sher’s steamy onstage moment with a female fan took an awkward turn after the singer appeared to believe she wasn’t comfortable with his advances.
The 47-year-old R&B star was performing at Nissan Stadium in Nashville on Saturday, July 25, as part of his tour with Chris Brown when he invited a concertgoer named Gabrielle Cheyenne onto the stage.
Videos shared on social media showed Usher serenading Gabrielle while the two sat together on a bed used as part of the performance.
Usher then stood up, turned toward her and leaned close to her face. Gabrielle appeared to lean backward and remain stiff as the singer moved toward her.
Usher quickly backed away, looked toward the audience and said, “I don’t think she want to be on the stage.”
He then gestured for members of his team to escort her away, bringing the highly anticipated fan interaction to an abrupt end.
The moment quickly spread online, with some viewers accusing Gabrielle of rejecting or embarrassing the singer.
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Gabrielle later fired back at the criticism in an outspoken Facebook post, insisting she had been excited to go onstage and was not trying to turn Usher down.
“First off NOBODY is declining to go on stage,” she wrote. “I looked good asf, you thought I wasn’t gonna let THOUSANDS of people see me?? On the big screen, where you bitches will never be????”
Gabrielle explained that Usher’s team had approached her group before the concert and moved them into the VIP section, but she claimed she was not told exactly which performer she would be joining onstage.
“Their team approached us and moved us to VIP before the show even started,” she wrote. “PRETTY privileges something you hoes will never know about!! They don’t say who you’re going up there for!! Y’all wanted me to get up there and f— him atp??”
Her mother also defended her by sharing a photo of Gabrielle posing with Usher’s wife, Jenn Goicoechea, in the VIP section following the uncomfortable stage encounter.
Gabrielle addressed the backlash again on Instagram Stories the following day, saying critics were attempting to bully her over an experience they did not fully understand.
“Y’all aren’t gonna get on the internet calling me out my name and disrespecting me and expect me to keep it cool!” she wrote. “Y’all don’t know me in real life! I’m quiet and keep to myself but don’t think that y’all are gonna bully me about an EXPERIENCE that y’all didn’t get!!”
Usher and Chris Brown launched their joint R&B Tour in June. The tour is scheduled to continue across North America through December.