16); the new song follows on Usher’s previous 2023 release, “Good Good,” which features Summer Walker and 21 Savage.
Last month, the two entertainers made headlines when Palmer attended Usher’s show in a sheer black dress with a bodysuit underneath. Usher serenaded the Nope actress while singing his Billboard Hot 100 hit single “There Goes My Baby” (No. 25), as the two shared a cheeky-but-respectful dance. Once footage of the moment hit social media, Darius Jackson — Palmer’s then-boyfriend and the father of her child — publicly denigrated her choice of outfit, tweeting, “It’s the outfit tho… you a mom.”
Jackson elaborated, “We live in a generation where a man of the family doesn’t want the wife & mother to his kids to showcase booty cheeks to please others & he gets told how much of a hater he is. This is my family & my representation. I have standards & morals to what I believe. I rest my case.” Palmer never publicly responded to Jackson’s comments and opted to continue posting more pictures of herself and her outfit from that night.
Last week (Aug. 7), Usher finally broke his silence on the matter: “Every night I’m thinking about how the world now is going to react to this moment that I’ll have with whoever I’m choosing to sing to… but it was a pop moment, and it was fun to have at least conversation going, and we just keep it light. I don’t see anything negative happening in Las Vegas.”
Check out the “Boyfriend” trailer below:
When fantasies become reality…’Boyfriend’ Out Tomorrow, 8/16 | Hit the link below to set a reminder for the Official Music Video Premiere https://t.co/OJLswzc0tv pic.twitter.com/OMtpjqQZLG
— Usher Raymond IV (@Usher) August 15, 2023