It’s official! Not only will “lovers and friends” enjoy Usher alongside Ludacris and Lil Jon during his highly anticipated halftime performance, but Alicia Keys will make an appearance too. That’s not all, however, a certain Hive thinks their Queen will hit the stage with the Confessions crooner for a “Love In This Club” collab.
Source: Lester Cohen/ Kevin Mazur for Roc Nation/ Kevin Mazur for the Recording Academy / Getty
TMZ reports that A. Keys rehearsed with the Vegas headliner inside the Allegiant Stadium on Thursday. Fans anticipate the R&B legends will perform their 2004 hit duet from Usher’s Confessions album, “My Boo.” The mega tune was a staple on every 2000’s playlist — topping the Billboard Hot 100 for 6 weeks.
Fans are interested to see how Usher will incorporate the slow jam into his halftime performance because it’s expected to be a high-energy show, but Usher will have plenty of time to do so because his time on stage is 15 minutes long, a whole two minutes longer than the originally allotted 13 minutes.
The Las Vegas residency alum recently confessed to Apple Music that he was “very mindful” of his past and celebrating his present in Las Vegas while preparing for the show. While we wait to see who Usher will bring onstage, the Beyhive is hopeful that the R&B crooner will enlist Beyoncé to join him in performing their hit, “Love In This Club, Pt. II.
Others like R&Crooner Kenyon Dixon think that Bey might recreate a performance of “Bad Girl” from Usher Baby’s 2004 Truth tour.
Adding more fuel to the fire is a photo making its rounds on social media of King Bey in a Vegas hotel.
The BeyHive is also buzzing amid a rumor that Beyoncé will announce her own Vegas residency like Usher’s, but hers will take place at the new Sphere music and entertainment arena.
Usher Recently Commented On Beyoncé’s AOTY Grammys Snubs
In anticipation of his big Bowl performance, Usher recently sat down with the New York Post and shared his thoughts about the Recording Academy consistently overlooking Beyoncé for Album of the Year, despite her acquiring more Grammys than any other artist with 32 statues.
“To each his own, you know, about what they feel,” he began. “But here’s what I feel: Historically, I think that the Academy, for many years, got it wrong…whether that’s the system that was there or the lack of inclusion or the lack of consideration of the industry.”
The “Burn” singer continued,
“We watch your show for you to celebrate our artists, and you put us in [top] categories, but then you give it to someone else,” he added. “That’s going to obviously effect their viewership.”
The convos about Mrs. Knowles-Carter’s AOTY snub began when her husband Jay-Z mentioned the slight during his acceptance speech for the Dr. Dre Global Impact Award.
Source: Kevin Mazur / Getty
Usher himself has racked up eight Grammys throughout his 30-year career but has never accepted his gilded gramophone on stage during the ceremony’s broadcast and he admitted that he feels slighted.
“You’re talking to a winning loser, right? I’ve won eight Grammys, but never walked on the stage once to receive one,” he lamented to the Post. “Out of 30 years of a career, I’ve never walked on the Grammy stage — as many times as I have performed there and supported the Grammys — I’ve never been able just to say, ‘Thank you.’”
The father of four continued,
“That means something to my fans; it means something to me. But, you know, Allegiant Stadium time, I kind of grew a little bit more numb,” he said. “Like, you know what, maybe I don’t need that, maybe that’s not going to define me.”
What will define Usher is this evening’s halftime performance and we’ll have our popcorn ready to see the triple-threat!
We know that Usher’s mic will definitely be on for Super Bowl LVIII, but what surprises do YOU think he’ll have in store?
Super Bowl LVIII will air live on CBS at 6:30 p.m. ET (3:30 p.m. PT) today and stream live on Paramount+.