Attn: A Trailer for Usher’s Super Bowl LVIII Halftime Show Just Dropped
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The Super Bowl is T-minus one month away at this point, so obvi there are several things to be excited about right now. And because we're besties, we've prepared a handy dandy list for your reading pleasure—yw!
The possibility of the Chiefs making it to the Super Bowl and Taylor Swift being in attendance (we've already done the math, and yes, she is free that day....barely).
The possibility of Usher dusting off an absolute lineup of fellow '90s icons to be his guest stars.
Someone rolling into whatever party you show up at with meats and cheeses in the shape of a stadium.
The game, I guess, begrudgingly.
So what do we know about the Super Bowl LVIII halftime show thus far? Not much, but we're spilling all the available information we have at le moment and will continue to add deets to this list ASAP. And for starters, as we already mentioned:
USHER IS THE 2024 HALFTIME SHOW PERFORMER!!
Iconically, he roped Kim Kardashian into his announcement and had her "tell him" the news.
Actually, he did this bit with several other celebrities as well:
Anyway! Seems safe to assume that everyone above ^^^ will be in attendance at the game, if that's your thing. My thing? Very specifically this photo of Usher using a diamond-encrusted toothpick on his LVIII grill.
So What Has Usher Said About the Show?
Thus far, the vibes have mostly been general excitement vs specific details. But during a September 2023 interview with Apple Music's Zane Lowe, Usher mentioned, “This is the most grand stage to ever play on. Those 13 minutes mean everything. It’s been on my bucket list for a long time.”
He also said, “I’ve been asked many a time, ‘What are the benchmarks? What are the things that matter the most to you?’ Being able to perform on that stage, because so many amazing performers throughout the years have graced it and done an amazing job.”
Then, just a month later in November 2023, the musician opened up about how he was planning on using his appearance with Black Eyed Peas frontman will.i.am in 2011 as a “cheat sheet” for his own performance this year. “I got a chance to see a bit of what it felt like,” Usher told the Associated Press at the time.
“Don’t take the moments for granted because you only get 13 of them,” Usher continued before adding, “The hardest part is trying to figure out how to squeeze it all in when you actually have a large catalog, or a lot of records people celebrate and love.”
Who Will Usher's Guests Be?
It's too early to know for sure (we'll update you!), but the musician *did* tease this: “Well, one thing I can say is I’ve collaborated with a lot of incredible artists throughout the years....There’ll be many more Sundays to talk about this leading up to the grand Sunday of all. I’m so happy that we were able to launch it today.”
How Much Will Usher Get Paid to Play the Super Bowl?
That would be $0.00.
But before you panic, this is typical for halftime performers. To quote an NFL spokesperson who chatted with Forbes a few years ago, “We do not pay the artists. We cover expenses and production costs.” That said, the NFL does apparently offer a “union scale,” which is “a fraction of the six- and seven-figure sums” performers typically earn.
The rationale for this? That the halftime show basically functions as a 13-minute commercial for an artist's musical catalogue, and as a result, they get a ton of money in their pocket. Example? Spotify reported that J.Lo’s streams spiked by 335 percent after the 2020 Super Bowl, while Shakira's went up by 230 percent. Plus, Billboard reported the songs J.Lo and Shakira performed sold 16,000 digital downloads that day alone, which was up from around 1,000 the day before.
There's Officially a Trailer!
And to say it's star-studded is a serious understatement. Like, Lebron James? Check! J Balvin? Check! Jungkook? Check!!!!
Watch the teaser in full below:
How Can You Watch the 2024 Halftime Show?
The Super Bowl will air on CBS on February 11, 2024 and can be streamed on Paramount+. Those of you who have cable can watch it on TV like the good ol' days, and those of you who don't can do a free live-TV trial of Hulu, FuboTV, or YouTube TV. Basically, if you're determined to watch this game, you absolutely can!
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