If there’s one query going into Tremendous Bowl 2024 — apart from “what number of instances will the NFL present Taylor Swift within the stands?” — it’s “who’s Usher going to deliver out throughout his halftime present?”
Ever since Usher, 45, was named the headliner for the Apple Music Tremendous Bowl LVIII Halftime Present, followers have speculated who may be part of him in the midst of Las Vegas’s Allegiant Stadium.
Usher has confirmed that there will probably be friends, telling Vogue that the night time has been “particularly curated in my thoughts to have R&B take the principle stage,” and that the shock performers would signify the R&B style. “Not simply R&B music,” he added, “however R&B efficiency, R&B connection, R&B spirit.”
He additionally stated he needed to make use of this second to pay homage to the Black artists who laid the muse for stars like him to have profitable music careers.
“I take into consideration what our nation has type of represented for Black artists,” he defined throughout a February 2 look on Good Morning America, “[Those artists] having to sooner or later undergo kitchens to even be capable of carry out for an viewers, however they needed to go away again via that very same door, worry for his or her lives as they went to the subsequent state to do the identical factor. So I’m coming via the entrance door with this one.”
Usher additionally acknowledged he “didn’t begin the place I’m now, and I didn’t get there on my own.” So, he additionally desires his Tremendous Bowl present to offer like to “everyone that has been a part of [his journey.]”
In his 30-year profession, Usher has labored with numerous stars, that means that he has an enormous contacts checklist to scan via for potential halftime present collaborators. It’s unlikely that he’ll get Beyonce or Jay-Z to do “Love in This Membership Half II” or “Scorching Tottie” with him, respectively. He’s labored on a number of songs with Diddy and Chris Brown, however their controversies would doubtless overshadow the efficiency. And with Usher saying he desires to deal with R&B, rappers like Future, Nicki Minaj and Rick Ross might be out of the working.
With that stated, right here’s a have a look at a number of the stars that would be part of him on Sunday, February 11.
Lil Jon and Ludacris
Usher taking part in Tremendous Bowl LVIII Halftime Present and not doing “Yeah!” could be just like the NFL not displaying Swift cheering even as soon as through the sport. Whether or not Lil Jon and Ludacris might come out for a short cameo when revisiting this hit is TBD, however it might be a secure wager
Alicia Keys
Just like how everybody expects Usher to play “Yeah” and “Confessions Half II,” he could be remiss to not play “My Boo,” his collab with Alicia Keys. Keys would even be a terrific companion if Usher needed to cowl some basic R&B duets.
Boyz II Males
The legend is that LaFace cofounder L.A. Reid signed a teenage Usher after listening to him cowl Boyz II Males’s “Finish of the Street” throughout an audition. Having them a part of the R&B celebration would actually have fun the individuals who helped Usher launch his profession. The group at the moment performs with members Nathan Morris, Shawn Stockman and Wanyá Morris. They’re booked to carry out at Foxwoods On line casino on February 10, however haven’t any gigs lined up for February 11 – the date of Tremendous Bowl LVIII.
Smokey Robinson
Thought-about one of many best R&B performers of all time, Smokey Robinson would assist Usher fulfill his mission of turning the halftime present into an R&B celebration. Along with Robinson’s work with The Miracles and his solo hits (“Being with You,” “Cruisin”), he put out Gasms in 2023, an idea album about intercourse and different types of pleasure. It appears good for Sin Metropolis.
Brandy and Monica
Brandy and Monica reunited for a Verzuz battle in 2020 and 1.2 million viewers watched them squash any notion of previous feuds whereas celebrating one another’s musical legacy. So, it’s not unimaginable to image Usher recruiting them to recreate their 1998 hit, “The Boy is Mine,” through the halftime Present.
Justin Bieber
That is extra of a longshot contemplating Usher’s deal with celebrating R&B’s previous together with his halftime present, however contemplating how his Raymond-Braun Media Group was the label that gave Bieber his large break in 2008, this might be a full-circle second for each Justin and Usher. The twosome additionally teamed up on “First Dance” and “Any person to Love,” two songs from early on in Bieber’s profession.
As a consequence of well being causes, Bieber has been absent from the stage, however he confirmed he’s again in motion when he carried out his first live performance in over a 12 months on February 1. Whereas in Toronto for the 2024 NHL All-Star Weekend, Bieber performed an intimate set of his best hits at Drake’s membership Historical past. It might need been an excellent warm-up for the large sport on Sunday.