Recent reports shed light on Justin Bieber‘s decision to decline Usher‘s offer to perform alongside him at the Super Bowl halftime show.
The Super Bowl LVIII halftime show, held at Allegiant Stadium, featured an electrifying performance by Usher, with a star-studded performance featuring Alicia Keys, H.E.R, will.i.am, and more.
However, there was questions about why Justin Bieber, Usher’s longtime friend, didn’t share the stage – despite being in attendance.
Anonymous sources within the music industry revealed to Page Six the reasons behind Justin’s absence.
According to reports, Justin was indeed extended an invitation to join Usher but opted to decline, citing personal reasons.
“There’s no bad blood between Usher and Justin. Justin just wasn’t up for it — he just wasn’t feeling it,” the source added.
The “Sorry” singer preferred to enjoy the spectacle with his wife, Hailey, from a luxurious $2.5 million suite within the stadium.
The duo’s musical journey dates back to Justin’s early rise to stardom, with Usher playing a pivotal role in mentoring and supporting the young artist.
Justin and Usher’s friendship
Their collaboration on the 2010 hit “Somebody to Love” remains emblematic of their shared musical legacy.
The decision to sit out of the Halftime show, which was reportedly watched by over 30 million households across the US, may be related to Bieber’s increasing time out of the spotlight in recent years.
As highlighted by Page Six, back in 2019 the singer opened up about his ongoing struggle with anxiety.
Later, in 2022, he also took a break from performing live – cancelling all of the remaining live shows for his ‘Justice’ tour after being diagnosed with Ramsay Hunt syndrome.
Although performing significantly less than in earlier years of his career, Justin did recently take to the stage for the first time in more than a year earlier this month – playing an intimate gig at Drake’s History Club in Toronto.
Elsewhere at Usher’s Halftime performance, the singer brought out Alicia Keys as a surprise guest.
Seated behind a piano, she began by performing her own song ‘If I Ain’t Got You’ before Usher joined her to deliver a rendition of their 2004 collaboration ‘My Boo’.
Later, he welcomed more guests throughout the set: H.E.R. joined him on guitar during ‘U Got It Bad’ and will.i.am appeared during ‘OMG’.
Usher’s star-studded halftime show
The latter also saw Usher recreate a roller-skating performance from his Las Vegas residency.
Lil Jon also appeared in the on-field crowd for a snippet of his song ‘Turn Down For What’ before joining the headliner and Ludacris for ‘Yeah!’.
Usher also performed with an unmanned gold drumkit behind him – placed there in tribute to late collaborator Aaron Spears.
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