On Billboard's latest Pop Shop Podcast, music journalists Katie Atkinson and Keith Caulfield discuss their hopes and predictions for the upcoming Super Bowl halftime show with Usher.
LISTEN NOW: Pop Shop Podcast | Will Usher Bring Out Super Bowl Guests?
There has been a lot of guesswork surrounding Usher’s Super Bowl LVIII Halftime Show. All major details have been kept under wraps, including the setlist, choreography, and possible collaborations. One thing of note, however, is that Usher will be releasing a brand new album right before his Sunday performance. Coming Home, his ninth studio album and first under his own record company, is 20 tracks long and set for release this Friday, 2/9.
“It’s a tough thing to do new music at half time,” Katie Akinson noted on the Pop Shop Podcast. “We have seen it before during Coldplay's halftime show. When Beyonce came out, she did ‘Formation’ the Sunday after it was released, like, and it was already a moment… Can Usher turn new music into a big enough moment from Friday to Sunday coming up this weekend?”
Podcast co-host Keith Caulfield, however, seemed a bit more confident. “He's essentially been rehearsing for this his entire life, but also more specifically in Vegas,” Caulfield said, noting Usher’s longstanding Vegas residency and close interaction with the crowds there. Besides, Usher already has quite the setlist to choose from. In total, he has 9 songs on the Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 hits, 4 albums within the Billboard 200, and 9 GRAMMY awards within his 23 nominations. Uh, yeah!
The podcast hosts also suggested that Usher may feature a few cover songs, giving his announcement to pay tribute to other Black artists. “Well, maybe, does he pull out a cover of ‘Billie Jean’ by Michael Jackson who is a halftime performer? Does he do something like that?" Caulfield hypothesized. “I don't think it's going to be all covers though.”
Speaking of other performers, there will surely be a surprise guest alongside Usher -- but there’s no official word on who (or how many artists) that may be. Atkinson recalls a past surprise concert collab she saw from Usher, saying, “He brought out Ludacris and Lil Jon and the crowd went absolutely bananas. They did ‘Lovers and Friends’ and yeah, lost their minds. Absolutely lost their minds. That should be the finale of this half-time.”
“You have to have Lil Jon, Ludacris there,” Caulfield agreed, “but Ludacris and Lil Jon will not be on stage at the end of it.” Instead, Caulfield suggested that the show will end with Usher “alone” on the Halftime stage. “This is Usher’s show,” he asserted, with Atkinson adding in, “And Usher can surely stand alone.”
Check out Billboard’s predictions in the full podcast episode here, and while you’re waiting for Sunday, listen to past Super Bowl performers with our Halftime Radio on the free Audacy app!