Usher is the new face of Kim Kardashian’s underwear brand, SKIMS, in their most recent collaboration.
The 45-year-old said in a statement, “When I was asked to partner with SKIMS Mens, I was so humbled. Kim’s been a longtime friend of mine who’s always been so supportive of my work, so the opportunity to collaborate together on a campaign that supports both of our highly anticipated launches made total sense. Launching this campaign ahead of multiple career milestones feels like a full circle moment, with SKIMS supporting the release of my new album, Coming Home.”
The Grammy-winning rapper also told The Hollywood Reporter that he was asked to join the campaign after playing his new album for Kardashian.
“She listened to my album. She’s, believe it or not, like a fairy god-A&R, just to give you at least an opinion. But we curated a very small group of people in Las Vegas. She listened to the album, and she was like, ‘I want to do something to be supportive of what you’re doing.’ And this was one of the things that we did as a result of our friendship,” he recalled.
Nevertheless, their alliance goes beyond just clothes. Usher and SKIMS have also teamed to release an alternate album cover and a bonus track titled “Naked” from the new LP. Even so, the digital download will only be accessible for one week on SKIMS’ official website, per Vibe.
The R&B artist said in the video portion of the ad that his upcoming album is “all about romance.” “It deals with love, happiness; it deals with joy. It’s a love story, but it’s romantic,” he expressed.
SKIMS Mens’ most recent drop was the brand’s largest restock to date. Usher appears in the campaign sporting pieces from the Stretch and Cotton collections.
He told The Hollywood Reporter, “The idea started with the photo that is my album [cover], where I have the peach in my hand. We shot the reverse of that photo, which was the first shot that was released, and therefore, after, as I do support Kim, supporting Skims was the next step.” “It really was in conjunction with the album,” the music star said.
The menswear collection features four new color options: Stone, Midnight Blue, Military, and Oxblood. It will be on sale on February 12 at 9 a.m. PT.
According to TMZ, Usher’s new partnership with the brand comes after Kardashian recruited other “hot” celebrities to promote her brand, such as Nick Bosa and Neymar Jr.
This week, 45-year-old Usher will play the lead role in the Super Bowl LVIII halftime performance on Sunday, only two days after the release of Coming Home, his ninth studio album, on Friday, February 9.