Usher’s performance at the Super Bowl LVIII Halftime Show has been highly anticipated since it was first announced by Apple Music in September. And the popular artist did not disappoint.
Usher emerged at Las Vegas’ Allegiant Stadium for the Super Bowl halftime show seated on a throne, joined by a marching band and a trove of Vegas performers — but stayed its center.
It was an immediate confirmation of his position as the ideal halftime performer: one with timeless, well-known hits, masterful choreography, and a devoted audience.
He started with “Caught Up,” moving into “U Don’t Have to Call,” “Superstar,” and “Love in the Club.”
Then Alicia Keys joined in front of bright red piano for her song “If I Ain’t Got You,” which morphed into “My Boo,” Usher losing a glove in an apparent tribute to Michael Jackson — notable for a performance during Black History Month.
“They said I wouldn’t make it,” he told the crowd, dedicating the set to his “mama.”
Across 13 minutes during the halftime show sponsored by Apple Music, Usher brought out a number of guests including H.E.R., Jermaine Dupri, Lil Jon (for “Turn Down for What,” which became “Yeah!” — and included a guest appearance from Ludacris).
Across three decades, the R&B superstar had an endless treasure trove of hits to pull from — and did so with costume changes, and a rolling performance of “OMG” while wearing roller skates — at one moment, sliding between will.i.am’s legs.
His album “Confessions” ranks among one of the best-selling music projects of all time and turned 20 this year; “Burn” became an easy performance highlight.
Over the past two years, Usher, 45, has made Vegas a home for his unique talents, with his sold-out residency, “Usher: My Way,” at Dolby Live at Park MGM making him the perfect pick for Sunday’s game.
The eight-time Grammy award winner is also no stranger to the Super Bowl stage — he made a guest appearance with Black Eyed Peas frontman will.i.am in 2011.
Apple markets the big performance
In a short film shown at the end of the Super Bowl halftime performer news conference, the show’s headliner Usher comes up missing. The singer’s sudden absence prompts instant panic from his friends including Ludacris, Lil Jon and Taraji P. Henson, sparking a search at various Las Vegas landmarks.
Since Apple Music became the halftime show sponsor, the streaming service is pushing to leave an influential mark like never before.
“We’re trying to extend the campaign to more than just a show on a Sunday afternoon,” said Oliver Schusser, the vice president of Apple Music and Beats. The streaming service became the sponsor for the show in 2022 replacing Pepsi, which held the position for a decade.
Schusser said Apple Music stepped in as a company that understands the music landscape. He called their partnership a “very powerful” one with the NFL and Jay-Z’s Roc Nation, which has produced the halftime show since 2019.
“We want to make the halftime show press conference the artist moment,” Schusser said. “We really wanted to elevate that and make that great. We did that last year. This year, we made it even bigger.”
So far, Apple Music has gotten off to a promising start. Last year, the streaming service built a campaign for Rihanna — while keeping her pregnancy a secret — leading up to her performance, which became the most-watched in Super Bowl halftime history with more than 121 million viewers.
Apple Music created a strategic plan before Usher hit the Super Bowl stage. The streaming service worked with the singer and his team since meeting with him during last year’s Paris Fashion Week.
“It’s been a journey with him and his management ever since,” Schusser said. “We want to make this a bigger and global event. Between Apple Music, Apple Music Radio, the talent who have a deep understanding of music and culture and obviously Apple’s ecosystem, I think we can amplify that.”
Leading up to Sunday, it’s all about Usher. Through the streaming service’s app, listeners can check out the singer’s halftime show trailer, his curated My Road to Halftime playlist featuring his own hits and collaborators. Usher and Jermaine Dupri created a mix of songs in spatial audio with jams including DJs Tiësto, Gryffin and BLOND:ISH.
Apple Music Radio’s Nadeska Alexis had a livestreamed sit-down interviewThursday with Usher where the short film was shown.
There’s a story of Usher in 20 songs, an editorial feature that gives an in-depth look at his 30-year career as a performer. The platform offers a four-night Usher takeover through their live broadcasting shows hosted by Lil Wayne and Estelle along with exclusive programming on Apple Music Radio that will chronicle the singer’s evolution; workout music by past halftime performers through Fitness+ and ways to revisit his past projects before the release of his ninth studio album “Coming Home,” which comes out Friday.
“From a marketing standpoint, we approach it like a product launch,” said Tor Myhren, vice president of marketing communications at Apple. “You have all the unique things about it then bring those to life. With Usher, the approach is that Usher is fun. Usher is a party. He wants to have a good time. It’s really about capturing the essence of that artist, putting that together with the essence of Apple Music.”
Myhren said there’s still a focus on Usher’s performance after the Super Bowl. He said it’s imperative to capitalize off the singer’s show before turning the company’s attention to next year’s performer.
“We still want people to bask in the glory of the show,” he said. “After any halftime artist plays, their streaming of their music the next week or two goes through the roof. We want to be in the middle of that. We want to give our customers a much better experience.”
Myhren said the foundation has been laid.
“It’s about the lead up to the show and how we can continue to reinvent that step,” he said. “We want to continue to bring this very cool musical experience to a much more global audience.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report
