Usher will headline the 2024 Super Bowl halftime show, sponsor Apple Music announced on Sunday in a clip that inexplicably featured Kim Kardashian. The NFL confirmed the news in a separate tweet.
The streaming service deployed a roster of stars, including Kardashian, Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr., and former Super Bowl champions Deion Sanders and Marshawn Lynch, to tell a young Usher in a clipped-together phone call that he would be the star of the halftime show. One clip even included a present-day Usher calling his younger self from the promo shoot for the announcement.
“It’s an honor of a lifetime to finally check a Super Bowl performance off my bucket list,” Usher said in a statement, according to ESPN. “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.”
The Grammy-winning crooner also announced his latest album, COMING HOME, that’s set to drop on Super Bowl Sunday.
The Super Bowl is produced by the NFL, Apple Music, and Jay-Z’s Roc Nation. Jay-Z praised Usher in a statement for “his flawless singing and exceptional choreography.”
“Usher bares his soul,” he said. “His remarkable journey has propelled him to one of the grandest stages in the world. I can't wait to see the magic.”
Usher previously appeared as a guest during the Black Eyed Peas’ headlining act in 2011. Rihanna headlined the last Super Bowl halftime show in her first performance in six years.