Usher Says His Super Bowl Halftime Show Will Honor Black Artists of the Past

Usher is sharing more details about his upcoming halftime show performance at Super Bowl LVIII.

During an interview with Good Morning America on Friday (Feb. 2), the 45-year-old R&B star said that he plans to use the opportunity on football’s biggest night to pay homage to Black artists who came before him and helped pave the way for his successful career in music.

“I think about what our country has kind of represented for Black artists, you know, having to at some point go through kitchens to even be able to perform for an audience, but they had to leave back through that same door, fear for their lives as they went to the next state to do the same thing,” Usher told reporter Kelley Carter.

The “My Boo” singer added, “So I’m coming through the front door with this one.”

The hitmaker also noted that he remembered his friends and mentors who have supported him over the decades when planning his upcoming halftime show performance.

“I didn’t start where I am now, and I didn’t get there by myself,” he said. “So, everybody that has been a part of it, I’m carrying them with me. All of my fans, my loved ones, the people who may have felt like they have been forgotten, they haven’t. I’m carrying you right with me when I walk on that stage that night.”

Usher will perform during the Super Bowl Halftime Show presented by Apple Music on Feb. 11, when the Kansas City Chiefs take on the San Francisco 49ers at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas.

Ahead of the big game, the R&B star will release his new album, Coming Home, on Feb. 9. The project serves as his ninth studio album, and it’s his first released independently. It’s a star-studded affair across the 20 tracks, as he’s recruited Latto, Burna Boy, 21 Savage, The-Dream, H.E.R., Summer Walker and BTS’ Jung Kook to join him on the journey.

“I put a lot of heart and time into making sure that this was curated right. Something that felt like this next chapter of my life. It’s the next frontier, the next chapter of my legacy,” the “Love in This Club” singer said of the album in a recent interview with Club Shay Shay.

Ahead of Coming Home, Usher dropped another single on Friday (Feb. 2) with the Afrobeats-tinged “Ruin.”

Watch Usher’s GMA interview about his Super Bowl halftime show in the video below.