Usher‘s return to Australia, set for December 2025, has been abruptly cancelled. No official reason has been given, and the multi-platinum r&b star has not addressed the cancellation on social media. Refunds, however, are already in the process of being refunded by Ticketek. Usher was set to perform in Sydney and Melbourne as part of his Past Present Future world tour, which took him across arena in North America, the UK and Europe throughout August 2024 into May 2025.
The cancellation comes following the residencies at both Sydney’s Qudos Bank Arena and Melbourne’s Rod Laver Arena being extended in order to meet demand. Usher was set to perform a total of 12 nights in Australia, with six apiece booked for each city – having originally been booked to perform four per city. The announcement of the shows in May came with a statement from Usher, who expressed his love for Australia and described it as where he “hope[d] to retire in the future”.
Usher – ‘U Remind Me’
Usher was last seen in Australia in 2018 as part of that year’s RNB Fridays Live line-up. Naughty By Nature, Lil Jon, Salt N Pepa, T-Pain, Trey Songz, Eve, Ginuwine, Estelle, Next and the late Fatman Scoop joined him on that year’s bill. Prior to that, he last played headlining shows nationally in 2011 as part of his OMG world tour. He has seen ongoing success in Australia throughout his career, having achieved two number-one hits locally (‘Yeah!’ and ‘OMG’), as well as a chart-topping album in 2008’s Here I Stand and a whopping 59 Platinum certifications from the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) for both his studio albums and singles.
Further Reading
Watch Usher Grooving Along To Ball Park Music In A Helicopter
Watch Airling Throw Down Usher’s ‘U Got It Bad’ For ‘Like A Version’
Fridayz 2025 Line-Up: Mariah Carey, Pitbull, Wiz Khalifa + More
