The Super Bowl LVIII is just days away, and that means I’ll be spending my night with my friends not understanding much of the game, while patiently waiting for Usher’s Halftime Show. I already have my predictions of how I think he’ll open the show, special guests who might be making an appearance, and I’m fully prepared to re-enter an Usher phase after his performance.
Usher’s one of the most successful R&B artists of the late 20th and 21st centuries, according to Spotify. His songs like “Yeah! (feat. Lil Jon & Ludacris)” and “My Boo (feat. Alicia Keys)” are ones I’ve known from a young age and still love to this day. One thing about Usher that sets him apart from other artists is his variety of collaborations, with one of his most memorable and fan-favorite collaborators being Justin Bieber.
There have been rumors going around about Bieber possibly joining Usher during the 2024 Halftime Show. In an interview with Billboard, Usher confirmed that he will have special guests join him during his performance, but did not give any hints on who it could be. Because of his collaborations and years-long friendship with Bieber, many people are hoping the “Baby” singer’s one of the special guests.
These two music legends have had various collaborations with one another, on songs like “First Dance (feat. Usher)” and “Somebody To Love Remix (feat. Usher),” and the remix of Bieber’s hit song “Peaches” These two have quite an interesting friendship, with the timeline starting in the late 2000s. Here’s everything we know about Usher and Justin Bieber’s friendship, from 2008 to now.
2008: Usher and Bieber meet.
Before Bieber released his debut album My World in 2009, he shared videos of himself singing song covers on YouTube. and they went mega viral. In a 2016 interview with Howard Stern, Usher explained that he and Bieber met in 2008 after hearing the young crooner sing a cover of “U Got It Bad.” “I’d heard about Justin through the grapevine, because people were talking about him,” he said. “And I said to him, ‘Why don’t you set up a meeting between me and your manager,’ I’d love to meet with you and do this in a formal setting.” Usher noted that Biebers’ ability to “produce that magic” at his young age was impressive.
Usher soon became Bieber’s mentor after meeting him.
November 2009: Justin Bieber features Usher on his debut album “My World.”
Bieber’s debut album, My World, released Nov. 17, 2009, will forever be nostalgic. Bieber and Usher collaborated on track six of the album “First Dance,” and my OG Bieber stans know how much of a good song this is!
February 2011: Usher is featured in Justin Bieber’s “Somebody To Love Remix.”
In 2010, Bieber released Never Say Never The Remixes. His hit song “Somebody To Love,” off My World 2.0, released in 2010 quickly became a fan favorite, and it got even more iconic when he remixed it with Usher.
They also released a music video for the remix which has over half a billion views on YouTube. TBH, this music video was so important to me as a kid and crazy Justin Bieber fan.
February 2011: Justin Bieber, Usher, and Jaden Smith perform at the 2011 Grammys.
Bieber’s success continued to skyrocket, and he was able to secure a spot performing at the 2011 Grammys alongside Usher and Jaden Smith. He opened with “Baby,” then Smith joined him to sing “Never Say Never,” before Usher closed the performance out singing “OMG.” It was iconic.
November 2011: Bieber features Usher on Under The Mistletoe.
Bieber’s Christmas album is something I will never get over, and Usher’s feature on it is one of the reasons why. On Under The Mistletoe, released in 2011, Bieber covered “The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting On An Open Fire)” and featured Usher throughout the song.
2016: Usher expresses disappointment Over Justin Bieber’s actions
Fast forward to 2016. Bieber is 22-years-old and just released Purpose the year prior, which, according to Rolling Stone, was “his strongest artistic statement to date.” During this time, Bieber was also in the news often for various reasons, such as egging his neighbor’s house and getting a DUI. He was going down a bad path, and Usher expressed his disappointment with this to Howard Stern.
“I can say I’m not happy with all the choices my friend has made, But I’m supportive of him,” he said. “I try my hardest to give as much positive reinforcement as I can. I’ll punch him in the f*cking chest when I need to, and give him a hug and kiss when I need to.’”
February 2020: Usher congratulates Justin Bieber on his album “Changes”
In 2020, Usher congratulated Bieber on his fifth studio album Changes released on Feb. 14, 2020. In an interview with Extra, he talked about the album and Bieber’s growth throughout the years. “It’s very hard. You don’t understand the pressure,’” he explained when talking about Bieber’s stardom. “’It just seems like, ‘Oh, it’s so great to have these lights and these cameras and all of these people staring at you.'”
Usher also talked about how, despite the scrutiny and constantly being in the spotlight, he was impressed that Bieber released another album. “’It’s such a beautiful thing, but the pressures that come with that and the reality of how hard it is to live under that type of scrutiny is a lot. The fact that he has been able to manage to make it back, to put out another album, and share yet another piece of his life,’” he explained.
June 7, 2021: Justin Bieber features Usher on a remix of “Peaches”
Bieber’s hit song “Peaches (Feat. Daniel Caesar and Giveon)” off his 2021 album Justice was the song heard on every radio station, played in every restaurant, and party. But this wasn’t the only version of the song he released. Bieber also dropped a remix with Usher and Snoop Dogg which is just as good as the original.
These two have a very special friendship, and it’s one that’s set to last a lifetime. I’m crossing my fingers for a Bieber appearance on Feb. 11!