What does Usher have planned for his upcoming Super Bowl halftime performance? Some details may emerge Thursday when the Grammy winner addresses the media ahead of Sunday’s show. Apple Music’s Nadeska Alexis will interview Usher about the performance and other topics beginning at 10 a.m. Pacific time. It’s a busy week for the megastar, who is releasing his latest album and has announced a new North American tour.
Quick Read
- Media Briefing: Usher is set to discuss his Super Bowl halftime show plans during a media session on Thursday, potentially revealing some details about the performance.
- Interview Details: Apple Music’s Nadeska Alexis will conduct the interview with Usher at 10 a.m. Pacific time, covering the halftime show and other topics.
- Album and Tour Announcement: Amid preparations for the Super Bowl, Usher is also releasing his latest album and has revealed plans for a new North American tour.
- Broadcast Availability: The interview will be available on Apple Music and shared on various social media platforms, including YouTube.
- Previous Super Bowl Appearance: Usher previously performed at the Super Bowl in 2011, joining will.i.am during the Black Eyed Peas’ set, and plans to use that experience to inform his upcoming show.
- Performance Secrets: While some details may be shared, headliners often keep certain aspects of their Super Bowl performances under wraps, as seen with Rihanna’s pregnancy announcement during her show last year.
- Event Details: The Super Bowl is scheduled for Sunday at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, featuring a match between the San Francisco 49ers and the Kansas City Chiefs.
The Associated Press has the story:
Usher to discuss upcoming Super Bowl halftime show in Las Vegas
Newslooks- LAS VEGAS (AP) —
What does Usher have planned for his upcoming Super Bowl halftime performance? Some details may emerge Thursday when the Grammy winner addresses the media ahead of Sunday’s show.
Apple Music’s Nadeska Alexis will interview Usher about the performance and other topics beginning at 10 a.m. Pacific time. It’s a busy week for the megastar, who is releasing his latest album and has announced a new North American tour.
Apple Music will broadcast the interview on its platform and social media sites like YouTube.
It’s not Usher’s first time on what has become entertainment’s biggest musical stage — he joined the Black Eyed Peas frontman will.i.am for his 2011 set and has said he’d use that performance as a “cheat sheet” for Sunday’s show.
The pre-game media session might reveal some details about the performance, but headliners often keep a few secrets. Rihanna sure did, waiting until her Super Bowl performance last year to reveal she was pregnant with her second child.
The Super Bowl will be held Sunday at Las Vegas’ Allegiant Stadium, with the San Francisco 49ers facing off against the Kansas City Chiefs.
Usher says it’s been a challenge to squeeze 30-year career into 13-minute Super Bowl halftime show
Quick Read
- Halftime Show Challenge: Usher faces the task of condensing 30 years of music into a 13-minute Super Bowl halftime performance, focusing on his most iconic songs and influences from his Las Vegas residency.
- Song Selection: While specific songs for the halftime show remain undisclosed, Usher aims to showcase tracks that represent his musical journey and are well-known to his audience.
- Guest Star Speculation: Usher hints at featuring artists he has previously collaborated with during the halftime show but keeps their identities under wraps.
- Past Super Bowl Experience: Reflecting on his 2011 Super Bowl appearance, Usher recalls a near mishap and aims for a smoother performance this time.
- Atlanta Influence: Usher plans to infuse the Super Bowl halftime show with elements from Atlanta’s music and culture, drawing on his successful Las Vegas residency experience.
- Rihanna’s Memorable Reveal: Usher acknowledges the high bar set by previous performers like Rihanna, who used her Super Bowl show for a significant personal announcement.
- Media Interaction: Instead of a traditional press conference, Usher discussed his Super Bowl plans in an interview with Apple Music’s Nadeska Alexis, streamed to a wide audience.
- Busy Week for Usher: Alongside Super Bowl preparations, Usher is set to release a new album and has announced an upcoming North American tour.
The Associated Press has the story:
Usher says it’s been a challenge to squeeze 30-year career into 13-minute Super Bowl halftime show
Newslooks- LAS VEGAS (AP) —
Usher found fitting three decades of successful music into a super-short Super Bowl halftime show a challenge, but the multiple Grammy winner decided to concentrate on past hits, moments from his popular Las Vegas residency and possibly draw from his new album.
“It definitely has been a challenge to squeeze 30 years into 13 minutes,” he said when he addressed the media Thursday in advance of Sunday’s Super Bowl, which will be held at Las Vegas’ Allegiant Stadium, with the San Francisco 49ers facing off against the Kansas City Chiefs.
He said he’s been asking himself, “What songs do people know me for, what songs have been a celebration of all of the journey?”
But he gave no specific clues on where that process led him, and what his take on the global spectacle will look like.
Nor did he drop names of who might be joining him on stage, though he did drop vague hints, and confirmed that he won’t be alone at Allegiant Stadium, and like most Super Bowl performers will have guest stars.
He suggested it would be people he’s collaborated with before.
“I think I made it easy for myself when I decided to have featured artists on songs that became hit records. That gave me the greatest inspiration,” he said. “I have definitely gone through a lot of ideas of who I would have go through this moment with me
That hardly narrows it down, however, given all the folks he’s collaborated with, from Beyoncé to Monica to Nicki Minaj to Lil Jon.
Usher was a Super Bowl guest star himself, with Black Eyed Peas frontman will.i.am in 2011. He told The Associated Press previously that he’d use that performance as a “cheat sheet” for Sunday’s show.
On Thursday, he said he had a harrowing moment getting there.
“My hand got caught on a wire that was holding me 30 feet in the air, and I almost missed my entrance,” he said.
He still managed to hit is mark — in the splits. But he would prefer to avoid that kind of mishap.
Usher said he definitely aims to bring the flavor of the city where he made his musical name to his show. His 100-show local residency last year was a perfect workshop to help make that happen.
“I’ve been able to bring a great deal of Atlanta and the melting pot that it is, musically and culturally, to Las Vegas,” he said. “It wasn’t easy to do but I turned Vegas into Atlanta. I took the V and turned it upside down.”
He’ll have a hard time topping the reveal that Rihanna gave, when she chose her Super Bowl performance last year to show and tell the world she was pregnant with her second child.
Usher spoke to the media not in a traditional news conference format but via an interview with Apple Music’s Nadeska Alexis in front of an audience full of reporters that was streamed on its platform and social media sites.
It’s a busy week for the megastar, who is releasing his latest album on Friday and has just announced a North American tour.
