Source: Candice Ward / Getty
For the second time, Usher will be gracing the stage at the Super Bowl halftime show, but this time he’s the headliner.
As previously reported, the NFL announced Sunday (Sept. 24), that the R&B icon, who performed during the halftime show in 2011 as a special guest of the Black Eyed Peas, will be leading the performance next year for Super Bowl LVIII in February in Las Vegas, Nevada.
On the same day his halftime show performance was announced, Usher spoke with Apple Music’s Zane Lowe about the moment he got the call informing him he had been tapped for the show by none other than the “big homie” Jay-Z, whose entertainment company Roc Nation has a long-term business partnership with the NFL.
“But when I got this call… he said, ‘It’s time, it’s magic time. You know, it’s time for you to have that moment.’ I’m like, ‘What are you talking about?’” Usher recalled. “He’s like, ‘the Super Bowl.’ I’m like, ‘Oh, you ready? Absolutely.’” The Confessions singer added that being booked to headline the halftime show was “destined to happen” at some point during his three-decade-long career.
“I think that everything that led up to that moment, going to Las Vegas for my residency for the last two years, the legacy, obviously that is the music, the celebration of entertainment in that place,” Usher explained. “It’s the City of Lights. You know, it’s always been a place where entertainers go and find love and passion, connection to their fans. He also talked about how fortuitous it is “for the Super Bowl to have made its way to Las Vegas while we were in Vegas.”
Usher indicated that he would likely bring guest performers to the stage in February, but he wouldn’t say who would be joining him if anyone.
“I’ve collaborated with a lot of incredible artists throughout the years. If anything, I’d like to socially engage the world. I’d like to hear who you think would be a great guest to complement this,” Usher told Lowe.
It may or may not be a coincidence that Usher has a new album called Coming Home that is set to release on the same day as his Super Bowl performance. Either way, Feb. 11, 2024 is going to be a hell of a day for Usher fans.
Y’all excited?
