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Usher is feeling the pressure to be perfect ahead of his Super Bowl halftime show performance next month.
The superstar performer is currently busy preparing a career-spanning set for the Super Bowl LVIII on February 11 at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas. Speaking to Vogue, Usher shared why he not only wants to do a great job for himself, but for the fans who have supported him along the way.
"It has to be perfect," he said of the 13-minute set. "I've been doing this for 30 years. I want people who have been a part of that journey to feel like it's a celebration for everybody, for all of us, from the beginning up until this point."
Details of the sure-to-be impressive performance are being kept quiet until the show, but Usher did reveal a few things that fans can expect, from great choreography and a costume change to roller skating and special guests, per Billboard.
"This night was specifically curated in my mind to have R&B take the main stage," he said. "Not just R&B music, but R&B performance, R&B connection, R&B spirit." Reflecting on the impact of other Black artists and iconic figures, he said, "I'm thinking about the fact that I've been able to walk through the front door as a result of their sacrifice and ability."
Usher can't wait to share his passion with the millions of viewers expected to tune in to the Super Bowl, saying the idea has "made me feel joyous."
"It made me feel like I want to go out there, and I want the world to smile when they look at me," he said. "I want them to feel something, and feel my passion, my love, feel like I was the right person to sit in this position, and I was the right person to bring this kind of energy and love and connection to the entire world."
The "Risk It All" singer also hopes that even viewers more interested in the football side of things than his set can still find something "healing" in the performance.
"People will tune in for a football game, but I hope when they look at that halftime performance, I'm hoping they walk away with something that's healing them," he said. "Something that makes them feel hopeful, and not just look at the past, but have hope for the future, and have hope for a different type of future than we're looking at right now in the future."