Who Is The Actor In The Remy Martin Commercial?
In 2021, French Cognac maker Rémy Martin released a spectacularly-produced commercial more than six minutes long, which can be seen in its entirety on YouTube. The mini-documentary, "Team Up for Excellence," tells how Black American soldiers in World War I brought their impressions of French jazz home with them, leading to the creation of American jazz, blues, Motown, and hip hop. It begins with a young soldier in uniform explaining the link between the young GIs and the evolution of Black American music that came after their return from the war.
He takes us on a tour from a French jazz club to an underground New York blues joint, then to a literal Motown garage — where he and the mechanics dance to some heavy beats — and a Bronx block party with hip-hop DJs and breakdancers, all the while sipping from and passing around glasses of Rémy Martin.
Our host ends the tour on a modern stage in front of a phalanx of leather-clad dancers, telling us that "two cultures came together to create pride, and history." But just who exactly is this charismatic man with the powerful voice and wide array of smooth-as-silk dance moves?
The host of Rémy Martin's ad is a multi-talented star
Fans of modern American music will recognize the ad's nimble-footed star as none other than R&B music sensation Usher. The musician, producer, dancer, and actor has been making records since he was a teenager, and had his first hit with "You Make Me Wanna" in January of 1998 (via Billboard). His trophy case holds eight Grammy statues, nine Soul Train Awards, and even three Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards — two for Favorite Male Singer and one for Favorite Song (via IMDb).
The Dallas-born triple threat has a slew of acting credits as well, from background parts on "The Bold and the Beautiful" and "Moesha" in his early career to bigger roles on Broadway and in films later on (via IMDb). He also co-founded the record label RBMG Records in 2008 along with talent manager Scooter Braun, and has a reported net worth of $180 million (via Celebrity Net Worth).
Usher even lent his megahit "Yeah" to MasterCard for a commercial featuring singing dogs, but in the Rémy Martin ad he leaves the performance to the bevy of talented human dancers and musicians, and delivers a history lesson in a different but still thoroughly enjoyable way.