Usher teases his highly anticipated Super Bowl Halftime performance, talks about the advice and encouragement he’s received from other Super Bowl Halftime show performers like Katy Perry and Rihanna, his new album Coming Home, why people still resonate with his album Confessions 20 years later, his experience doing his successful Las Vegas residency and whether he’ll return to it, his thoughts on where the future of R&B music is going and more.
Usher
Playin’ the Super Bowl man.
Gail Mitchell
This is Gail Mitchell, Executive Director of R&B and Hip-Hop for Billboard magazine, and I couldn’t be more thrilled because to my left is the one and only Usher.
Usher
Hey Gail, how you doing? How are you doing love? It’s been a while.
Gail Mitchell
It hasn’t been a long time actually it’s been three years.
Usher
Well three years actually is for everybody else is a long time.
Gail Mitchell
But deja vu? Because we were sitting at Caesars Palace, yes, inside the theater. And you were rehearsing the first iteration of your residency. And look at you now on that stage Park MGM and now you’re going to be on a global stage.
Usher
Very happy to have been able to have that moment with you very happy to have started that and then 100 shows later on now plays a Super Bowl in Las Vegas. I’m very, very happy.
Gail Mitchell
You look very calm, cool and collected outside. It’s a matter of days at this point, right?
Usher
I’m trying my hardest not to overthink it but it’s literally 12 to 15 minutes, if I can manage to impress the entire world, over 30 years of a career within 15 minutes. It’s, it’s a lot, you know, I’m definitely happy that I’m coming off a successful residency and kind of in the rhythm of it overall. Because otherwise, you know, you kind of have to restart and relive the moments, but every day going on that stage from Wednesday, Friday and Saturday, it just reminded me of what my music has meant, and how people feel about me, and how I feel about it. You know, after you know, years and years are doing this, you can go tired, and just kind of grow frustrated, especially as music changes the standards of how we count, it changes the standard of what is hot, what’s not the standard of what’s cool, and what is and all of those things can kind of get to your mind. And, you know, make you even question if you really want to continue to do but when I went to Vegas, it just made me excited about all of it all over again.
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