Usher’s Super Bowl Advice To Kendrick Lamar: “Savor The Moment”
Usher has some wise words for Kendrick Lamar as he gears up for his Super Bowl halftime performance.
The R&B icon, who delivered a show-stopping performance at last year’s Super Bowl, stopped by The Jennifer Hudson Show to share some heartfelt advice for this year’s headliner.
“I haven’t had the chance to catch up with him and tell him, one, how excited I am. I’ve talked to everybody around … I’ve talked to all the producers, his creative team,” Usher said about Kendrick, 37.
Usher explained that the pressure to create the perfect show can sometimes take away from the joy of the experience. “The one thing I would say is savor the moment ‘cause you get obsessed in trying to build the best performance but you don’t realize that it’s really about enjoying it,” he continued.
Encouraging Kendrick to fully embrace the experience, Usher added, “It might not be perfect, everything may not go exactly the way it’s supposed to but if you are in your mind and stuck trying to make something perfect , you’re not going to look up and smell the flowers. And realize, ‘Wait a minute, I’m here and I get a chance to have this moment and I’m not going to get it again, I’m not going to get this moment back.’ So my encouragement to him is to really be present and I hope that he uses the moment well.”
Usher also praised Kendrick’s impact on hip-hop, saying, “There’s a lot that could be said, there’s a lot to be said for where hip-hop has come from, there’s a lot to be said for that young man and how he’s completely been an incredible benchmark for what it is to be an artist.”
Usher knows the weight of the Super Bowl stage firsthand. His own 2024 halftime show featured a star-studded lineup with Alicia Keys, H.E.R., Ludacris, Lil Jon, Will.i.am, and Jermaine Dupri. He kicked off the set with his hit Caught Up and took fans on a journey through classics like Bad Girl, My Boo, and You Got It Bad.
He also made a Super Bowl appearance back in 2011, performing alongside the Black Eyed Peas during their halftime show in Texas.
Now, it’s Kendrick’s turn. The rapper will take center stage on Feb. 9, with SZA joining him as a guest performer. Like Usher, Kendrick has had a taste of the Super Bowl spotlight before, having performed in 2022 alongside Snoop Dogg, Dr. Dre, 50 Cent, Eminem, Mary J. Blige, and Anderson .Paak.
