Here's How Usher's Set List Should Go During His 2024 Super Bowl Performance

You are living under a rock if you haven't heard that music icon Usher will be headlining the 2024 Super Bowl Halftime Show.

Presented by Apple Music, and with a push from Jay-Z's Roc Nation, the eight-time Grammy award-winner is poised to show doubters wrong on whether he would be able to have a top-notch performance and bring in big ratings such as Beyonce and most recently Rihanna.

With help from stars Deion Sanders, Odell Beckham Jr. and Kim Kardashian, the announcement came in creative social media clips that showed a young Usher in the opening of his Confessions music video and edited as a present-day clip that had the stars letting Usher know that he would be the headliner.

“It’s an honor of a lifetime to finally check a Super Bowl performance off my bucket list. I can’t wait to bring the world a show unlike anything else they’ve seen from me before,” Usher said in a statement.

“Thank you to the fans and everyone who made this opportunity happen," the "Yeah!" singer continued. "I’ll see you real soon.”

The Dallas, Texas-born artist's new album, Coming Home, was recently announced to arrive the same day as his Super Bowl Halftime Show on Feb. 11, 2024. This marks Usher’s first new album since 2016’s Hard II Love, which peaked at No. 5 on the Billboard 200recently announced to drop.

This will mark nine albums for the global icon, giving him plenty of hits to choose from to curate is 12-14 minute set, which is usually the run time for performances during the half-time game show. Although the big day is months away, it is no surprise that fans are already predicting the songs that the singer will perform.

Here is how Usher's set list should go.

Opener - "OMG"

Usher was in his EDM era with his single OMG from his Raymond V. Raymond album. Featuring Will.i.am from The Black Eyed Peas, the song became Usher's ninth number-one hit in the US, making him the first 2010s artist to collect number-one singles in three consecutive decades. This choice may be a bit controversial seeing as though many hardcore Usher fans were not too pleased when he first released this song, but opening with a dance/club anthem will sure get such a large audience to pay attention to the rest of the performance if they are not too familiar with R&B Usher. The video alone shows what all he can do on the stage with this song.

Next Song - "DJ Got Us Fallin' in Love"

I know, I know. Another song that is controversial in Usher's music catalog. Again, the set is only 12-14 minutes, transitioning to the first single from Usher's EP, Versus, which is an extension of his sixth studio album, Raymond v. Raymond, only continues the energy from the opener. The global hit song will also showcase why Usher is considered one of the best performers in music.

Third Song- "You Make Me Wanna..." (Snippet)

Throwing it back to a young Usher and his lead single You Make Me Wanna... from his second studio album, My Way. Produced by Jermaine Dupri, the singer took the world by storm with his smooth vocals and showmanship throughout one of his most famous music videos and chart-topping songs. Usher has plenty to choose from in how he arranges the song. From the epic dance sequence that involves the performer using a chair, to the fan-favorite dance break towards the end of the video.

Transition - "U Remind Me" (Dance Break)

We all remember the famous dance break in Usher's music video for his hit song U Remind Me, from his third studio album, 8701. The routine further showcased Usher's ability to be a top-notch entertainer. The sequence also shows the singer's versatility in dance, which had him doing a handstand and holding it. If the 44-year-old can still pull that move off, (which I am sure he could) it would make for a memorable moment on the big stage.

Next Up - "Confessions, Part. II"

Make no mistake, Usher is the "King of R&B," and having the genre be represented on one of the biggest nights in pop culture will be historic for fans and for those who have come before him. The singer's Confession album was huge... massive when it first hit shelves in 2004. Regarded as one of the best albums of all time, the project sold 1.1 million copies in one week and has been certified diamond in the US alone, meaning the album sold over 10 million copies. Confessions Part. ll, hit number one on the Billboard Hot 100. Performing the ballad will be the perfect way for the singer to get a break from the other high-octane performances.

Almost to the Finish Line - "Untitled Usher Single"

We already learned that Usher's new album, Coming Home, is set to be released on the same day as his Super Bowl performance, which is unusual to drop a new music project on a Sunday, but not unusual as far as a marketing tool to sell a lot of copies of his ninth studio album. Although the singer has released newer singles such as Boyfriend, and Good Good, by the time February comes around, it wouldn't make sense to perform those songs. Instead, I am sure fans can expect a new single to drop by the end of January to coincide with the album release and Usher's ground-breaking performance. Having one of his biggest songs as a lead into his new era is a no-brainer.

"Yeah!"

When fans hear "Peace Up, A-Town Down," I am sure they are going to get crunk after watching a performance of one of Usher's new songs. Performing Yeah! will cement Usher as a living legend. From dancing to perhaps a special appearance from rappers Lil' Jon and Ludacris, who are both featured on the hit song, bringing back his CrunknB era will bring the nostalgia as well as the energy to go into the grand finale.

Grand Finale - "Without You"

Okay, technically this is a David Guetta song that features Usher, but Guetta is the DJ while Usher leads with vocals as well as he wrote the song. In fact, the singer wanted the song for his own album and told Billboard magazine that Without You, was probably the biggest song that he has made in his life. Usually, performers of the Super Bowl have a feel-good finale meant to "heal the world" and bring us all together. For Usher, the Without You, music video has a theme that shows the world literally coming together through music and dance. As an artist who will have to entertain fans at the game as well as his fans watching the game at home, ending with Without You gives Usher his hands-in-the-air, ethereal moment in his set.

Photo Credit: DepositPhotos.com