This morning, the NFL confirmed that Usher will be the headlining performer for the Apple Music Super Bowl Halftime Show at Super Bowl LVIII next February in Las Vegas, capping off… not a single second of speculation? There’s usually a bit more hype for this announcement, or at least some rumors about a big star turning down the gig, but no, this year we’re just waking up to “oh, Usher is doing the Super Bowl, that’s cool.”
In a statement shared by Variety, Usher said that “it’s an honor of a lifetime” to “finally check a Super Bowl performance” off of his bucket list, adding, “I can’t wait to bring the world a show unlike anything else they’ve seen from me before.” In a separate statement, NFL’s Head Of Music (a job that seems hyper-specific, especially on the other 364 days of the year when there isn’t a Super Bowl) said that “Usher is an icon whose music has left an indelible mark on the cultural landscape throughout his career,” and everyone at the NFL is excited to have him on board.
JAY-Z’s Roc Nation is also involved, and he referred to us Usher as “the ultimate artist and showman” who has been “charting his own unique course” since he was a teenager. JAY-Z promised that, in addition to offering “flawless singing and exceptional choreography,” Usher “bares his soul.”
The Super Bowl LVIII’s Apple Music Super Bowl Halftime Show will happen about halfway through the Big Game on February 11, 2024 at the Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, on CBS, bookended by some footballing and advertising. We don’t know who will be playing yet, because football season just started, but let’s say… Dolphins vs. Buccaneers? That seems like a logical match-up, they’re both ocean things.
