Will the first song be 'Yeah!'? Will Lil Jon and Ludacris join him onstage?
When it comes to secrets about his upcoming Super Bowl halftime show, Usher isn't making any confessions.
The performer sat down with ET's Kevin Frazier on Thursday, ahead of Sunday's big game between the San Francisco 49ers and Kansas City Chiefs -- where he'll be taking center stage for the Apple Music Super Bowl LVIII Halftime Show.
On Wednesday, Roc Nation -- who produces the show alongside Apple Music -- released a humorous teaser starring Ludacris, Lil Jon and Taraji P. Henson, in which Luda had to confess to Apple CEO Tim Cook that they couldn't find Usher ahead of the big show.
So, will Ludacris and Lil Jon be joining Usher onstage?
"I would be a fool to not play 'Yeah!' let's just start there," he admitted. "It would be foolish to make it all the way to Las Vegas, Jon is here, Luda's here and not play 'Yeah!'"
However, when it comes to any other artists -- J Balvin and BTS' Jungkook were both featured in the trailer released last month -- Usher's keeping quiet, though he did tease in a recent interview that there will "definitely" be some special guests joining him onstage.
He certainly has a lengthy list of past collaborators, including Justin Bieber, Alicia Keys, Jadakiss, Cam'ron, Summer Walker, H.E.R. -- and, of course, Beyoncé, who already has the Roc Nation connection.
While he wouldn't speak to that, Usher did share his appreciation to JAY-Z for selecting him as this year's halftime performer.
"What I really respect about Jay and what I love about him is that he's become an amazing curator," he praised. "Throughout the years, throughout his entire career and [now] being in this position and working with amazing directors like Jesse Collins and Hamish [Hamilton]... [to see them win] the Golden Globe was just like, man, that's, because Jay really gets it."
"Having the Super Bowl make its way to Las Vegas, I'm hoping that I gave him no option [but to be the choice]," he shared with a laugh. "It was the belief that my investment in this city far exceeded just my residency. It's just reinvigorated my brand, my energy, my excitement about music."
The singer shared that he "changed a few things" about his day-to-day routine to make sure he was in shape for the epic performance.
"In the process of getting ready for the Super Bowl, obviously I wanted to make certain that I was at my healthiest," he noted. "I stopped eating gluten. I did cut sugar, all alcohol, I haven't had a cigar or anything."
While it's been a hectic few months of preparation leading up to the big day, Usher shared that for him, it's "definitely been an amazing time."
"I love all the cameras, I love the energy, I love the people," he marveled. "More than anything. I remind myself to smile. Most of the time you get so caught up in being serious and making certain that everything is perfect and has a certain intensity. Every day I come in, I try to give positive energy. No matter how tired I am, no matter how much the day before me will drain me right, I'm smiling. Because I'm here."
"We work to be here and everybody that is here deserves to be," he continued. "Sometimes we need to be reminded that we deserve to have what we have. And we're so caught up in trying to hold on to it, we don't enjoy it. So I really want to enjoy this moment, smile and enjoy."
As for what he hopes viewers and fans will take away from the show?
"There's more than one way to sustain a career," he noted. "You're never too old, you're never too young, it all works together, but the one thing you need is to believe that you can -- and that's what Las Vegas represents for me."
Usher said that for him, the Super Bowl is the culmination of not only years of work, but the recent months he's spent performing in his headline-making Park MGM residency.
"101 shows done here -- 100 of them sold out," he reflected. "And that next one that I'm about to have in a couple of days is a crescendo of my belief in this city and the celebration of my 30-year career."
Usher's new album, Coming Home, is out Feb. 9, and his Past Present Future tour kicks off this summer on Aug. 20.
Super Bowl LVIII – which is airing on CBS and streaming live on Paramount+ – is at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Nevada, and has the Kansas City Chiefs facing off against the San Francisco 49ers. Keep checking ETonline for more from the big game, including photos, exclusive interviews and more.
RELATED CONTENT:
