Super Bowl Halftime Show
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You may have missed it amid the flurry of rollerskating, confetti and parade of special guests, but during Usher‘s electric halftime set at Sunday’s (Feb. 11) 2024 Super Bowl the “Yeah!” singer slipped in a touching, subtle tribute to one of his late longtime band members. While rocking Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas with a […]
Just two days after The Color Purple broke a slew of records upon its Christmas Day debut, Usher and H.E.R. have released the steamy new music video for “Risk It All,” their acclaimed collaboration off The Color Purple (Music From and Inspired By).
With Usher sporting nothing but a pair of skin-tight black boxer briefs, the “Good Good” singer effortlessly reminds us of his sex symbol status as H.E.R. matches his energy and equally embraces her sensuality on screen while wearing a low-cut black corset paired with black shorts. The two Grammy winners lip sync to their respective verses as they join background dancers performing modern dance choreography set to the somber, piano-backed ballad. “Sometimes it’s tragic, so problematic / People are cryin’ for it, people are dyin’ for it / Always the reason, we still believe it / Somethin’ that leaves us hurtin’ is worth it,” they croon.
Co-written and produced by H.E.R. — who also stars in the blockbuster movie musical — and Oscar and Grammy winner Jimmy Napes, “Risk It All” embodies the narratives of love, survival, determination and liberation that course through The Color Purple. The song appears on The Color Purple (Music From and Inspired By), which also includes new music from the likes of Fantasia, Halle Bailey, Megan Thee Stallion, Mary J. Blige, Jennifer Hudson, Coco Jones, Alicia Keys, Missy Elliott, Black Thought, October London, Shenseea, Mary Mary, Jorja Smith, Keyshia Cole and more.
The Color Purple opened in theatres on Dec. 25, 2023. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the movie — which is a film adaptation of the 2005 Tony-winning Broadway musical based on the 1985 Steven Spielberg-helmed film and Alice Walker’s 1982 Pulitzer Prize-winning novel — outpaced expectations and pulled in over $18 million in North America alone. That marks the largest Christmas Day opening for a film since Sherlock Holmes in 2009, as well as the second-largest Christmas Day opening of all time.
Starting on Dec. 27 at 11:00 a.m. ET/8:00 a.m. PT, the Dave Meyers-directed video will premiere on MTV and air every hour on MTVU, MTV Live & MTV Biggest Pop. “Risk It All” will also be included on Usher’s Coming Home, his forthcoming ninth studio album, which is set to arrive the same day he graces the Super Bowl Halftime stage (Feb. 11).
Watch the racy new “Risk It All” music video above.
Dolly Parton has no problem saying no to big offers. Whether it’s giving a firm no thank you to Elvis Presley when his manager asked for the half the publishing on “I Will Always Love You” for the honor of the King recording her song to initially declining induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Parton isn’t afraid to stick to her guns.
Even when the NFL comes calling, which they have, several times. Parton told The Hollywood Reporter that she’s turned down playing the coveted Super Bowl halftime gig several times, and for very good reasons.
“Oh, sure. I’ve been offered that many times,” Parton told THR of turning her back on one of the most high-profile gigs in music. “I couldn’t do it because of other things, or I just didn’t think I was big enough to do it — to do that big of a production. When you think about those shows, those are big, big productions. I’ve never done anything with that big of a production. I don’t know if I could have. I think at the time that’s what I was thinking.”
Had Parton said yes, she would have joined a very small roster of country stars who’ve taken the stage for what is typically the highest-rated broadcast TV program of the year, a list that includes 1994’s “Rockin’ Country Sunday” line-up with Clint Black, Tanya Tucker, Wynonna & Naomi Judd and Shania Twain (with No Doubt and Sting) in 2003.
But with her first-ever rock album, Rockstar, due out on Nov. 17, Parton said she’s thinking about blow-out performances in a much different way. “It would make more sense,” she said of playing the blow-out gig that will host Usher on Feb. 11, 2024 in Las Vegas. “That might change. I might be able to do a production show.”
