Usher is preparing for a joint R&B tour with Chris Brown this summer and the superstar is offering an opportunity for young Detroiters to get in on the action.
The singer’s youth organization Usher’s New Look, in partnership with the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Detroit (BGCGD), has created a new internship program called the “Entertainment Industry Club: Live Touring Edition.”
The program will select a cohort of ten interns ages 18 and older to gain hands-on experience across key areas on The R&B Tour, including tour production, multimedia, wardrobe, community impact and operations. Interns will complete pre-tour training before joining the tour and contributing directly to live show execution, according to a news release. The program is open to young people in Detroit and Atlanta, where New Look is based.
Applications are available on Usher’s New Look website, but will only be open until Friday.
“The live touring industry is a multi-billion dollar global business—yet access to the entertainment trades remain limited,” Shawn H. Wilson, president and CEO of Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Detroit, said in a statement. “Together, we’re changing that by placing young professionals on one of the most historic tours and turning access into real pathways to lasting careers.”
As the tour travels across the country, New Look will engage with various Boys and Girls Clubs through the “Making of the Tour,” a behind-the-scenes look at the planning, production and business of a live touring experience. Interns will also be working with the Boys & Girls Club by presenting career workshops, training sessions and peer-to-peer learning experiences that extend the program’s impact beyond the internship cohort.
“At Usher’s New Look, we’ve always believed talent is everywhere, but access is not,” Usher added in a statement. “This program is opening doors and putting young professionals in a position to learn, grow, and work inside the entertainment trades. It’s about giving them a real opportunity.”
As a former Boys & Girls Club member, Usher and his nonprofit have been partnering with the organization, including the Detroit chapter, in recent years to provide opportunities for young people.
In February, the singer helped celebrate the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Detroit’s new location inside Michigan Central Station alongside rapper Big Sean. Located on the fifth floor, the 13,000-square-foot space includes a $1 million investment in an entertainment innovation incubator from Big Sean’s Sean Anderson Foundation and New Look. The innovation incubator has a full suite of advanced programming with a focus on young people ages 14–24 for careers like film, television, music production, immersive technologies and special effects.
In 2024, Usher made an appearance at the Dick and Sandy Dauch location of the Boys & Girls Club on Detroit’s west side as they held an “Usher’s Club Takeover,” which raised awareness about the need to expand after-school programming. Club Takeover also included activities such as roller skating, learning how to fly a drone and how to administer CPR.
Usher and Chris Brown will play a record three nights at Ford Field this summer on July 2, 3 and 5.