Usher knows he was not the first choice for the Super Bowl halftime show but is determined to ‘prove all the haters wrong’ by putting on the ‘best performance ever’, a source close to the singer has told DailyMail.com.
The 44-year-old was announced as the headliner earlier this week, after speculation swirled for months around which star would be the one to take to the stage during the coveted event, which is set to take place in Las Vegas in February 2024.
Just weeks before Usher was named as the next starring act, a source revealed to DailyMail.com that Taylor Swift had been asked to lead the show ‘a handful of times’ but turned it down because she’s too ‘busy.’
There were also rumors that Lizzo had been in contention but was dropped amid her recent scandal.
Usher knows he was not the first choice for the Super Bowl halftime show but is determined to ‘prove all the haters wrong’ by putting on the ‘best performance ever’ an insider claims
The singer, 44, was announced as the headliner earlier this week, after speculation swirled for months around who would perform. The stadium where it will be held in February is seen
Just weeks earlier, a source revealed that Taylor Swift had been asked to lead the show ‘a handful of times’ but turned it down because she’s too ‘busy’
One NFL source told DailyMail.com that several other options had been considered, with Harry Styles’ name thrown into the mix at one point – while the idea of doing a boyband medley.
It was suggested that One Direction might agree to reunite for the show – and the newly-reunited NSYNC was also put forward as an option to perform.
Now, someone close to the R&B star told DailyMail.com exclusively that while Usher is well aware that he was not the top pick for the performance, he is still ready to give it his all.
‘Usher knows he wasn’t the first choice, but he is here to prove that he is the right choice,’ they said.
‘He has been able to reinvent himself and prove to people that he is an amazing performer with his recent residency in Vegas.
‘He knows he has a tremendous catalog, and his halftime show is going to be one of the best.
‘He has no problem proving himself and if people think he is going to be bad, he is looking forward to proving wrong all the haters.
‘This opportunity is incredible, and Usher is looking forward to making it very memorable.
‘It might seem that his back is against the wall and people aren’t that excited, but he is all about proving everyone wrong.’
The insider added that Usher was a ‘bit disappointed’ that his announcement was ‘overshadowed’ by the recent news that Taylor is dating football star Travis Kelce.
There were also rumors that Lizzo had been in contention but was dropped amid her recent scandal
Now, someone close to the R&B star has told DailyMail.com exclusively that while Usher is aware that he was not the top pick for the performance, he is ready to give it his all
He will follow Rihanna’s record-breaking halftime show last February, which was reportedly the most-watched one in history
She was spotted cheering the Kansas City Chiefs player on from a private suite alongside his mother at his game on Sunday, and the news of the pairing quickly took over the internet.
The source claimed that while Usher was ‘briefly upset’ that the attention seemed to focus on them, he knows he ‘can’t control’ the media and is now focused on putting on the best show that he can.
‘Usher was a bit disappointed that his announcement was and has been overshadowed by all the Taylor and Travis news,’ they said.
‘Though he was briefly upset that the rollout of the announcement didn’t go to his liking, he [knows he] can’t control the unknown.
‘He can only control what he can do, and he is ready to put on the show of his life.’
The 44-year-old, who has had nine number one hits and 18 in the top 10 on the Billboard music charts since 1997, has collaborated with some of the biggest stars in music, undoubtedly leading fans to wonder who might show up on the Super Bowl stage alongside him.
The insider added that he is considering adding some special guests to the performance because he wants to ‘make sure it will be as epic as possible.’
‘As much as he would like to do it all by himself, he is not against adding people to his show,’ they continued.
‘Everything is on the table to make sure that the show will be as epic as possible.’
DailyMail.com has contacted Usher’s spokesperson for comment.
Usher confirmed he would be singing at the 2024 Super Bowl halftime show on Sunday, through a video that featured Kim Kardashian.
The insider added that Usher was a ‘bit disappointed’ that his announced was ‘overshadowed’ by the recent news that Taylor is dating football star Travis Kelce
She was spotted cheering the Kansas City Chiefs player on from a private suite alongside his mother at his match on Sunday, and the news of the pairing quickly took over the internet
The source said that while he was ‘briefly upset’ that the attention seemed to focus on them, he knows he ‘can’t control’ the media and is now focused on putting on the best show that he can
‘It’s an honor of a lifetime to finally check a Super Bowl performance off my bucket list,’ he said in a statement afterwards.
‘I can’t wait to bring the world a show unlike anything else they’ve seen from me before.
‘Thank you to the fans and everyone who made this opportunity happen. I’ll see you real soon.’
He will follow Rihanna’s record-breaking halftime show last February, which was reportedly the most-watched one in history.
Last month, a source told DailyMail.com that Taylor, 33, had been asked to perform at the annual football game but that the Anti-Hero songstress wasn’t interested.
They said she was ‘in no rush’ to headline the event because she doesn’t believe it would be ‘a defining moment for her right now.’
They added that she’s extremely ‘busy’ with her Eras World Tour, which is her main focus.
‘Taylor is busy with her current tour, she has zero time to prepare a Super Bowl show, she will do it eventually, but she is in no rush at all to do it in Vegas or do it in the next couple of years,’ explained the insider.
‘She knows she is at her peak in her career and each move from this point on is as important as the next.
‘Working on her current tour and recording her old music and working on new music and living life are taking up the majority of her time.
‘The Super Bowl will be a nice thing to do someday but it is not a defining moment for her right now.
Usher confirmed he would be singing at the 2024 Super Bowl halftime show on Sunday, through a video that featured Kim Kardashian
The announcement that Usher will be the one to take the stage garnered a mixed reaction from social media users
‘She knows she has all the time in the world, and she always reminds her team that Madonna was 53 when she finally did the show herself, so timing is everything.
‘Taylor is well aware of how she wants her career to develop and will do things her way and her way only and will not rush into something she doesn’t want to do just to do it and that includes the Super Bowl.’
Days before that, an NFL source told DailyMail.com that Lizzo had her name in the mix as one of the front-runners for the 2024 spectacle, but that she was no longer being considered after facing a series of shocking sexual harassment and fat-shaming allegations from former dancers.
The announcement that Usher will be the one to take the stage garnered a mixed reaction from social media users.
While some were ecstatic over the news, others branded him as ‘irrelevant’ due to his lack of new music as of late.
While he’s dropped a few singles over the years, he hasn’t released a new album since 2016.
‘This is a terrible act for the Super Bowl. No one ever says at a tailgate, “Hey can you play some Usher?” Never,’ one person wrote.
‘Wow it’s really cool they’re having Usher do the halftime show this year. I wonder who they’re gonna choose for the 2007 Super Bowl!’ someone else sarcastically tweeted.
‘They couldn’t find anyone better or more relevant that Usher to do the Super Bowl halftime show?’ asked another user.
Others defended him, calling him ‘iconic’ and crediting his My Way The Las Vegas Residency – which kicked off in 2022 and has continued to soar throughout 2023.
‘Dude literally has the biggest show in Vegas the last 1.5 years,’ one of his fans replied.
‘He puts on a really great show,’ another defender wrote.
