The National Football League (NFL) announced on Tuesday, Sept. 14, that eight-time Grammy award winning artist Usher will headline the 2024 Super Bowl halftime show via an official press release.
Usher confirmed the announcement with a commemorative Instagram post, featuring gold grills on his teeth that spell out LVIII, referring to the 58th Super Bowl.
The Super Bowl will be held Feb. 11, 2024 at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas. This location is fitting for Usher, as his residency “My Way” at the Park MGM casino’s Dolby Live stage has entertained visitors to Sin City since July 2022. In August 2023, he announced an extension of the residency through December due to popular demand.
Much like Rihanna’s performance at the 2023 Super Bowl, Usher’s halftime show will be sponsored by Apple Music. According to Oliver Schusser, vice president of Apple Music, the performance will feature Spatial Audio, an Apple-exclusive sound technology that allows the user to be immersed in “theater-like audio” with sound coming from all angles.
Pepsi was the halftime show’s sponsor prior to Apple Music, collaborating with iconic headlining artists such as Lady Gaga, The Weeknd, Shakira and Jennifer Lopez.
Usher’s performance will also be in collaboration with Roc Nation, a record label and production company owned by rapper and mogul Jay-Z. This will be Roc Nation’s fifth time collaborating with the NFL for the halftime show. Although Usher is not under the Roc Nation label, Jay-Z and Usher have been longtime friends and collaborators. The two artists paired up in 2010 for Usher’s “Hot Tottie,” and are both stakeholders in the streaming platform Tidal.
The NFL’s announcement garnered mixed reactions online, with many citing Usher’s lack of modern-day relevance as a point of concern. Usher’s last #1 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 was in 2010, and he has not had a top-ten hit since 2012. While some question Usher’s slot, others have noted that while he may be out of the modern-day spotlight, this isn’t the first time the NFL has highlighted artists who are making a comeback.
Apple Music’s strategy for high viewership seems to rely on the viewer’s nostalgia. Before Rihanna’s 2023 halftime show, the 35-year-old singer underwent a five-year hiatus from any live performance. While Usher has millions of dedicated fans who follow his career and stream his music, casual listeners may not have seen him in the limelight for over a decade.
He may not be pumping out modern day chart-toppers, but Usher’s career spans over 30 years, with nine #1 hits on the Billboard Hot 100 and 18 additional top-ten hits. He was also recently awarded an honorary doctorate this past May from Berklee College of Music.
Usher brings a multi-generational appeal, a crucial factor when considering who should headline such a famous performance. His vast musical catalog features multiple genres, including hip-hop, R&B and electronic dance music (EDM). Many of his major hits are dance floor staples, with high-energy beats that invite the listener to let loose and have fun. He is also known for his slower songs, such as the iconic ballad “My Boo” featuring Alicia Keys.
For recording artists, performing at the Super Bowl is one of the greatest marketing opportunities. Last year, Rihanna’s halftime show received approximately 118 million viewers, according to the event’s broadcaster, Fox. Shortly after airing live, Rihanna’s performance became the most viewed show of its kind on YouTube, with 188 million views on the platform as of Oct. 3.
According to TMZ, Usher has seen a major streaming boost to his discography following the announcement, with classics such as “Yeah!” and “DJ Got Us Falling In Love” receiving upwards of a 16 percent gain in streams on Spotify. On Amazon Music, however, this boost was most apparent; “Yeah!” featuring Lil Jon and Ludacris received a whopping 142 percent increase in streams after announcement.
Usher’s Super Bowl halftime show will be broadcasted live on CBS and Paramount+ on Feb. 11, 2024.
Nathan Legare can be reached at [email protected].
