Usher fans defend "OMG" amid debate over his halftime setlist
Usher has hits on hits, but when it comes to his Super Bowl halftime show setlist, there is at least one song that seems to have his fans split: “OMG.”
The will.i.am-produced track debuted in May 2010. It is one of Usher’s nine hits that peaked at the No. 1 spot on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, spending a total of 30 weeks on the chart, four of which were spent in the top spot. In a 2022 interview, will.i.am recalled the megastar’s team telling him, “‘Yo, we need a hit.’ I’m like, ‘What type of hit?’ ‘Cause that’s a very vague thing. ‘You know, international. We need an international smash.’” He would go on to produce the track after first gaining inspiration from a recording of a chanting crowd at a Black Eyed Peas performance.
Usher got his first taste of the Super Bowl halftime show when the diverse group of artists helmed the halftime show in 2011. He appeared on stage with a flip and a jaw-dropping split to perform “OMG.” Yet, ahead of his big moment on Sunday, some fans are still not convinced that the song is worthy of the mini-concert moment.
“Usher better not perform ‘OMG’ [on] Sunday. I’m dead a**,” tweeted one person, which prompted a flood of reactions. See a few of them below.
On Friday (Feb. 9), it was reported by TMZ that Alicia Keys was among the special guests set to take the stage on Sunday. The musician and Usher teamed up in 2004 for the massive hit record, “My Boo,” which nabbed the No. 1 spot on the Billboard Hot 100 chart for six weeks.
At best, the crooner has at least confirmed that “Yeah!” will be performed. “I would be a fool to not play ‘Yeah!’ Let’s just start there,” he told “Entertainment Tonight” on Thursday (Feb. 8). He also seemed to allude to Lil Jon and Ludacris being guest performers, too. “It would be foolish to make it all the way to Las Vegas, Jon is here, Luda’s here and not play ‘Yeah!'” he said. The song, which appeared on his RIAA diamond-certified album Confessions, is his best-performing single on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, having secured the No. 1 spot for 12 weeks straight.
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