Usher praises ‘Queen’ Rihanna as she hypes his Super Bowl show: ‘Real recognize real’
Usher has received the seal of approval from Super Bowl halftime show royalty: Rihanna.
This year’s halftime show performer had no notes when asked recently if she had any advice for the “Burn” singer as he prepares to take the stage at Super Bowl LVIII in Las Vegas on Feb. 11.
“I can’t give Usher no advice,” the Super Bowl LVII performer told E! News. “Usher is a natural, he’s a legend, he’s been doing this since he’s a teenager. He’s made for that show. I get excited about entertainers who do this, who are built for it, and he just proved it in Vegas that he’s not going anywhere.”
Usher, who recently wrapped his Sin City residency at Park MGM, re-posted the “Umbrella” singer’s statements on X and responded by writing, “Real recognize real Thank U Queen @rihanna.”
R&B star Usher, in the midst of an acclaimed Las Vegas residency, will perform at the NFL’s championship game on Feb. 11 at Vegas’ Allegiant Stadium.
In September, it was announced that the “Caught Up” artist would headline the sporting event’s high-profile music portion, bringing one of the Strip’s most talked-about live acts to the biggest stage in pop music.
“It’s an honor of a lifetime to finally check a Super Bowl performance off my bucket list,” Usher said in a September statement about being awarded the highly coveted role. “I can’t wait to bring the world a show unlike anything else they’ve seen from me before.”
Last year, Usher launched a residency at Las Vegas’ Park MGM that quickly went viral because of his intimate interactions with famous fans, including Taraji P. Henson, Issa Rae, Saweetie and Keke Palmer. He extended his stay in Sin City through December due to “popular demand” in August.
The pop superstar played her first show in years — and sparked immediate speculation online about her family — in her halftime performance at Super Bowl LVII.
Earlier this year, Rihanna’s show-stealing performance highlighted the “We Found Love” singer’s musical and visual creativity, while also providing a shocking pregnancy reveal from the pop star.
But the two halftime shows are bound in more ways than just mutual admiration from its performers.
Usher’s Super Bowl performance will be the fifth halftime show overseen by Jay Z’s entertainment company, Roc Nation, following February’s appearance by Rihanna, last year’s hip-hop extravaganza with Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Eminem, Mary J. Blige and Kendrick Lamar, the Weeknd’s socially distant halftime show in 2021 and the co-headlining outing featuring Shakira and Jennifer Lopez in 2020.
Times staff writer Mikael Wood contributed to this report.
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