Usher Brings the Energy of Atlanta to Las Vegas in an Electrifying Halftime Show

Usher proved why he's a one of one pop star at Super Bowl LVIII tonight.

The eight-time Grammy Award winner left it all on the stage at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas. During the electric 15-minute set, the star performed a curation of his greatest hits including tracks like “Caught Up,” “Love in This Club,” and of course “Yeah” which included a cameo from his collaborators and fellow Atlanta legends Lil Jon and Ludacris. Fellow artists including Alicia Keys and H.E.R. also made special surprise appearances onstage for the halftime show to perform songs, “My Boo.”

Usher first emerged onto the field wearing a sleek white suit with a glittery silver top and silver brooch, layered underneath an extravagant fur-lined ivory cape, courtesy of Dolce & Gabbana. Dozens of performers clad in colorful costumes filled the field, dancing around the singer. Keys—who wore a red-hot sparkly catsuit and a flowing cape also by the Italian fashion house—appeared at a red piano playing the beginning of her hit single, “If I Ain't Got You.” She then joined Usher for a duet rendition of his 2004 track, “My Boo.”

Later on, H.E.R. took to the stage to perform a brief guitar solo. She was soon after joined by an entourage of roller skaters, with Usher—now wearing a glittery black and cobalt blue set—leading the way to sing “OMG” and “Yeah!” along with Lil Jon and Ludacris (plus a dancing marching band ensemble arranged around the stage).

Steph Chambers//Getty Images

Ahead of Super Bowl Sunday, Usher spoke to Apple Music about his preparation process and the importance of bringing R&B music to the forefront of the world's biggest stage, even while he doesn't prefer to categorize himself within genres.

"We don’t understand how relevant R&B has been to the development of the industry that we have, and the artist and the creatives that have been a part that, that they didn’t get recognized either," he said. "So I’m happy that R&B gets the stage on Sunday. I’m happy that R&B and rhythm & blues and the matter of what it is, as song and dance performers, it gets the recognition that it deserves."

Bianca Betancourt is the culture editor at HarpersBAZAAR.com, where she covers all things film, TV, music, and more. When she's not writing, she loves impulsively baking a batch of cookies, re-listening to the same early-2000s pop playlist, and stalking Mariah Carey's Twitter feed. 

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