Usher has revealed that he contemplated quitting music, questioning whether he should become an actor instead.
Ahead of his headline halftime performance at tonight’s NFL Super Bowl, he spoke to The Hollywood Reporter and admitted he thought about a career change to the big screen. The singer’s acting roles include starring in the likes of The Faculty, Scary Movie 5, Hands Of Stone, Hustlers and Bad Hair.
“I hadn’t had a successful record as successful as [the 2004 album] ‘Confessions’, and there was this analysing [thought], like, ‘Man, should I continue to do this, or should I pivot and become an actor?’” he shared.
However, his 2021 Las Vegas residency at the Park MGM Hotel made him realise he should do what he loves the most.
“I went to Las Vegas with no promise in a time when the world was not going anywhere because we were in a pandemic, and I had the hope that I could arouse people enough to come to Las Vegas and celebrate with me,” he said. “And it turned into, not only the most successful moments of Las Vegas history, but one of the most successful moments in my life.”
Usher also said his recent achievements are a “virtuous story of belief in self.”
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“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 were,” the ‘My Way’ singer reflected 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 fucking Super Bowl. Man, I’m so happy and blessed.”
Usher’s highly-anticipated headline Super Bowl halftime show will take place tonight (Sunday February 11) at Allegiant Stadium in Paradise, Nevada – two days after releasing his ninth album, ‘Coming Home’ featuring verses from Burna Boy, 21 Savage, Summer Walker and more.
In his chat with The Hollywood Reporter, the Atlanta singer spoke more about his upcoming Super Bowl performance. Usher said he thinks his halftime show isn’t about having a string of hits, but more so “a celebration of a career.”
He added: “This year, Univision, this will be their first time ever televising the Super Bowl, so it’s growing, but it’s recognising the culture of the world and not just the circle that it has for Sunday and in football. That halftime performance has spanned far beyond the reach of just America.”
In other news, Usher promised to honour Black musical legacy during his Super Bowl performance, wanting “R&B to takes the main stage”. He has also promised that his set will feature roller-skating, as demonstrated back during his Vegas residency.
He will soon start his ‘Past Present Future’ North American tour, celebrating not only the 20th anniversary of the diamond-certified ‘Confessions’ LP but also the 30th anniversary of his 1994 self-titled debut he released at age 15.
The tour is set to kick off in Washington, DC on August 20 before hitting Toronto, Brooklyn, Los Angeles and more. The excursion will finish with two back-to-back shows in Chicago, Illinois. Visit here for tickets once they go live on February 12 at 10 am local time.