Usher is weighing in on all the criticism surrounding his steamy Super Bowl duet with Alicia Keys.
12.02.2024 - 22:39 / variety.com
Thania Garcia Usher‘s Super Bowl Halftime performance earned gold stars for the R&B star’s suave — and seemingly tireless — delivery of his classic hits. Unfortunately, most (if not all) of the negative criticism of the show has been pointed at one of his special guests, Alicia Keys, who delivered a rendition of her 2003 hit, “If I Ain’t Got You.” Standing out in a glimmering red ensemble that ruffled out into an elongated cape, Keys began her performance by launching into a high soprano that briefly morphed into a croak as the cape dropped.
Clips of the botched note spread like wildfire across the internet as critics flocked to dissect it while fans rushed to her defense. In the aftermath, the NFL and Apple Music have edited the clam out of the re-uploaded Halftime show on YouTube, and the difference in Keys’ vocals is uncanny.
Online, users have pointed out the polished editing with play-by-play comparisons of the live taping and the freshly re-uploaded, and pitch-corrected, show. Variety has reached out to representatives for Keys and Apple Music for clarification.
Meanwhile, Keys’ husband, veteran music producer Swizz Beatz, came to his wife’s defense on Monday with an Instagram post writing, “Y’all talking about the wrong damn thing !!!” “Y’all don’t see that amazing dress covering the entire stadium,” he said. “Tonight’s performance was nothing but amazing with 2 amazing Giants ! Congrats @usher and my love @aliciakeys that song is a classic.
We don’t do negative vibes on this side we make history.” A post shared by Swizz Beatz (@therealswizzz) Keys also joined Usher for a performance of their 2004 single “My Boo,” as the pair embraced to conclude Keys’ guest slot. As Usher cozied up behind Keys, the pair were
.Usher is weighing in on all the criticism surrounding his steamy Super Bowl duet with Alicia Keys.
Usher has said he “understands” why Justin Bieber turned down the offer to perform with him at the Super Bowl 2024.The ‘Yeah!’ singer played a 13-minute medley of tracks for this year’s Halftime Show in Las Vegas, Nevada last Sunday (February 11). He was joined on stage by Alicia Keys, H.E.R., Will.i.am and more.Prior to the event, it was rumoured that Bieber would be among the “important guests” that Usher had teased in the lead-up to his Super Bowl gig.Usher was pivotal in launching Bieber’s music career after signing the then-teenage singer to his record label in 2008.
Usher broke his silence on why his mentee and longtime collaborator Justin Bieber was not part of his star-studded halftime show at Super Bowl LVIII.“You know what, it didn’t work out with Justin,” Usher, 45, told the nationally syndicated radio show The Breakfast Club, which posted the interview on Instagram. “I honor and recognize that my brother … I think it might’ve been the fact that he was just wanting to tell a different story right now and I understand that.”Before the Super Bowl, there was buzz that Bieber would be a surprise guest during Usher’s halftime show since Usher helped to sign Bieber when he was a teenager, and the pair have collaborated before.But it wasn’t to be, as Usher welcomed guests including H.E.R., Alicia Keys, Lil Jon, Ludacris, Jermaine Dupri and Will.i.am from the Black Eyed Peas — but no Bieber.“We did have a brief conversation [and] we’re gonna do something in the future,” Usher told The Breakfast Club.
Turned down for what?Lil Jon revealed the reason Justin Bieber did not perform during Usher’s Super Bowl halftime show amidst fan speculation and anticipated that the “Baby” singer would join his longtime mentor and collaborator on stage. “We wanted to put Justin in the show, so we had the idea of doing a version of the show with Justin in it,” Lil Jon, who performed alongside Usher on Super Bowl Sunday, told TMZ on Wednesday.
Usher made less than $700 for his slot at the Super Bowl Halftime show.READ MORE: Ranking the 10 best Super Bowl halftime shows in historyThe set by the R&B megastar took place over the weekend (February 11), when he took to the stage at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas to play at the final of the 58th Super Bowl. The night saw the San Francisco 49ers face off against defending champions the Kansas City Chiefs, with the latter ultimately taking the victory.During his set, he was joined by a variety of surprise guests including Alicia Keys, H.E.R and will.i.am.
H.E.R. has shared a poignant photograph of herself performing live at a San Francisco 49ers game as an 11-year-old girl, an image that has weirdly seemed to predict the future.She posted the picture on her official Instagram on Sunday (February 11), writing: “In honor of niners at #superbowllviii here’s me at 11 singing national anthem at 49ers game.”A post shared by H.E.R. (@hermusicofficial)Later that day, her team the San Francisco 49ers were unsuccessful against the Kansas City Chiefs, but for H.E.R., the story went full circle, as she joined Usher during the prestigious Halftime Show in one of the most-viewed television broadcasts of all time.H.E.R.
Justin Bieber turned down the offer to join Usher during his Super Bowl performance.The set took place over the weekend (February 11), when the R&B star became the latest artist to perform at the iconic Halftime show during the 58th instalment of the Super Bowl. Held at Allegiant Stadium, the event saw the San Francisco 49ers face off against defending champions the Kansas City Chiefs, with the latter ultimately taking the victory.On the night, Usher was joined by an array of surprise guests, including Alicia Keys, H.E.R and will.i.am, however, some fans were quick to notice that the musician’s longtime friend Justin Bieber did not take part.According to new reports, Bieber was offered the opportunity to join the singer on stage, but turned it down because he “wasn’t feeling it”.The explanations were shared to Page Six by anonymous sources in the music industry, and stated that the ‘Sorry’ singer preferred to watch the show with his wife, Hailey, from a $2.5million suite at the stadium.“There’s no bad blood between Usher and Justin.
Super Bowl Half-Time performance featured some of his biggest classics, and an assortment of guests that wowed audiences. The show took place yesterday, at the San Francisco 49ers and the Kansas City Chiefs game, which took place at the Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas for the first time in the event’s history. Usher’s performance lasted 13 minutes and 20 seconds, and included surprise appearances from Alicia Keys, Ludacris, H.E.R, and more.
Alicia Keys’ Super Bowl performance appear to have been edited out of the official performance video uploaded to YouTube. Keys made a surprise appearance during Usher’s halftime show at the American football game on Sunday (February 11), opening with a portion of her 2003 song, ‘If I Ain’t Got You’.
Selome Hailu The Feb. 11 Super Bowl game between the Kansas City Chiefs and the San Francisco 49ers brought in an average of 123.4 million viewers — the highest number of people watching the same broadcast in the history of television. 112 million of those viewers were tuned into the CBS broadcast — the largest audience ever for a single network.
under fire. Fans on social media suspect Alicia Keys’ vocals were pitch-corrected in Usher’s full Super Bowl Halftime show posted to the NFL’s YouTube channel. Keys, 43, made a steamy cameo Sunday during the “Yeah!” singer’s set, starting at the piano with her 2003 hit “If I Ain’t Got You, but her voice cracked on one of the first notes out of her mouth.
Usher's Super Bowl halftime show has not received the rave reviews that might be expected, but viewers are rather divided on what was to blame. With the Kansas City Chiefs and the San Fransisco 49ers taking a break, Usher took to the stage for his highly-anticipated half-time show where he was joined by Alicia Keys and Ludcaris in what fans had hoped would be a show-stopping performance.
Alicia Keys, got with Usher during the latter’s star-studded Super Bowl 2024 halftime performance. “Y’all talking about the wrong damn thing,” Beatz, 45, wrote on Instagram after several viewers commented on how Usher, 45, hugged Keys, 43, from behind during the Las Vegas set.“Yall don’t see that amazing dress covering the entire stadium,” the rapper continued. “Tonight’s performance was nothing but amazing with 2 amazing Giants!”“Congrats @usher and my love @aliciakeys that song is a classic,” the record producer added, referring to the pair’s “My Boo” duet.“We don’t do negative vibes on this side we make history,” Beatz, born Kasseem Daoud Dean, concluded.
may not be the most memorable part of Usher's weekend.On February 12, reported that the got married to music exec Jennifer Goicoechea in a Las Vegas ceremony. This report comes after news broke that Usher and Goicoechea in Vegas on Thursday, February 8—just three days before his big performance.“It wouldn't be odd for us to get married,” Usher hinted in an interview with ahead of his big performance. “We already did here.
Super Bowl Half-Time performance is centered on Usher, an iconic perfomer. The show will occur in the midst of the game between the San Francisco 49ers and the Kansas City Chief, and is taking place in Las Vegas, a first in Super Bowl history. Usher has previous Super Bowl experience.
Usher's Super Bowl LVIII halftime show was a spectacle, from shirt ripping to surprise guests.The music legend took to the field to perform his greatest hits, complete with light effects and his signature dance moves. Alicia Keys made a guest appearance, performing "If I Ain't Got You" and "My Boo" with Usher. However, some fans criticised Usher's vocal performance, noting that he hit several flat notes.
was the special guest of the Black Eyed Peas — the freaking Black Eyed Peas — when the “I Gotta Feeling” foursome headlined the Super Bowl XLV halftime show in 2011.How will.i.am, Fergie and crew could ever relegate Usher to a backup role on the biggest stage in music is enough to make anybody go “OMG”?But 13 years after Usher swooped in and upstaged the Peas, justice was finally served when the singer had his own career moment on Sunday.This time around — midway through the showdown between the Kansas City Chiefs and the San Francisco 49ers at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas — it was will.i.am.
Super Bowl 2024 for his star-studded Apple Music Super Bowl LVIII Halftime Show.Rumors swirled that the 29-year-old crooner may be joining the 45-year-old headliner on the field, and earlier this week, TMZ even reported that Usher “has been hitting up Justin Bieber lately to talk about the prospect of JB joining him during the Super Bowl Halftime Show … which now sounds like a very real possibility. Still no word on whether Justin agreed—but we know they’ve been chatting …A LOT.”The 29-year-old was spotted in the stands shortly before the halftime show began, sitting with his wife Hailey Bieber, giving fans hope that he might join the “Confessions” singer for the big show.Sadly, to the dismay of Bieber fans everywhere, he never made it to the field, and many viewers were so devastated that they flocked to X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, to share their disappointment.“lets laugh at all the women who thought justin bieber was coming out,” one person quipped.“usher brought all those people on stage and not one of them was justin bieber,” another fan lamented.
The most anticipated entertainment event of the year just came and went… The Apple Super Bowl Halftime Show! And Usher transported us all to the 2000s!
Usher brought out Alicia Keys during his Super Bowl Halftime Show performance tonight (February 11) in Las Vegas.The 58th Super Bowl is taking place at the Allegiant Stadium tonight, with the San Francisco 49ers facing off against defending champions the Kansas City Chiefs.Keys appeared early on in the performance, taking to the stage first seated behind a red grand piano as a large piece of red fabric billowed behind her. She began by performing a clip of her own song ‘If I Ain’t Got You’ before Usher joined her to deliver a rendition of their 2004 collaboration ‘My Boo’.Throughout the set, Usher pulled largely from his album ‘Confessions’, which was also released in 2004 and from which ‘My Boo’ was taken.