For 30 years, Usher has reigned as the King of R&B—now, he takes on the biggest stage as the headliner of the 2024 Super Bowl halftime show.
, Usher slow-dances with the star like she’s the only person in the room, while crooning his falsetto-laden 2010 ballad “There Goes My Baby.” It was all enough to leave Palmer star-struck and giddy. That song, the dance, Usher’s undivided attention were the stuff of a romantic fantasy the R&B star has been cultivating for three decades—seductive but respectful, flirtatious, and wholly charming.
he holds an entire strip club in his thrall, his song “Love in the Club” playing as he lavishes attention on the dancers. Hisnetted over 20 million views, making it one of the series’ most popular installments. And that viral clip of Usher serenading Palmer was so electrifying, it instigated a petty, misogynistic social media response from her then partner that united the internet in righteous indignation.
Over the span of his career, Usher has clinched nine No. 1 singles and released eight studio albums. He’s won eight Grammys, his 2004 hit track “Confessions Part II” crowned bywas certified in 2005, to receive this distinction. He's also the last Black artist in any genre to achieve this., sometimes to the dismay of his more purist fans.