Usher on Super Bowl Halftime Show Surprises and What He's Learned from His Kid (
Usher on Super Bowl Halftime Show Surprises and What He's Learned from His Kid (
Transcript
00:00 I'm with the man who's gonna do halftime his way.
00:03 You like that, Usher?
00:04 - I like that.
00:05 - Your way, man.
00:06 - There you go.
00:07 - We've been talking to so many people
00:07 who are so beyond excited for your performance
00:10 at the Super Bowl.
00:11 From Jermaine Dupri to Da Brat, Ludacris.
00:14 - I'm really excited about it.
00:15 - I'm gonna be there, I can't wait.
00:16 I love Usher, he's like my little brother.
00:18 He's going to kill it,
00:19 just like he does his Las Vegas residencies.
00:22 - One thing's for sure,
00:23 Usher is going to annihilate that stage.
00:25 - What does it mean to have so many friends
00:27 and artists in your corner?
00:28 - I thank them for their vote of confidence
00:30 because we've not only made music together,
00:33 but we support each other.
00:34 And this is a celebration of my legacy,
00:38 this is a celebration of my music,
00:40 this is a celebration of my passion.
00:42 30 years ago, that journey started
00:45 and now it's landed me at this point in my life,
00:48 at the Super Bowl.
00:49 Lot of songs, lot of moments, lot of dance, lot of energy.
00:53 - What are some of the songs you're running through?
00:54 The set list, man.
00:55 - The set list has been hard.
00:57 You know the hardest part.
00:58 - How long was that?
00:59 - 13 minutes.
00:59 - You got too many songs in too few minutes.
01:02 - You got 13 minutes in order to get through
01:04 an entire legacy of music.
01:07 But I think more than anything,
01:08 the fact that there's a world out there
01:10 who loves R&B music, R&B fusion music,
01:13 that fuses all of these different genres together,
01:16 rather than spend a little bit of EDM,
01:18 a little bit of hip hop, or a little bit of soul,
01:20 whatever it is, but it's R&B that night.
01:22 You know what I'm saying?
01:23 - And Usher, you always give it to us.
01:24 - I don't know if I'll be able to serenade
01:26 the way I do it in Vegas.
01:27 - You gotta keep the family friendly.
01:29 - Yeah, yeah, yeah.
01:30 (laughing)
01:32 Take re-editing, you know?
01:33 - Yeah, you know.
01:34 You gotta make it safe for work, safe for the family.
01:36 But you give on quite the show.
01:38 ♪ Baby let me love you now ♪
01:42 ♪ There's so many ways to love you ♪
01:45 - In Vegas, you've had in your audiences
01:47 folks like Dr. Dre, Doja Cat, J-Lo.
01:51 What is it like looking out in the crowd
01:52 and seeing those very familiar, very famous faces?
01:56 - Really, really nice, right?
01:58 Some of which I'm really good friends with,
02:00 so I feel like I'm performing for my friends.
02:03 And some of which I've never met before,
02:05 and I get a chance to shock 'em, you know?
02:07 But again, it's a celebration.
02:10 And the fact that I have my friends
02:12 and new people to celebrate with
02:14 is what it's ultimately, is what's driving me
02:18 and building my anticipation and excitement.
02:21 - Have you even had time to really wrap your mind
02:23 around the 13 minutes for the Super Bowl?
02:25 Have you had time to check?
02:26 - Nah, I've just been busy.
02:27 It's like I can't stop to really savor any of it.
02:31 But I don't take it for granted.
02:33 And you know, I'm really,
02:35 me and my mother talked about this moment many years ago,
02:39 and there was the thought that maybe it wouldn't come.
02:41 - It's just a matter of time.
02:43 - Yeah, it was just a matter of time
02:45 and making certain that the moment was right.
02:47 You know, the moment was right for Las Vegas.
02:51 And it really started for me with the residency
02:55 and a time when we were trying to get back to normal, right?
02:57 The belief that we would, you know,
03:00 go to concerts the way we did.
03:01 We came out of a pandemic, out of, you know,
03:03 being quarantined, straight to Las Vegas.
03:07 And since then, it's just been an amazing experience
03:09 year after year that has now led to 100 shows.
03:13 And the crescendo of that 100 shows is at the Super Bowl.
03:17 I don't think I could have crafted that better.
03:19 I can't even, I couldn't have made that up.
03:21 You know what I mean?
03:22 But thank God that he had the plan for me to be there.
03:26 And I'm gonna be celebrating on this given Sunday.
03:30 - Are you already fielding phone calls from the friends
03:32 and folks that you've collaborated with over the years?
03:34 You know, maybe a little Alicia, maybe a little Bieber.
03:37 - I've been considering a lot.
03:39 And I've been actually advised today
03:41 since we've been doing press around.
03:42 Well, I mean, everywhere we've stopped today,
03:44 while I've been talking about, you know,
03:45 taking the pledge, everybody's like, you know what?
03:47 Let's talk about who's gonna, you know,
03:49 be up there with you at the Super Bowl.
03:51 What songs you're gonna perform?
03:52 I'm like, oh my God.
03:53 - 'Cause Jay-Z said, you gotta bring the magic.
03:55 It's magic time.
03:56 So we're ready for the magic.
03:57 - It is magic time.
03:58 - And maybe we'll see Jay up there too.
03:59 - Who knows?
04:00 - You had to keep this top secret,
04:02 your performance at the Super Bowl halftime from your kids.
04:04 - My creative director, he's giving me tons of notes,
04:06 giving me tons of ideas.
04:07 You know, he loves concerts.
04:08 So, you know, the ideas are just flowing.
04:12 He's giving me his set list.
04:14 How much time I should spend on certain songs,
04:16 the type of things that I should do
04:17 to engage my audience.
04:18 You know, he's a real detailed kid, you know?
04:22 - I love it.
04:22 Well, nobody keeps it real like a kid.
04:24 - Yeah, right.
04:25 - February 11th, can't come soon enough, I'm sure.
04:26 We don't wanna rush the process
04:28 'cause you got a lot of things to do in Vegas.
04:30 You got a lot going on in life.
04:31 But you're coming to the Super Bowl
04:32 and you're also coming home on February 11th.
04:36 The album, what are you gonna be delivering
04:38 to fans this time around?
04:39 - You know, this junction, this portion of my life, right,
04:42 is a coming home experience.
04:44 When I think about where I started
04:46 and how this 30 years of an evolution
04:48 has now brought me back home
04:50 with all of the experiences that I've had.
04:51 So that's part of the reason that I named it "Coming Home."
04:54 And the rest of it is inside of the music
04:56 and my choices of experiences
04:58 and things that I wanted to blend.
05:00 I tried a few new things,
05:02 worked with some new producers,
05:04 and also to work with producers
05:06 that I've worked with in the past.
05:07 That's a bit of a coming home as well.
05:09 - L.A. Reid?
05:09 - Working with L.A. Reid as a partner,
05:11 having a record label with him
05:12 and discovering and developing new artists
05:14 and me being the first artist on the label.
05:17 - Congratulations.
05:17 - Yeah, it's all coming home.
05:20 - So tell us about the partnership
05:21 that you have, of course, to detect early diabetes.
05:24 Why is this a personal connection for you?
05:26 - Well, Sanofi and myself came together
05:28 around an effort that hopefully will become a movement
05:31 for us to be able to pledge,
05:33 this is all I need you guys to do.
05:38 Go to theonepledge.com and pledge.
05:41 Speak to your physician
05:43 and actually get screened for type 1 diabetes.
05:46 My journey with this started when my child was six years old
05:50 and since then, the journey has been one
05:52 that I would have wished to have had
05:54 the ability to prepare for.
05:56 Type 1 diabetes can be hereditary.
05:58 It is something that can be in your family.
06:00 It is something that can be a condition
06:02 as you get a bit older,
06:04 but I think everybody deserves to be informed
06:08 about their health.
06:09 And it's a really important message for the world.
06:13 It actually brings recognition to the fact
06:14 that we are all living with this disorder
06:17 and we may not necessarily have the information
06:19 that we need to know about it.
06:21 And that's why I decided to not be there
06:25 on Halloween with my kids.
06:27 I did post.
06:28 They actually sent me photos.
06:29 The day prior, I actually did get little Mario
06:33 and Princess Peach together.
06:35 - They were so adorable,
06:38 but you're not there with them on Halloween
06:39 'cause you are doing something for them
06:41 and their family and a greater good right now.
06:43 - Well, family's all over the world.
06:44 - Exactly.
06:45 - What did your six-year-old teach you
06:47 in their bravery and in tackling diabetes
06:50 when they were diagnosed?
06:52 - Oh, man.
06:52 You know, to really live in the moment
06:55 and be patient with the process
06:57 and understanding diabetes is not something
06:59 that is avoidable.
07:02 It is not something that is easy to understand
07:04 and comprehend.
07:05 It's not like a pill you take when you have a cold
07:08 or if you have a sickness,
07:09 you can quickly go to your doctor
07:11 and figure out the remedy
07:12 and maybe till the next time
07:14 you don't have to see him.
07:15 - You constantly have to be aware of it, too.
07:17 - It is constantly.
07:18 - What you're eating, what's the rent.
07:19 I mean, it's just a constant thing
07:20 to worry about as a parent.
07:22 - Well, as a parent, you're constantly worried
07:24 because you want the safety of your children.
07:25 - Right, have fun, Esther.
07:26 Thank you so much for your time.
07:27 - Thank you so much.
07:28 Thank you so much.
07:29 (upbeat music)
07:32 (music)
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