Usher introduced his new single — “She Came to Give It to You,” featuring Nicki Minaj — at the MTV Video Music Awards, held at the Forum on Sunday night.
After treating viewers to a sneak peek of the music video during the red-carpet preshow, Usher, dressed in all white, opened his performance with a dance interlude, before revealing his dancers and band in matching gear.
Minaj, who also kicked off the awards show with Ariana Grande and Jessie J, then appeared onstage for her rap verse, during which Usher (while playing the electric guitar) repeatedly bumped her bum with his shoulder, and then spanked it before she left the stage. Usher closed the number with more dance moves and a few fireworks.
The rotating Voice coach’s video for “Good Kisser,” the lead single off his eighth studio album, Everything You Can Imagine, was nominated for best choreography, alongside Sia‘s “Chandelier,” Beyonce‘s “Partition,” “Love Never Felt So Good” by Michael Jackson and Justin Timberlake, “Talk Dirty” by Jason Derulo and 2Chainz, and KIESZA‘s “Hideaway.”
The VMAs performance lineup also boasts Beyonce, Taylor Swift, Minaj, Rita Ora, Iggy Azalea, Maroon 5, Ariana Grande, Sam Smith and 5 Seconds of Summer.
Beyonce, also the recipient of the Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award, leads this year’s pack with eight nominations, including video of the year and best female video.
Read THR’s complete coverage of the VMAs right here!
Watch Usher’s full performance below:
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