We’re now less than a month away from Super Bowl LVIII—set to take place on Sunday, February 11, at Nevada’s Allegiant Stadium—and the question on everyone’s lips (besides, well, which two teams will face off that day) is this: What will Usher perform at halftime?!
The singer, who has now been famous for nearly 30 of his 45 years on this planet, certainly has material to choose from: His eight studio albums have yielded no fewer than nine Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 singles, including “Confessions Part II,” “Burn,” “Love in This Club,” and “OMG.” So, what’s a man to do in just 13 minutes? (For reference, his viral NPR Tiny Desk concert in 2022 was almost twice as long.)
In the story that accompanies Vogue’s winter 2024 digital cover, Usher teases his plans for the coming Super Bowl performance, sharing that his focus will be trained on the genre that made him a star: “This night was specifically curated in my mind to have R&B take the main stage,” he tells Alessandra Codinha. “Not just R&B music, but R&B performance, R&B connection, R&B spirit.” (He also suggests that a special guest or two may be in the mix. Exciting!)
Ahead of the big show—and because we all simply love Usher—here are the songs that Vogue staffers hope to see him do on Super Bowl Sunday. Watch this.
Few songs make you feel more like a bad girl (complimentary) than Usher’s “Bad Girl.” A deep cut from his famed Confessions album, this is exactly what I sing to myself in the shower before going out for a night on the town. —Maya Layne
Like any millennial, I’ll always have a soft spot for the Confessions-era Usher bangers that soundtracked many a teen disco, but my actual favorite song of his has to be the 2012 comeback single “Climax.” With a nod to The Weeknd’s sad-boy electro-R&B courtesy of Diplo’s slinky production, it’s as stylish a song as Usher has ever made—but it’s also a showcase for his killer vocals, whether angsty crooning or the gorgeous, fluttering falsetto of the song’s, well, climax. Every Super Bowl performance needs a ballad for the performer to catch their breath (and I’ll be expecting some serious choreo from Usher), so here’s hoping he lands on “Climax” for his slow-tempo pick. —Liam Hess
If Usher doesn’t bring out Alicia Keys as a surprise guest to perform “My Boo,” I will simply never forgive him. It was the ballad of my awkward tween years. Twelve-year-old me needs this. —Christian Allaire
Want to understand the exquisite agony of falling in love? Just listen to the first 10 seconds of Usher’s 2001 masterpiece “U Got It Bad.” That smoky melody. That kicky drumbeat. That primal groan. It’s a mosaic of pain and pleasure—and all these years later, you better believe it still hits. —Jessie Heyman
Usher’s “Yeah!” is an eternal bop. I have just as many fond memories of getting down to it at bar and bat mitzvahs as I do in college. I hope Usher gives the people (me) what they want by bringing such a banger to the Super Bowl. —Hannah Jackson
It tracks that a song about flirting with infidelity would be utterly irresistible—just candy for your ears, no matter how many times you hear it—but goodness me! If Usher performs this at the Super Bowl, I will scream with delight. (Also, while we’re all here: How adorable is he in this video? He’s 18 or 19 but, respectfully, looks approximately 12.) —Marley Marius
I’d like to shine the spotlight on Usher the songwriter; he penned several hits for his contemporaries and helped cowrite J. Lo’s “Get Right.” It’s a bop! —Lilah Ramzi