Super Bowl LVIII halftime show performer Usher reflects on challenging expectations of blockbuster event

Usher has very high expectations for his upcoming Super Bowl LVIII halftime performance.

The R&B star recently sat down with Vogue to discuss a variety of topics, including his upcoming album Coming Home. When discussing the Super Bowl, he was succinct in how he would want it to go:

“It has to be perfect. I’ve been doing this for 30 years. I want people who have been a part of that journey to feel like it’s a celebration for everybody, for all of us, from the beginning up until this point.”

Usher also reiterated that his entire performance would last just 13 minutes - within the usual parameters of a halftime concert (the actual break itself lasts 20-30 minutes, depending on how long it takes to set up the stage).

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What can fans expect from Usher's Super Bowl LVIII halftime concert? R&B star provides inside info

Usher's performance, obviously, will have a track from Coming Home, as well as possibly at least two of his biggest hits like "Yeah!", "Insomnia" and "OMG". He has also revealed which elements he will incorporate into the showmanship and stage design.

Calling himself "a dreamer", Usher says that he's about "the fan experience", or "how to give them something that’s going to make them feel something." For starters, fans should expect one major costume change, roller skating, dancing, and guest appearances.

However, his ultimate vision for the show's theme is a focus on the ethos of his mother genre:

“This night was specifically curated in my mind to have R&B take the main stage. Not just R&B music, but R&B performance, R&B connection, R&B spirit."

Expounding further, he wants the audience to feel as if they are being serenaded, directly addressed and feel impacted:

"People will tune in for a football game, but I hope when they look at that performance, they walk away with something that’s healing them, makes them feel hopeful, and not just look at the past, but have hope for the future - a different type of future than we’re looking at right now.”

Super Bowl LVIII will air primarily on CBS on Feb. 11, beginning at 6:30 pm ET. There will also be a youth-oriented alternate broadcast on Nickelodeon.