Usher almost quit music and became an actor.
The R&B superstar — who is headlining the Super Bowl LVIII Halftime Show at the Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas on Feb. 11 — has revealed he contemplated giving up his career because he couldn’t emulate the success of his 2004 album Confessions.
“I hadn’t had a successful record as successful as [2004’s] Confessions, and there was this analyzing [thought], like, ‘Man, should I continue to do this, or should I pivot and become an actor?’” he said to The Hollywood Reporter.
Fortunately, he decided he couldn’t step away from doing what he “really” loves.
In 2020, the “Yeah!” hitmaker announced a Las Vegas residency at the Colosseum at Caesars’ Palace, and the shows rejuvenated his career, with his landing the title of the “new King of Vegas.”
“I went to Las Vegas with no promise in a time when the world was not going anywhere because we were in a pandemic. [I] had the hope that I could arouse people enough to come to Las Vegas and celebrate with me. And it turned into not only the most successful moment of Las Vegas history but one of the most successful moments in my life,” he continued.
Usher — who releases his star-studded album Coming Home on Feb. 9 — says it’s his sheer self-belief that has led him to the momentous milestone of headlining the halftime slot.
“And then to play the Super Bowl, that right there is a virtuous story of belief in self, man,” he added. “I’m a 45-year-old artist who has found my way into an incredible moment as a result of belief in myself and the fact that I didn’t let anything deter it, no matter what it looked like, no matter what the comparison to previous albums was. I didn’t care about none of that. I was like, ‘I believe in making quality and quality performance matters. I want to go to Las Vegas where I can spread my wings and be creative and do things the way I want to do them; not just wait for a successful album in hopes that I’m going to be able to put together a tour and travel the world.’ The crescendo of that is the Super Bowl. Man, I’m so happy and blessed.”
Following the Super Bowl, Usher is set to embark on the “Past Present Future Tour” this August in North America.
Usher has been inundated with requests to bring his show to the U.K. and beyond and even posted a GIF of a young boy raising his eyebrows when asked about a London date on X, formerly known as Twitter.
Citi and Verizon presales for the North American dates begin Feb. 7. Additional presales will run throughout the week ahead of the general sale beginning Feb. 12 at 10 a.m. local time via LiveNation.com.
