Usher Halftime Show Guest Confirmed for Super Bowl Performance
The guest had a No. 1 hit with Usher in 2004.
Alicia Keys is reportedly set to be a special guest performer alongside Usher during Sunday's halftime show of Super Bowl LVIII in Las Vegas. TMZ Hip Hop first reported the news on Friday. "Sources close to the production confirm eyewitness accounts that AK rehearsed with Usher inside Allegiant Stadium on Thursday," the outlet reported.
"Now that we know she'll be in the mix -- the first confirmed guest of his BTW -- all signs pointing to them doing one big song together." TMZ previously reported that Usher is in "direct talks" with Justin Bieber about performing at halftime as well. According to the latest TMZ Hip Hop report, there has yet to be any confirmation whether or not Bieber will be present on the day.
Keys' confirmation strongly suggests that "My Boo," the No. 1 Billboard Hot 100 hit that featured Usher and Keys in 2004, will be played at halftime.
TMZ Hip Hop reported that Ludacris and Lil Jon are also expected to perform alongside Usher, though their participation has not been confirmed. Ludacris and Lil Jon appeared in Usher's 2004 hit, Yeah!
On the inaugural episode of HuffPost's podcast, "I Know That's Right," Usher said, "Vegas brought everybody together." A halftime performance at the Super Bowl has been on his bucket list for a while.
"I'm very fortunate to have gotten that call from Jay-Z that it was time, and of course, I was ready, and I am ready for it," the "My Way" singer said. "I can tell you that you should expect a celebration, a celebration of life for those people who are not able to be here with me for this performance. I'm going to be celebrating for them. ... We'll be celebrating for the 30 years of a career that I stand on. I'll be celebrating because music has been this connective tissue between me and people, because for every experience that I've had, I put it into music and maybe that gave us something to cry to, that gave us something to be vulnerable and transparent to."
In terms of Usher, he can't wait for the show, but he's feeling some pressure to make sure everything goes smoothly. "It has to be perfect," he told Vogue last month. "I've been doing this for 30 years. I want people who have been a part of that journey to feel like it's a celebration for everybody, for all of us, from the beginning up until this point."