A big congrats to Usher, as he has secured a nomination at the 2024 Emmy Awards, for his performance at this year’s Super Bowl. The halftime show garnered 129.3M viewers, second biggest show since Michael Jackson.
The halftime special has scored Usher a nomination in the Outstanding Variety Special (Live) category. The show itself also brought in 2 more nominations for Outstanding Lighting Design/Lighting Direction For A Variety Special & Outstanding Technical Direction and Camerawork For A Special.
Usher. What else can I say? He put on the best show I’ve seen in a very long time. The showmanship shined through and he has shown that he’s really grown even more as a performer while at the Vegas residency. Usher was joined on stage by Lil Jon, Ludacris, H.E.R., and Alicia Keys.
They twinkle as he speaks, no matter how little lighting there is in a room. His deep gaze, soft and curious, makes you wonder what he sees in your humanity, whether it’s beauty, intelligence, kindness, warmth or something else. You have to consider when is the last time someone has looked into your eyes with such attentiveness. You could fall into his dimples when he smiles. His voice is rich and velvety. His hugs are warm. He is a deep sigh of dreaminess personified.
It comes naturally to a man who has made romance part of his legacy for three decades and done soul searching on how he thinks about love. He’s intentional in so many things he does, including lighting a candle in the home theater of a lavish Beverly Hills home “for the vibe” before opening up about who he is as a human and an artist.
“I wanted you to feel cool and feel the energy,” Usher said. “Maybe it was something about that candle that was lit that just changed the vibe in the room, the tone that I speak to you in, looking you in your eyes when I actually talk to you, that probably makes you feel a little bit more safe and like we’re really connected in this moment.”
Recently, the R&B icon’s run of sold-out Vegas residencies, a new album and headlining the Super Bowl half-time show have sparked renewed admiration from veteran and young fans alike. On Tuesday, the singer announced the “Usher: Past, Present, Future” tour, a 24-city trek launching in August. Usher’s moment in the spotlight in the heart of America’s biggest game will be a legacy-defining moment not only for himself but for romance and R&B.
In the years since Usher started his career in the early 1990s, our ideas of intimacy have evolved dramatically. Women are reconsidering the merits of singledom and men are facing a potential loneliness epidemic. Same-sex marriage is legal, polyamory and nonmonogamous relationships are becoming less taboo, people are realizing they are asexual, and the love of your life could be one swipe away on dating apps. Every other week the internet debates whether getting coffee or ice cream is a worthy first date and tries to quantify what effort in dating should look like. Romance, in our love lives and platonic relationships, often feels fleeting when love languages are easily lost in translation and the slow burn of vulnerability and trust building feels exhausting.
Viewers of this upcoming Sunday’s Super Bowl halftime show might notice a little something extra: time.
Usher, the velvety-voiced King of R&B and all-around ageless hottie, tells EW that he and his team were very “strategic” while creating his supersized Las Vegas performance.
While most performers are tasked with condensing their entire music catalog into an incredibly tight show that runs around 13 minutes, Usher reveals that he managed to get 15.
“I can’t explain why, but it’s a funny thing that I was able to do and craft,” Usher explains ahead of the big game. “That was a huge strategic thing that happened between me and my agency.“
The 45-year-old says he’s not nervous about performing on the biggest stage in the world (“Anxiety, but no, not nerves”), which he sees as a culmination of his Vegas residency that ran for two years and 100 shows. The Super Bowl will be his 101st show and thus, he says, a time for him to “finally celebrate” what he accomplished.
Usher stopped by Club Shay Shay and he really talked about everything. He spoke about where he is now in his career, where he’s been, and what he plans to for the future. Check out the interview below:
Grammy-winning artist Usher is saying “Yeah!” to headlining the Super Bowl LVIII halftime show.
Usher will take to the field at Las Vegas’s Allegiant Stadium during the halftime show presented by Apple Music, according to a Roc Nation and NFL news release on Sunday.
“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 a statement on Sunday, adding, “Thank you to the fans and everyone who made this opportunity happen. I’ll see you real soon.”
The singer has been performing his vast collection of R&B hits during his Las Vegas concert series “Usher – My Way The Residency.” Since breaking onto the music scene in 1994 with his self-titled debut album “Usher,” he has sold over 80 million records worldwide and earned eight Grammys.
His top hits include songs such as “U Got It Bad,” “U Don’t Have to Call” and “Nice & Slow,” among many others.
“Usher is the ultimate artist and showman. Ever since his debut at the age of 15, he’s been charting his own unique course. Beyond his flawless singing and exceptional choreography, Usher bares his soul,” Jay-Z said in a statement Sunday.
His statement continued, “His remarkable journey has propelled him to one of the grandest stages in the world. I can’t wait to see the magic.”
Usher has previously appeared on the Super Bowl halftime stage in 2011 to sing “OMG” with the Black Eyed Peas, but the 2024 show will be his first time headlining.
Rihanna’s 2023 halftime performance became the most-watched halftime show of all time. Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Eminem, Mary J. Blige and Kendrick Lamar headlined Super Bowl LVI’s halftime show in 2022.
