/cloudfront-eu-central-1.images.arcpublishing.com/madsack/6MACIFM4DVHY5A5P6MW6ZGACGQ.jpg "Super Bowl Halftime Show 2024: Why Usher, of all people, is appearing")
Hanover. Usher is without question a superstar. Between the mid-1990s and the mid-2010s, the “King of R&B,” as he is often referred to, not only released eight albums but also sold 100 million records worldwide. The second album “My Way” in 1997 paved the way for an extraordinary career for the singer, who was just 19 years old at the time. This later gave rise to catchy tunes like “Yeah”, “U Got It Bad” and “DJ Got Us Falling in Love”.
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However, we haven’t heard much from Usher in a few years. The now 45-year-old’s last album was eight years ago. “Hard II Love” achieved more than 500,000 sales and thus gold status (also streams are converted into units sold). However, the really big hits didn’t materialize. For comparison: Usher’s most successful album “Confessions” from 2004 sold more than 20 million copies. The singer’s last US top 10 hit came in 2012.
All the more surprising was the news last September that Usher, of all people, was scheduled to perform the halftime show at the Super Bowl, which takes place on the night of February 11th to 12th. The event, with 100 million viewers in the USA alone, is considered a kind of accolade for artists – and one of the most important advertising platforms. How did it come about that Usher, of all people, was given the honor?
Singer Usher sings during a rehearsal in honor of the late Kobe Bryant before an NBA game against the Portland Trail Blazers at Staples Center.
© Quelle: Ringo H.W. Chiu/FR170512 AP/AP
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Friendship with Jay-Z
The rapper Jay-Z is likely to play a key role in this decision. He has been coordinating the Super Bowl halftime shows with his company Roc Nation since 2019 – and he was also the one who personally informed Usher of his decision over the phone.
“When I got that call, said [Jay-Z]: ‘It’s time, it’s the magical time. It’s time for you to experience this moment,” Usher quotes his rap colleague in an interview with Apple-Music-Moderator Zane Lowe. Usher himself replied: “What are you talking about?” Jay-Z then made him an offer to perform at the Super Bowl – and asked if he was ready for it. “Absolutely, without question,” Usher replied.
Jay-Z and Usher apparently have a long-standing friendship – a circumstance that will now also benefit his career. He and his rap colleague were not only at the peak of their careers at the same time, often dominating the charts at the same time – they also seem to like and appreciate each other. After announcing his participation in the Super Bowl, Usher described Jay-Z as a “big homie” in an Apple Music interview. They often talk to each other, said the singer.
Taylor Swift was “too busy”
However, the pop singer was apparently not the first choice, as media reports. Taylor Swift, for example, was asked for the show several times, the “Daily Mail” wants to know – but the singer canceled because she was “too busy”. Singer Lizzo is also said to have been on the shortlist. However, a scandal got in the way: former employees had recently made serious accusations against the singer.
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The organizers around Jay-Z are also said to have thought of a boy band show, reports the newspaper, which cites a Super Bowl insider. Harry Styles should have performed there with his former boy band One Direction. Very obviously that didn’t happen.
Singer Usher apparently still feels honored – even if he may have only been third choice. “R&B being on the main stage at the Super Bowl is a big deal to me,” he said recently in an interview with the show “Good Morning America.” Black artists in the USA had to fight for a long time to be allowed to perform at all; many would have had to fear for their lives. “I’m thinking about all the R&B artists I represent at this moment,” he said.
Halftime show needs a new image
This exact aspect also seems to be important to the organizers of the Super Bowl. In recent years there has been repeated criticism of the NFL and the sporting event’s halftime shows, which for a long time did not exactly shine with diversity.
In 2004, after the so-called Nipplegate scandal involving Janet Jackson and Justin Timberlake, the NFL separated from producer MTV. In subsequent years, the Super Bowl halftime shows mutated into an old white man event. The organizers brought Paul McCartney, the Rolling Stones, Tom Petty and Bruce Springsteen on stage – probably to make sure that another scandal was avoided and that the conservative audience stayed in line.
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However, this meant that black artists or female musicians were no longer featured on stage for years. It wasn’t until the Black Eyed Peas (2011), Madonna (2012) and Beyoncé (2013) that the face of the halftime shows changed again. Singer Usher also made a guest appearance at the Black Eyed Peas gig.
The halftime show is like a monument
The halftime show still couldn’t get rid of its bad image. And that the NFL again and again was criticized because of accusations of racism, didn’t make things any better. In 2019, the year in which many celebrities and social media users protested against the Super Bowl, the league finally signed a contract with Jay-Z, who was supposed to advise them on social justice issues in the future. The rapper had previously criticized the NFL himself frequently.
critics saw the deal as a transparent attempt to polish up the NFL’s image. In fact, the rap billionaire gave the halftime shows a whole new shine. The duet between Shakira and Jennifer Lopez in 2020 was surprising. And then there was the big hip-hop special in 2022. Many stars from earlier years also came together on one stage for this, more precisely Eminem, Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Kendrick Lamar and Mary J. Blige.
R&B icon Usher is now enjoying exactly this great comeback. The fact that the singer has hardly released any hits in recent years doesn’t seem to play a big role – the hits of Shakira and Paul McCartney, for example, were many years ago. Rather, an appearance at the Super Bowl is seen as a kind of honor for one’s life’s work. Artists do not receive a fee for their appearance at the halftime shows – but they do receive an audience of millions in front of whom they can create a memorial.
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Usher is hoping for a comeback
But the Usher case is still an unusual one. The 45-year-old is obviously hoping for a big comeback from his gig. In the past few weeks it has been easy to see how cleverly the singer has put together a marketing concept around his Super Bowl appearance. Fittingly, the new studio album called “Coming Home” was released on the Friday before the event. Shortly before, the singer had also announced a world tour – the first in many years.
This is, in a way, a novelty. Artists who are usually on the Super Bowl stage have already achieved everything and no longer need a great promo. They perform their biggest hits and enjoy the headlines and streams that their performance triggers. For Usher, on the other hand, the Super Bowl is likely to decide the future course of his career – and whether the singer will be able to build on his old successes again.
The singer’s commitment also sparks controversial discussions among fans of the event. Some believe Usher’s appearance at the Super Bowl was overdue given his legendary status. In other social media posts you can read mockery. “Wow, this would have been really exciting news 20 years ago,” someone wrote on the Reddit platform. Almost 4,000 people liked the comment.
Breakthrough as a 19 year old
Usher, whose real name is Usher Raymond IV, is originally from Dallas, Texas, but grew up in Atlanta, Georgia. His music career also started there, which eventually brought him onto the show “Star Search”. The star producer LA Reid finally offered the young singer a record deal.
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The singer’s first album called “Usher” was released in 1994 – it reached number 25 on the American R&B charts. The singer’s breakthrough came in 1997 with the follow-up “My Way”. With songs like “U Got It Bad,” “You Make Me Wanna” and “Nice & Slow,” Usher quickly became an R&B icon.
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The 2004 album “Confessions,” which is Usher’s most successful to date, later adopted a harder tone. This also includes the party song “Yeah” with its iconic squeaky sample. In 2010, when the R&B genre was on the decline in the USA, the singer ventured into the electronic dance music genre. The album “Raymond v. Raymond, like many of its predecessors, reached number one again in the US album charts. However, the hype surrounding the singer is noticeably decreasing. The last album for the time being “Hard II Love” only reached number five in 2016.
Back to the big stage
Most recently, Usher was mainly traveling where the Super Bowl will now take place: in Las Vegas. In 2021, the singer started his own residency show here, the tickets for which were recently sold out.
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Numerous celebrities also appeared on stage, including various members of the Kardashian family, Jennifer Lopez, Doja Cat, Zendaya and Tom Holland. At the end of 2023, the singer ended the show after over 100 editions.
With the halftime show at the Super Bowl we should now go back to the big stage. What exactly will happen during the show is not yet clear. However, one special feature is already known: For the first time, an artist, Usher, will be allowed to perform for a full 15 minutes. Otherwise the halftime shows were over after 13 minutes at the latest.