Usher to pull females to Sumfest!

After trying for years, Summerfest Productions can finally boast that R&B superstar Usher Raymond will be performing on the Reggae Sumfest stage.

"We have been trying to get him for about four years but this time we were lucky. It was very difficult 'cause normally these people have tours in the summer and it is not easy for them to break it to come to a one night in Jamaica, but we were able to get him to come for one night," Robert Russell, chairman of Summerfest Productions, told THE STAR.

He admitted that it was very expensive to get Usher on the show but it will not change the ticket prices.

Russell is also very confident that Usher will bring people to the show and give an exceptional performance when he performs on international night 2 on July 24 at Catherine Hall, St James.

"Usher is going to mash up the stage. Every girl that I have spoken to is telling me that they are coming to Sumfest. And, I am sure that when the girls come the boys will come with them too," he said.

"Usher is able to crossover from the young people to the older people 'cause everybody loves his music and he has a wonderful selection and he is such a good performer," he added.

With a state of emergency and curfews imposed on sections of the island and recent unrest in Kingston and St Andrew being top news around the world last month, Russell believes Usher will bring good attention to the island.

"I think he is really going to put Jamaica on the stage this summer for Sumfest. This is what we wanted to do. We wanted to showcase Jamaica 'cause you know we have been getting some bad publicity. But now that we have announced the line-up, we are getting all types of emails. People are booking their airline seats and hotels because they are coming to see a Jamaica that is open for business," Russell told THE STAR.

JAMAICA STAR