The singer who has won 10 Grammys, been nominated for two Oscars and placed 25 No. 1 hits on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart is about to move into uncharted territory with the 30-song album, which features a handful of originals and collaborations on rock classics with everyone from Paul McCartney and Elton John to Stevie Nicks, Sting, Joan Jett, Ringo Starr, Aerosmith’s Steven Tyler, Emmylou Harris, Lizzo, P!nk, Brandi Carlile and more.
After initially turning down the offer to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame because she said it didn’t feel like the right fit, Parton was inducted last year after gaining a better understanding of how the Hall works. “They’re going to put me in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and somebody like Meat Loaf or some of these other great artists never even made it?’ I didn’t want to take away from somebody that has spent their life in that world like I had spent mine in country [music],” she told THR.
But after learning how the invitation process works, and seeing the variety of acts who’ve been inducted, from rappers (Jay-Z, The Beastie Boys) to pop icons (Madonna, Janet Jackson) — not to mention this year’s class featuring fellow country legend Willie Nelson, rapper/producer Missy Elliott and late pop star George Michael — she now gets it. “They told me all the ways that people’s music has influenced other people around the world … and told me about other people that were in it besides rock. Then I accepted it,” she said.
“But I still didn’t feel great about it. I still thought I needed to earn it,” she said. “That’s why I thought, ‘Well, timing is perfect. There’s a real reason for me to do this rock ‘n’ roll album. Here I am a rock star at 77.’”
While Usher‘s blockbuster Las Vegas residency is one reason he landed the 2024 Super Bowl halftime show, he makes it clear in a new interview that his preparation began long before his recent Vegas stint. “When I got the call, I was like, ‘Man, I’ve been working really hard my entire career,’” he told Extra. […]
It’s official! Usher is set to headline next year’s Apple Music Super Bowl Halftime Show, he announced on Sunday (Sept. 24). “It’s an honor of a lifetime to finally check a Super Bowl performance off my bucket list. I can’t wait to bring the world a show unlike anything else they’ve seen from me before,” […]
Immediately following news about headlining the 2024 Super Bowl Halftime Show presented by Apple Music, Usher sat down with Apple Music 1’s Zane Lowe to discuss exclusive details about his upcoming performance.
The Grammy-winning R&B icon will take the stage at Las Vegas’ Allegiant Stadium on Feb. 11, 2024, marking the city’s first time hosting the big game.
“It is definitely going to be a moment to remember,” Usher, 44, told Lowe live from Paris, where he’s launching a brief residency at La Seine Musicale. “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.”
On that same day, Usher will also release his ninth album, Coming Home, the follow-up to his 2016 album, Hard II Love, which peaked at No. 5 on the Billboard 200. He also teamed up with Zaytoven for the eight-track project, A, in 2018.
Coming Home will feature the Atlanta native’s previous 2023 release “Good Good,” featuring Summer Walker and 21 Savage, which reached No. 12 on Billboard‘s Hot R&B/Hip-Hop songs chart. The set is currently available for pre-order on Apple Music.
This year will mark the fifth year of the partnership between the NFL and Roc Nation to produce the Halftime Show, after a deal struck in 2019. That partnership has resulted in halftime shows by Shakira and Jennifer Lopez (2020), The Weeknd (2021), a hip-hop showcase anchored by Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Eminem, Mary J. Blige and Kendrick Lamar (2022), and Rihanna (2023).
The show will be produced by DPS, with executive producers Roc Nation and Jesse Collins, and will be directed by Hamish Hamilton.
Read below for the top 7 highlights from Usher’s interview with Lowe, and watch the full interview here.
A “Bucket List” Item
Usher will headline the 2024 Super Bowl Halftime Show presented by Apple Music, during the game set to take place Feb. 11, 2024.
The iconic singer from Atlanta will take the stage at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, the first time the big game will take place in that city.
“It’s an honor of a lifetime to finally check a Super Bowl performance off my bucket list. I can’t wait to bring the world a show unlike anything else they’ve seen from me before,” Usher said in a statement. “Thank you to the fans and everyone who made this opportunity happen. I’ll see you real soon.”
