Usher to headline Super Bowl halftime show

Hitmaker Usher will headline the Super Bowl halftime show in February, he and the NFL announced Sunday, Sept. 24.

The pop and R&B singer behind chart-toppers including U Got It Bad, My Boo, Yeah!, and OMG will helm one of the world's most-watched stages in Las Vegas during the sporting event scheduled for Feb. 11, 2024.

"It's an honor of a lifetime to finally check a Super Bowl performance off my bucket list. I can't wait to bring the world a show unlike anything else they've seen from me before,” Usher said in a statement.

The 44-year-old from Atlanta is one of the best-selling artists of the early 2000s, and more recently has been a draw on the Vegas concert residency scene.

His catalog of hits includes features from Lil Jon, Ludacris, Alicia Keys, and will.i.am., so it's not unlikely his set will include some special guests.

Since 2019 the halftime show during American football's title game has been produced by Roc Nation, the entertainment outfit founded by New York rapper-mogul Jay-Z.

The partnership has resulted in halftimes performed by Shakira and Jennifer Lopez, The Weeknd, a hip-hop showcase that included Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Eminem, Mary J. Blige, and Kendrick Lamar, and 2022's career-spanning set by Rihanna.

Since last year, Apple Music has been the event's main sponsor, having ousted Pepsi after reportedly paying $50 million for the privilege.

The halftime performance slot is one of the industry's most coveted: the Super Bowl is the most-watched US television broadcast.

In 2022, Nielsen estimated the game drew more than 113 million viewers.

That year, the Kansas City Chiefs beat the Philadelphia Eagles but it was Rihanna who stole the show: the megastar made her long-awaited return to the stage at halftime, and dominated the conversation after revealing she was pregnant with her second child. (AFP)