Usher to Alicia Keys: Artists who performed at Super Bowl
Fans were in for a treat at the Super Bowl LVIII halftime show in Las Vegas on Sunday (local time) that witnessed a face-off between the Kansas City Chiefs and the San Francisco 49ers. Apart from an intense soccer battle, viewers also enjoyed riveting musical/dance performances by a variety of American artists. Led by Usher, the roster included Reba McEntire, Andra Day, Alicia Keys, Lil Jon, and Post Malone, among others.
Usher's thoughts on his performance
In a CBS Sunday Morning interview, Usher shared his excitement about the show. "Everybody says they want to win a Grammy, or they want to win an Oscar, or a Tony, or an Emmy. A Super Bowl is something that everybody wants to play. And here it is. It happened." "The history of African Americans who had to perform here and couldn't go through the actual casinos... now, to be here, the residency, it's like, man. What a whirlwind."
Jay Z's advice to Usher for the show
Usher told CBS Mornings co-host Gayle King that Jay Z, the Super Bowl's live music entertainment strategist, advised him to focus on the "culture" during his performance. "[He said] I want you to play the ones that we— that we love, that we know you for. Give 'em the moments that they, you know, look forward to seeing,' like, 'Go for the culture.' And I'm like, 'All right, I got you.'"
Special guests such as Keys and Ludacris joined Usher
Keys joined Usher as a special guest during the halftime show, performing her hit If I Ain't Got You and their 2004 duet My Boo. H.E.R. also made an appearance, playing a guitar solo on Usher's songs Burn and Bad Girl. Other notable guest performers included will.i.am, Lil Jon, Ludacris, and Jermaine Dupri, who collaborated with Usher for different songs.
National anthem and its significance for McEntire
Country music legend and Grammy Awardee McEntire sang the national anthem—her maiden time at the Super Bowl. Speaking to CBS Mornings about her preparations, she said, "You just warm up like you do a concert and sing it about five or six times, and get in there and do it." "I'd never have imagined when I sang the anthem at the National Finals Rodeo 50 years ago that I'd be singing it today at the Super Bowl."
All songs were available in sign language, too
Before the game kicked off, rapper Post Malone took the stage to croon America the Beautiful while also playing guitar, while Day sang Lift Every Voice and Sing—often referred to as the Black national anthem. American Sign Language performances accompanied each song, with Daniel Durant signing the national anthem, Anjel Piñero signing America the Beautiful, and Shaheem Sanchez signing Lift Every Voice and Sing.