In a surprising turn of events, pop sensation Justin Bieber declined an offer from his mentor, Usher, to perform at the Super Bowl VIII Halftime show held at Las Vegas’ Allegiant Stadium on Sunday. Despite Usher’s efforts to bring the ‘Sorry’ hitmaker on board, Justin Bieber reportedly wasn’t interested in taking the stage for the major sporting spectacle.
Sources revealed that there is no animosity between the two artists, with an insider stating, “There’s no bad blood between Usher and Justin. Justin just wasn’t up for it – he just wasn’t feeling it.” Usher, who played a pivotal role in launching Bieber’s career in the late 2000s, signed the young talent to his label RBMG after being impressed by his YouTube performances.
As of 2024, Justin Bieber remains the only artist signed to RBMG, which has a unique profit-sharing arrangement with Def Jam, owned by Universal Music Group. The Super Bowl Halftime show, headlined by Usher, featured a spectacular performance that kicked off with the mega-hit ‘Caught Up’ and ‘U Don’t Have to Call.’
During the set, Usher brought out Alicia Keys for a rendition of their 2004 hit ‘My Boo’ and celebrated the 20th anniversary of his album ‘Confessions’ with a performance of ‘Confessions Part II.’ Collaborating with H.E.R., Usher also delivered memorable renditions of ‘Burn’ and ‘Bad Girl.’
Keeping his promise to the audience, Usher incorporated elements from his ‘My Way’ residency into the Super Bowl performance, rollerblading through a high-energy rendition of ‘Yeah!’ alongside Lil Jon and Ludacris. The anticipation was heightened as Usher, Jon, and Ludacris teamed up for the crowd-pleaser ‘Turn Down for What’ just before the grand finale with ‘Yeah!’. The inclusion of these guest appearances had been teased by Usher prior to the event.
