Usher Couldn't Even Tell His Family About Super Bowl Gig
Usher revealed that Jay-Z called him personally to tell him he'd been chosen to perform at the Super Bowl LVIII halftime show.
Performing at the Super Bowl halftime show is an honor typically reserved for music industry heavyweights who are many years into their career with an impressive body of work to showcase. Next year, Usher will have take the stage at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas for the Apple Music Super Bowl LVIII Halftime Show. With three decades of experience and an extensive back catalog, the R&B hitmaker is sure to put on an unforgettable show.
Just receiving the news that he got the gig was an exciting moment in itself. He looked back on how it happened in a Sept. 25 interview with CBS Mornings and admitted it wasn't exactly an easy secret to keep once he got word he'd been picked to headline the show.
"Jay-Z called and he's like, 'It's your time. It's the magic moment,'" he recounted. "My girlfriend [Jennifer Goicoechea] is there and I'm like, 'It's happening,' she's like, 'No way,' and he's like, 'Way.'"
"The hardest part was really the suspense and keeping it a surprise for that time," he said of the few days between him being chosen to perform at the Super Bowl and when the news became public. "My kids were like, 'Dad, you should play the Super Bowl! There's a petition online!'" When he heard how excited his kids were about the prospect of him performing at the massive event, he kept the secret to himself and simply told them they need to "speak these things into existence."
Getting to perform at the Super Bowl in Las Vegas is an especially exciting opportunity at this point in his career. Since 2021, he's had a successful residency show in Sin City that celebrates his illustrious 30-year career.
As for any potential guests, Usher skirted questions about other artists wanting to perform collaborations they've done in the past. Could we possibly be getting a third Beyoncé halftime show appearance with "Bad Girl" or "Love in This Club Part II"?