Usher teams up with Rémy Martin 1738 for New Bottle, NFT campaign
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Weeks after going viral with his NPR Tiny Desk Concert, Usher is making waves again with a new Rémy Martin partnership. The music superstar has teamed up with the cognac brand for the ‘Usher x Rémy Martin 1738: A Taste of Passion’ global campaign, which launched last week with a limited edition bottle and NFT. The kicker: the super-exclusive collaboration sold out in two seconds.
Launched on direct-to-consumer NFT marketplace BlockBar.com, the collaboration saw the launch of 25 bottles of Rémy Martin 1738 Accord Royal, each recreated in a jet black colorway and artwork created by blending Usher’s voice with AI technology (the resulting sound waves initially dictated the illustration in abstract style on the label).
Made available for $500, the 25 bottles were quickly snapped up, and the lucky fans and collectors who own the NFT release can now either keep it, gift it, resell it on BlockBar.com’s marketplace, or redeem it for physical bottle in October.
Carly Otness/BFA.com
Usher says he’s been looking for ways to promote Black excellence through his projects, and he came across cognac after studying the rich history of jazz.
“This was truly an opportunity to celebrate black culture and highlight the cultural connection between brandy and music,” Usher said Rolling stone during a launch party for the Rémy Martin collaboration at his “My Way” residency in Vegas. “In the formative days of R&B and jazz, artists actually went to France, whether it was because of the freedoms they were given or because they were celebrated for their music,” he explains. “And they would play in these Parisian clubs where they actually served cognac. So there was always this undertone of black culture in [cognac].”
The Rémy Martin campaign is also a way for the artist to flex his entrepreneurial muscles, which Usher credits to his early days around mentors like Diddy and LA Reid.
“I think being introduced to the marketing aspect and finding a tool to promote culture was something that was introduced to me at the age of 15 by being around Sean Puffy Combs and then also being in the environment that was LaFace Records,” he says . “You thought about music as more than just the song – what’s the label on it? What labels are associated with it? And if these are things we naturally gravitate towards, or we use in the environments where we celebrate music, why not attach them to a cultural experience?”
Usher is doing just that while performing his “My Way” residency in Las Vegas (with dates running through the end of October). While the audience is treated to a 90-minute set list of his greatest hits at the show, Usher also launches the ‘Taste of Passion Experience’ after show, giving fans a chance to attend an exclusive Rémy Martin-sponsored afterparty at On The Record, a speakeasy-style club at Park MGM Las Vegas.
Inside the experience, guests can walk through interactive rooms with custom-made artwork and nod to Usher’s career, while sipping Remy cocktails created by the singer himself (think an iconic sidecar, along with the “Rémy Roller” and “UR Way,” which are new variations of a Rémy Ginger and Tom Collins).
“I’m excited for my fans to be able to engage with what we created and experience taste front and center, just like I was able to,” Usher says of the immersive after-party. It’s not just the chance to snap selfies and sip Rémy cocktails either – the singer has been known to make an appearance from time to time, and was spotted at On The Record just the other weekend sipping drinks with R&B- singer Sevyn, actor Evan Ross and longtime collaborator Jermaine Dupri.
The new Rémy Martin collaboration also marks the 25th anniversary of Usher’s seminal 1997 album, In my way. The singer, who opens his residency show with the title track, says it’s nice to be back in a city where he’s had so many memorable moments throughout his career. “Many years ago, when I did [the album] Here I stand, I came here to Las Vegas and recorded at The Palms, he says. “I welcome the opportunity to go off the beaten path and come here and be inspired,” he says. “To see the shows and other artists, it creates some inspiration and helps you start creating ideas for your next project.”
Drizzly
As for going viral in 2022 with his “Watch this” meme and now a sold-out Rémy collaboration, Usher is taking it all in stride. “I’m happy that people are excited about what I’m excited about,” he says with a smile. “I have to make something that people will like, and now I can actually share with you something that I like too.”
