One thing we won’t know about Usher’s Super Bowl Halftime Show performance this weekend until it actually happens is what it will look like. Before then, though, Usher at least offered a bit of insight into the thought process behind his show.
In a recent Entertainment Weekly interview, Usher said:
“Rihanna’s was fire because of the choreography and the way they did something that felt like a concert. It actually was a great deal of inspiration [for] how I began to think of my show. If you ever came to my residency, it was all about being immersed — being immersed in an experience that is all of these things that wouldn’t necessarily go together.”
This presumably doesn’t mean Usher will reveal he’s pregnant, like Rihanna did during her 2023 performance.
He also noted that his performance will be 15 minutes long instead of the usual 13, saying, “I can’t explain why, but it’s a funny thing that I was able to do and craft. That was a huge strategic thing that happened between me and my agency.”
Usher also noted, “I would hope that people would feel excited — whether they knew my music or they just got to meet me for the first time — and that I’m all passion, man. And that this 8-year-old, who now is a 45-year-old, feels just as free as the first time that I thought any of this could be possible.”
Learn more about how to watch Usher’s performance here.