Usher has 18 top 10 hits on the Hot 100 in his career, including nine No. 1s, with songs like “U Got It Bad,” “Yeah!” feat Lil Jon and Ludacris, “My Boo” with Alicia Keys and “OMG” feat. will.i.am., which will surely ramp up the speculation around who may come out as a special guest alongside him. He also has four No. 1 albums on the Billboard 200 to his name across his career.
“Usher is an icon whose music has left an indelible mark on the cultural landscape throughout his career, we couldn’t be more excited to have him headline this year’s Apple Music Super Bowl Halftime Show,” said Seth Dudowsky, the head of music for the NFL, in a statement. “We look forward to working with Usher, Roc Nation and Apple Music to bring fans another Halftime Show for the history books.”
This year will mark the fifth year of the partnership between the NFL and Roc Nation to produce the Halftime Show, after a deal struck in 2019. That partnership has resulted in halftime shows by Shakira and Jennifer Lopez (2020), The Weeknd (2021), a hip-hop showcase anchored by Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Eminem, Mary J. Blige and Kendrick Lamar (2022), and Rihanna (2023).
“Usher is the ultimate artist and showman. Ever since his debut at the age of 15, he’s been charting his own unique course. Beyond his flawless singing and exceptional choreography, Usher bares his soul,” JAY-Z said in a statement. “His remarkable journey has propelled him to one of the grandest stages in the world. I can’t wait to see the magic.”
This will also mark the second year that the halftime show will be presented by Apple Music, after a decade of Pepsi sponsorship. The Rihanna performance in 2023 — during which the superstar revealed she was pregnant with her second child with A$AP Rocky — was the most-watched halftime show of all time.
“The Apple Music Super Bowl Halftime Show is one of the most highly anticipated music events of the year and we’re excited to bring this legendary show to fans all over the world in Spatial Audio, along with tons of exclusive videos, interviews, playlists and so much more across Apple Music,” Apple’s vp of Apple Music, Apple TV+, sports and Beats Oliver Schusser said in a statement. “We are so proud of what we were able to accomplish together with the NFL and Roc Nation last year and now with the insanely talented Usher set to take the stage we’re looking forward to another incredible Halftime Show from one of the world’s all-time greatest performers.”
The show will be produced by DPS, with executive producers Roc Nation and Jesse Collins, and will be directed by Hamish Hamilton.
While the Super Bowl is one of the biggest television events in the United States every year, the star-studded halftime show is often what gets the most online attention.
In 2023, Rihanna returned to the stage for the first time in more than five years to perform at Super Bowl LVII at Glendale, Ariz.’s State Farm Stadium, and the hype surrounding the performance led to a history making accomplishment. With 121.017 million viewers, RiRi’s performance narrowly surpassed Katy Perry’s 2015 performance as the most-watched halftime show of all time.
Rihanna’s achievement comes after Nielsen revised this year’s original 118.7 million viewers “after a review that revealed encoding irregularities as well as issues with out-of-home measurement,” according to the Associated Press. (The revised report regarding the Super Bowl LVII game between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Philadelphia Eagles also made this year’s football match the most-watched Super Bowl in history with 115.1 million viewers.)
Over the years, a number of stars have passed the 100 million viewership mark, stretching all the way back to Black Eyed Peas’ 2011 performance. From Rihanna and Beyoncé to Bruno Mars and Justin Timberlake, see below for the Super Bowl halftime shows with the all-time most viewership.
Jennifer Lopez & Shakira
Image Credit: Kevin Mazur/WireImage
Total viewers: 104 million
Two female Latin powerhouses took the Super Bowl LIV stage in 2020, as Jennifer Lopez and Shakira traded off performing their hits, like Lopez’s “Jenny From the Block” and “Waiting for Tonight” and Shakira’s “She Wolf” and “Hips Don’t Lie.” Bad Bunny, J Balvin, and Lopez’s daughter Emme Muñiz all joined them onstage as guests, and the performance had a total viewership of 104 million.
Justin Timberlake
Image Credit: Christopher Polk/GI
Total viewers: 106.6 million
Justin Timberlake 2018 Super Bowl LII performance garnered 106.6 million viewers with hits like “Sexy Back,” “Can’t Stop the Feeling!” and a Prince tribute with a rendition of “I Would Die 4 U.”
