The Super Bowl halftime show is historically the most watched musical performance of the year. This year, global superstar singer Usher will be performing after two quarters of action between the Kansas City Chiefs and San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowl LVIII.
Usher has sold over 80 million records in his career, has nine No. 1 singles and has won numerous awards.
The Grammy winner will no doubt bring excitement and top level entertainment when he takes the stage, but the big question is: Will he be the only one taking the stage?
In the past, many halftime performers have brought out surprise guests for the event, but two of the last three have gone solo.
Last year, Rihanna took the stage alone. While she did not have any musical surprise guests, her surprise during the performance was revealing that she was expecting her second child.
According to TMZ, Alicia Keys will be the surprise guest for the halftime show. Usher and Keys have worked together in the past, on the 2004 hit song "My Boo," which reached No. 1 on the Billboard charts. Keys has ties to Jay-Z, who's label Roc Nation produces the halftime show.
Usher has collaborations with singers across multiple genres in the music industry, so it is not surprising he would choose someone who he had worked with before.
Usher has reportedly reached out to Justin Bieber for the halftime show, per TMZ. Until recently, Bieber had taken time off from performing. There is no word on if Bieber has responded to the request.
Some halftime performers choose to bring multiple special guests out, so even with the report of Keys expected to be on the stage, other guests are not ruled out.
One of Usher's most popular song is "Yeah!" Featuring Lil Jon and Ludacris, two performers that he could likely bring out. "Yeah!"was released in 2004 and was the longest running No. 1 single of the year. The trio could also perform "Lovers and Friends," which peaked at No. 8 on the charts.
Pitbull is a potential special guest and collaborated with Usher on "DJs Got Us Fallin' In Love." Young Jeezy is featured on "Love in this Club," so he is another one to look out for.
Usher has a collaboration with Beyoncé, and while she has ties to Jay-Z, being married to the rapper, she is a more unlikely pick as a surprise guest. Beyoncé has already performed in the Super Bowl twice and I don't think this is the year she would come out for her third performance.
Usher has an album dropping just a few days before the Super Bowl, so he could include some collaborations from his new songs. The album, Coming Home, has "Standing Next to You" listed as a track, which is a remix of BTS member Jungkook's song. They could make history by bringing out the first K-Pop artist to perform at the Super Bowl.
The album's first single was "Good Good" featuring Summer Walker and 21 Savage and "Risk it All" featuring H.E.R is another track. Those three artists could come out to perform the new songs and promote his album.
Since 2010, six performers have taken the halftime show stage solo, while the others have been a company by other musicians.
The halftime show, as well as the game, will be broadcasted on CBS, with a family-friendly broadcast on Nickelodeon and streaming on Paramount+.
