Usher pulls back the curtain on his intense preparation for the 2024 Apple Music Super Bowl LVIII halftime show in a new mini-doc that dropped over the weekend. The nearly 11-minute black-and-white film was shot entirely on an iPhone 15 Pro by director Mike Carson.
“I think everyone is blessed with talent and time,” Usher says at the top of the film amid intense dance rehearsal footage for the 13-minute run through the singer's legendary catalog. “If you put in the work, people will respect what you do.” What follows is black and white footage of Ush perfecting his dance moves while subtly tweaking the vocals to some of his biggest hits to ensure fans get the ultimate experience.
Viewers also get a glimpse of the 'Caught Up' performance from the rehearsal studio to the world's biggest TV stage, as the singer, his band and a crew of dancers take part in high-flying acrobatics and intense choreography. The 45-year-old star says the physically demanding preparation hits differently two decades into his career. As such, we see Usher getting a cupping treatment and doing various physical and mental challenges to keep his mind and body fit on game day.
There's also footage of Usher going over every detail of the show, offering his team notes on flow, camera angles and the sense of intimacy he hoped to bring to the performance that aired during the record-breaking show. Elsewhere, we see Lil Jon drop by for a rehearsal of his “Yeah!” and Alicia Keys practicing her show-stopping cameo during “My Boo,” in which the old friends work out their playful chorus.
Of course, you can also see Usher put it on wheels and work out his impressive rollerskating dance for “OMG.”
“As I put the songs together, like a piece of a puzzle to represent this kind of soul music, R&B and mix of this pop that's mine, I think God really blessed me with the right people to help make the artist that I am . Usher talks in the video about the difficult task of putting together the extremely tight 13-song set list that also included cameos from Will.i.am, Jermaine Dupri and Ludacris. “I'm happy to be able to share this moment with them.”
After footage of the performance unfolds, a reflective Usher describes the feeling he had on that huge stage, saying, “You'll see me from time to time looking up in the top row. I think of the little 11-year-old kid who dreamed that one day I could play on that big stage.”
Watch Usher's Super Bowl LVIII halftime mini-doc below.
from our partners at https://www.billboard.com/music/rb-hip-hop/usher-mini-doc-2024-super-bowl-halftime-show-1235610616/