Black Eyed Peas
Image Credit: Kevin Mazur/Getty Images
Total viewers: 110.2 million
With 110.2 million viewers, Black Eyed Peas’ 2011 Super Bowl XLV halftime show performance makes the list. The group performed songs like “I Gotta Feeling,” “Boom Boom Pow” and “Where Is the Love?”
Beyoncé
Image Credit: Kevin Mazur/WireImage
Total viewers: 110.8 million
Yes, Bey made the list twice. Her solo show included hits like “Halo” and “Run The World (Girls)” before an iconic Destiny’s Child reunion with Kelly Rowland and Michelle Williams to perform “Bootylicious,” “Independent Women Part I” and “Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It).” The 2013 XLVII halftime show garnered 110.8 million viewers.
Madonna
Image Credit: Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic
Total viewers: 114 million
Madonna took the Super Bowl XLVI stage in 2012 with a viewership of 114 million, as she performed a slew of her hits and welcomed LMFAO onstage to deliver renditions of “Music,” “Party Rock Anthem” and “Sexy and I Know It.”
Bruno Mars
Image Credit: Getty Images
Total viewers: 115.3 million
Bruno Mars brought the heat to 2014’s Super Bowl XLVIII with slick performances of “Locked Out of Heaven,” “Treasure” and “Runaway Baby,” in addition to a guest appearance by Red Hot Chili Peppers. His show garnered 115.3 million views, just shy of Coldplay’s numbers.
Coldplay
Image Credit: Kevin Mazur/WireImage
Total viewers: 115.5 million
Beyoncé and Bruno Mars joined Coldplay during the band’s 2016 halftime show, which got 115.5 million viewers with performances of “Yellow,” “Paradise,” “Viva la Vida” and “Fix You,” among other hits.
Lady Gaga
Image Credit: Kevin Mazur/WireImage
Total viewers: 117.5 million
Gaga’s 2017 performance for Super Bowl LI at NRG Stadium in Houston, Texas, featured hits songs like “Poker Face,” “Born This Way,” “Paparazzi” and “Just Dance,” and ultimately brought in 117.5 million views.
Katy Perry
Image Credit: Rob Carr/GI
Total viewers: 121 million
With 121 million views, Katy Perry’s 2015 performance at at Super Bowl XLIX trails just behind RiRi as the second most-watched show. The meme-making performance (remember Left Shark?) featured Lenny Kravitz, Missy Elliot and the Arizona State University Sun Devil Marching Band as Perry performed hits like “Roar,” “California Gurls” and “Firework.”
Rihanna
Image Credit: Kevin Mazur/GI for Roc Nation
Total viewers: 121.017 million
With 121.017 million viewers, Rihanna’s 2023 performance during Super Bowl LVII is the most-watched halftime show in history.
During her performance at Glendale, Ariz.’s State Farm Stadium, she revealed she was pregnant with her second child with partner A$AP Rocky, and performed Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 hits like “Only Girl (in the World),” “We Found Love,” “S&M,” “Rude Boy,” “Work” and many more.
Rihanna‘s Super Bowl LVII halftime show made headlines for a number of reasons, not the least of which was the singer’s surprise pregnancy reveal. But, according to a long list of comments received by the Federal Communication Commission, it also resulted in more than 100 complaints from across the country about what some viewers deemed an overly sexual performance.
“Inappropriate touching and dance moves, very raunchy for a family to watch. Little kids do not need to see this,” read one note from a complainant in Rockton, Illinois, even as another described it as “sick sick sick.” A number of other notes referred to “sexualization, genital grabbing, sniffing of her fingers,” as well as “gyrating… and rear end… grabbing,” “filth,” “perpetual air humping… glorifying being a stripper” and a description of dancers “holding their hands up the cracks of their butts and pumping,” in a note from Plainwell, Michigan that misidentified the performer as Shakira; the latter shared the stage with Jennifer Lopez in 2020 in a performance that, not for nothing, derw more than 1,000 FCC complaints.
One all caps screed from Depew, New York went deep, with the writer lamenting, “FRIENDS AND FAMILY GATHER TO WATCH THE SUPERBOWL. WHY DO WE CONTINUE TO HAVE TO BLACK NOISE YEAR AFTER YEAR. THEY CAN’T SING OR WRITE ANY DESCENT MUSIC. ALL I HEARD WAS WORD WORD WORD WORD WORD WORD WORD WORDWORD WORD WORD WORDG. BLACK BLACK BLACK BLACK AND GO DOWN ON ME, GO DOWN ON ME GO DOWN ON ME OR GO DOWN ON YOU ETC. I DEFINATELY [sic] DON’T CONSIDER THIS MUSIC., AND I DON’T APPRECIATE SEEING HER AND HER DANCERS GRABBING THEIR CROTCHES ON NATIONAL TV!. THE NFL SHOULD BE ASHAMED OF WHAT THESE 1/2 TIME SHOWS HAVE BECOME.”
Another one from Brush Prairie, Washington pleaded, “Can we please have a half time show where the artist doesn’t grab their crotch or try to dry hump the lead singer. I really don’t want to see 30 back up dancers doing pelvic thrusts. Ew. Also, twerking should rank up there with the F bomb,” while a viewer from Colorado Springs, Colorado suggested, “If I were to go to a place where children were present and did these same motions, I would probably be arrested. Therefore, I don’t see how it is fair for it to happen on television against our will and without warning. Quite infuriated that things like this continue to bepermitted.”
Yet another from Ellicott City, Maryland, said they were literally sickened by the show, writing, “The halftime show was disgusting. Scratching your crotch and anus and the sniffing your fingers makes me puke. The devil sequence was blatantly anti Christian and so inappropriate. Why is this trash allowed on television?”
And while a handful of complaints were focused on the commenters calling the game and the ASL interpreter, nearly all were squarely focused on RihRih’s performance and the writers’ beliefs that the content was not family friendly.
At press time a spokesperson for the NFL declined to comment for this story and a spokesperson for halftime show producer Roc Nation had not returned a request for comment.
The Super Bowl halftime show is no stranger to controversy and pearl-clutching complaints, from those who were offended by Eminem taking a knee during the 2022 show to viewers overstimulated by the site of Maroon 5 singer Adam Levine’s nipples in 2019, and, of course, the many complaints following the 2004 show where Justin Timberlake exposed Janet Jackson’s nipple in an incident dubbed “Nipplegate.”
Justina Miles just opened up about her Super Bowl 2023 playbook for the first time since her American Sign Language interpretation of Rihanna‘s halftime show on Feb. 5 went mega viral. In a candid interview with Gayle King on CBS Mornings on Friday (Feb. 17), the performer shared details about how she prepped for game day and revealed what Ri said in a DM to her afterward.
Given how perfectly Miles nailed each and every lyric of the pop star’s halftime show medley of hits — as demonstrated in dozens of TikToks with millions of views and likes — you might be surprised to learn that she only received Ri’s setlist five days before the show. “I was nervous before getting [the setlist], like, ‘Oh my gosh, what’s she gonna do?’” Miles confessed.
“I got it and I’m like, I know all the songs,” she continued. “I was confident. I looked over the lyrics, made sure I got all the meanings right … I memorized the lyrics and the beat, so that way I can sign the lyrics and move to the beat so [viewers] can see the beat rather than hear the beat.”
A nursing student from Maryland, Miles explained that there are different levels of deafness. While she herself can hear to an extent, she is still considered deaf, which makes her the first deaf woman to serve as an interpreter for the Super Bowl. After their performance, she said Ri messaged her directly to congratulate her on the feat.
“I did not get a chance to meet her, but she did DM me,” Miles said. “She was like, ‘Black queen, you’re amazing. We’re BFFs in my head, you were amazing!’ It was beautiful.”
“We practiced in the same vicinity — she did not look pregnant!” she added, referencing the “Lift Me Up” singer’s surprising pregnancy reveal during the show. “I found out after.”
Watch Justina Miles recap her viral Super Bowl performance below: