Usher performing live in Philadelphia in June 2023.Photo:Taylor Hill/Getty Images
Taylor Hill/Getty Images
Usheris feeling grateful for his Super Bowl 2024 opportunity.
“This is a moment that I’ve waited my entire life for and I am not coming to disappoint,” he toldCBS Mornings’Gayle King, Tony Dokoupil and Nate Burleson. “This is going to be a celebration.”
Usher, who joined the interview virtually from Paris, said he learned of the news “literally days before the announcement.”
“The hardest part is really the suspense,” he said of having to keep the secret from his friends and family.
The CBS co-anchors then asked which of his multitude of hits he would try to squeeze into the 13-minute show. “Ah, prying for information, I see,” Usher teased, but stayed mum over more details.
“I definitely have a long list of people whom I’ve collaborated with and also a long list of songs that mean something so much to people — for every experience that I’ve had, there’s a song,” the star noted.
Usher went on to add, “So I’m trying to figure out how to entertain people, make certain the legacy, enjoy the moment, and make certain they’ll have a show they’ll never forget.”
Usher performing live in Las Vegas in May 2023.BRIAN FRIEDMAN/Shutterstock
BRIAN FRIEDMAN/Shutterstock
This will mark Usher’s second Super Bowl appearance, as he previously performed with theBlack Eyed Peasback in 2011, but his first time as the headlining artist.
“It’s an honor of a lifetime to finally check a Super Bowl performance off my bucket list. I can’t wait to bring the world a show unlike anything else they’ve seen from me before,” Usher said in astatementon Sunday.
“Thank you to the fans and everyone who made this opportunity happen," he continued. “I’ll see you real soon.”
Usher performing live in Philadelphia in June 2023.Kayla Oaddams/Getty Images
Kayla Oaddams/Getty Images
“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 shared of his conversation. “He’s like, ‘The Super Bowl.’ I’m like, ‘Oh, you ready? Absolutely.'”
This will be Roc Nation’s fifth Super Bowl halftime show under the NFL partnership.
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“And it was like this was destined to happen,” Usher later added, speaking about the magic of his Las Vegacy residency for the last two years. “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.”
Usher photographed at the 2023 Vanity Fair Oscar Party in Beverly Hills in March.Lionel Hahn/Getty Images
Lionel Hahn/Getty Images
During his Monday interview with CBS, Usher expanded on the honor:
“Thirty years ago, I made a commitment to offer my best and here 30 years later now, it’s being rewarded with one of the most prestigious performances and stages anybody could ever play on,” he said.
“Every aspect of what has influenced me to be the artist that I am, I’m gonna try to bring that out of me in that moment. And I thank God.”
Super Bowl LVIII will air live on CBS on Feb. 11, 2024.
source: people.com
