After pulling in 129.3 million viewers for his live Apple Music Super Bowl LVIII halftime show, Usher has again joined forces with the tech giant to take fans behind the scenes of the making of his jaw-dropping performance.
A 10-minute short directed by JAY-Z and Hamish Hamilton, and filmed on an iPhone 15 Pro, was released on Saturday (Feb. 17). “I think everybody is blessed with a talent and a time. If you put in the work, people will respect what you do. The hardest part starts right now,” said the eight-time Grammy Award winner as he appeared on screen.
Moments from the vibrant, colorful and high intensity show are juxtaposed against monochromatic shots captured during rehearsals and studio sessions, showing a snippet of the intricacies that were endured to craft the 15-minute career-spanning spectacle. According to a member of the singer’s team, there were at least 124 revisions to the set list.
Speaking about choosing the right songs and placements, Usher said, “As I put together the songs, like a puzzle piece to represent this type of soulful music, R&B, and [the] mixture of this pop that is my own, I think God really blessed me with the right people to help build the artist that I am. I’m happy that I’m able to share this moment with them.”
The mini-concert featured H.E.R., Alicia Keys, Lil Jon, Ludacris, Jermaine Dupri and will.i.am. When the spotlights and the gaze of millions of fans were on him, chart-toppers like “Yeah!,” “My Boo,” “Burn,” “OMG,” “Nice & Slow” and several others were given their just due.
Elsewhere in the intimate look at the inner workings of his halftime experience, Usher noted the crucial role Las Vegas and his successful residency played in him reaching the world’s biggest stage — a moment he has previously referred to as 30 years in the making. “There was this very specific experience you could get from Las Vegas. I was a bit apprehensive, but it was the very place I needed to be in order to incubate this feeling,” he said.
Take a look behind the scenes of the halftime show and hear what else Usher had to say in the video below.