Usher previews Super Bowl halftime performance, talks new music, 'Confessions', 20-year anniversary and more | billboard cover

Usher teases his long-awaited Super Bowl halftime performance, talks about the advice and encouragement he received from other Super Bowl halftime show performers like Katy Perry and Rihanna, his new album. Coming homewhy people still resonate with your album Confessions 20 years later, his experience doing his successful Las Vegas residency and whether he'll return to it, his thoughts on where the future of R&B music is headed and more.

Usher
Playing Super Bowl man.

Gail Mitchell
This is Gail Mitchell, Executive Director of R&B and Hip-Hop at Billboard Magazine, and I couldn't be more excited because to my left is the one and only Usher.

Usher
Hi Gail, how are you? How are you honey? It's been a while.

Gail Mitchell
It hasn't been long, actually it's been three years.

Usher
Well, three years is actually a long time for everyone else.

Gail Mitchell
But déjà vu? Because we were sitting in Caesars Palace, yes, inside the theater. And you were rehearsing the first version of your residency. And look at yourself now on that Park MGM stage and now you'll be on a global stage.

Usher
Very happy that I was able to have that moment with you, very happy that I started that and then 100 shows later now playing a Super Bowl in Las Vegas. I am very very happy.

Gail Mitchell
You look very calm, cool and collected outside. It's a matter of days at this point, right?

Usher
I'm trying my best not to think about it too much, but it's literally 12 to 15 minutes, if I can impress the entire world, over 30 years of career in 15 minutes. It's, it's a lot, you know, I'm definitely happy to have finished a successful residency and to be in the general groove. Because otherwise, you know, you have to restart and relive the moments, but every day that I walked on that stage from Wednesday, Friday and Saturday, it reminded me of what my music has meant and what people feel about me, and how I feel about it. You know, after knowing for years and years they're doing this, you can get tired and just frustrated, especially when music changes the standards of how we count, changes the standard of what's hot and what's not the standard. of what's cool and what is, and all those things can come to your mind. And, you know, it even makes you wonder if you really want to continue doing it, but when I went to Vegas, I got excited about it all over again.

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