Usher opened up about the past, present and future of his career during a revealing interview with Vogue.
The 45-year-old “Yeah!” musical icon has a lot on his plate at the moment. He recently closed out a Las Vegas residency and is gearing up to drop a new album and take the stage for the most-viewed performance of the year: The 2024 Super Bowl Halftime Show.
Ahead of the big performance next month, he teased what fans could expect from his 13-minute set. That even included a hint at some special guests who will take the stage.
Usher is at a high in his career at the moment, but he also addressed how his perception has changed following a brief point that some might refer to as a professional slump that he came back from.
The hitmaker even alluded to an eventual retirement from performing, hinting at how many years he had left onstage. He also revealed a surgical procedure that he needs, and it is to correct an injury he seemingly got onstage.
On his goals for his upcoming Halftime Show performance…
“I’ve been doing this for 30 years,” Usher reflected. “I want people who have been a part of that journey to feel like it’s a celebration for everybody, for all of us, from the beginning up until this point.”
Later, he added, “I’m literally speaking to every woman. I want to make it feel like that.”
Additional details about the performance…
The feature promised that Usher will, of course, show off his dancing abilities during the performance. Fans should also be prepared for at least two costumes and some roller-skating, which also played a role in Usher‘s Las Vegas residency.
On being called “The King of Something”…
Usher has been referred to as The King of R&B before, and it’s not the only title he’s had bestowed upon himself. However, “I’m not invested in that. I thank you, I thank you very much. That means I work really hard to be the king of something.”
“But a kingdom. That is going to last longer,” he added.
On an eventual retirement from performing…
“I love it, don’t get me wrong,” Usher said about his life onstage. “But man. S-it. I’m not looking to be 60 years old up there.”
That doesn’t mean we’ll have seen the last of the hitmaker. He teased some other creative and collaborative projects in his future.
The surgical procedure that Usher will need to have…
Vogue noted that Usher had a bunion that would require surgery to fix. This is not the first time that the hitmaker has undergone a surgical procedure on his foot.
Have you seen the trailer for Usher‘s Halftime Show yet?
You’ll also want to find out who was one of the first people Usher told about his major gig.