Usher: It's hard to cut a career short before Super Bowl halftime

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LAS VEGAS – Usher found it difficult to fit 30 years of successful music into a super-short Super Bowl halftime show, but the multiple Grammy winner decided to draw on past hits, moments from his popular Las Vegas residency and possibly a shot from his new album. .

“I've been really focused on my past, celebrating my present in Las Vegas and thinking about where we're going in the future,” the singer said Thursday during a press conference ahead of Sunday's Super Bowl. The San Francisco 49ers take on the Kansas City Chiefs at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas. He will release his ninth studio album, Coming Home, on Friday.

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Usher asked himself, “What songs do people know me for, what songs have been a celebration of the whole journey?” He said that he asked.

The R&B singer has been thinking about adding a roller-skating element to his halftime performance during his residency, but he hasn't offered any other specific hints about where the process has taken him or how he's looking at the global scene.

“For everyone who heard about my show in Las Vegas, now you get a chance to see some of what I do here, but you get the best of it,” he said. »

Usher didn't name who might be joining him on stage, but he did drop some vague hints. He confirmed he won't be alone at Allegiant Stadium. In previous years, most of the Super Bowl performers have included guest stars — except for Rihanna, who was a solo act last year.

The singer said that it will be people who have worked with him before.

“I think I was easy on myself when I decided to put artists on songs that became hit records. It was the biggest inspiration for me,” he said. “I've been going through a lot of ideas at this point about who is going to go with me

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Considering everyone he's worked with, from Beyoncé to Monica to Nicki Minaj to Ludacris to Lil Jon, that's not going to cut it.

Usher guest starred at the 2011 Super Bowl alongside Black Eyed Peas frontman will.i.am. He told The Associated Press that he would use the performance as a “cheat sheet” for Sunday's show.

On Thursday, he said he had a hard time getting there.

“My hand was stuck in a wire that was holding me 30 feet in the air, and I missed my entrance,” he said.

He still managed a shot — in the splits. But he prefers to avoid such scandals.

Usher said he aims to bring a taste of Atlanta, where he made his musical name. His 100-show local residency in Las Vegas last year was the perfect workshop to help make that happen.

“I was able to bring a lot of Atlanta and its melting pot musically and culturally to Las Vegas,” he said. “It wasn't easy, but I turned Vegas into Atlanta. I took the V and turned it upside down.”

An eight-time Grammy Award winner, Usher's “Confessions” has sold more than 10 million copies in the US. The album is one of the best-selling musical projects of all time, and “Yes!” started #1 hits like With Ludacris and Lil Jon, “The Burn” and “Confessions Part II.” His special edition duet with Alicia Keys included the hit “My Boo.” Next year marks the 20th anniversary of the epic album.

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Usher joins Prince, Beyonce, Madonna, Michael Jackson, Coldplay, Katy Perry, Lady Gaga, Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg among other famous artists who have played Super Bowl halftime shows. Last year, Rihanna chose to perform at the Super Bowl to tell the world that she was pregnant with her second child.

Usher spoke to the media not in the traditional press conference format, but in front of a packed audience of reporters through an interview with Apple Music's Nadesca Alexis, which aired on his platform and social media sites.

The press conference also featured pregame performers Reba McEntire, Post Malone and Andra Day.

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