“Wo ai ni (I love you),” Usher told fans during his first-ever performance in Beijing, China, over the weekend, sharing the bill with Leehom Wang. The American crooner and Mandopop singer dueted in English on Usher’s “OMG” and also in Mandarin on Wang’s song “My One and Only.” The R&B heartthrob, who will release his new album Versus on Aug. 24, toned down the sexiness as a sign of respect to his Asian fans, but encouraged them to sing along.

“I want you to have crowd participation, which is very odd in my Asian markets because a lot of times they don’t like to sing out of respect, but I don’t mind. I love for my audience to sing along with me,” said Usher. “That’s the part that makes me really enjoy it and I hope it makes them enjoy the show as well.”

Photo credit: CFP