Taylor Swift & Usher Have Actually Performed Together Before
Never forget this collab.
One of R&B’s most iconic forces is coming home. Last September, the NFL announced Usher as the 2024 Super Bowl halftime performer. Since that revelation, two exciting moments happened: Usher teased his upcoming set will have a few special guests, and the San Francisco 49ers and Kansas City Chiefs secured their spot in the championship game. Considering Taylor Swift is dating Travis Kelce (ahem, the guy on the Chiefs), theories that she might appear at the game to support him — or even perform with Usher — became hot on social media. While neither of those rumors has been confirmed, the two singers do have a sweet friendship history.
Usher and Swift’s bond seemingly goes back to December 2009. That month, the two performed at Z100’s Jingle Ball in New York. Swift showed love to her Fearless album during her set, and Usher teamed up with Justin Bieber (who might be a potential contender as a surprise Super Bowl guest) to sing a few duets. The three stars also took some photos backstage.
While it’s not clear if Swift and Usher met before Jingle Ball, the years they were seen together make sense. At the time, Swift was a rising star in the country-pop scene. Meanwhile, Usher was steadily teasing his EDM-pop crossover, a riveting era he recently shared should’ve earned more respect. (Hot take: Despite the mixed reception, 2010’s Raymond v Raymond is still an undeniably solid album).
Nearly two years after Jingle Ball, Usher reunited with Swift on her Speak Now tour in 2011. He made a surprise appearance during her stop in Atlanta, and later praised the experience. “Taylor, yo. She’s crunk for real,” he said in October of that year, per BET. “She did her thing. I didn’t know she and hip-hop swag like that. She came out and [the crowd] enjoyed it.”
In the interview, the Confessions star revealed Swift reached out to him while he was hanging out with his sons, Naviyd and Usher Raymond V. “Taylor hits me, and says, ‘Yo Ush, I’m in town. I’d really love if you could come out and do ‘Yeah!’ with me,’” he reflected. “I’m like: ‘Well, we haven’t had any rehearsals,’ and [she said], ‘No, no. The band’s got it. You just show up.’” And he did.
As planned, Usher performed “Yeah!” with Swift (who rapped Ludacris’ verse) and invited his sons onstage. Though the two singers haven’t been seen together since this moment, they still seem to be on good terms. In November 2023, Usher appeared on Today with Hoda & Jenna to share details about his halftime performance. At the time of the interview, the Chiefs hadn’t yet secured their ticket to the Super Bowl; however, Swift was still mentioned when speaking about potential special guests.
“If her boyfriend makes it, definitely, she’s going to be there,” he said, joking he might flex his vocal rizz to Swift if she appears at the game. “I mean, she could be one person that I serenade. Or, she could be a special guest. I don’t know. That process of creating has been very interesting.”
This is a nod to his Las Vegas residency last year, where he notably serenaded guests such as Keke Palmer (which led to an iconic collaboration), Issa Rae, Saweetie, Doja Cat, and more. While Swift’s appearance at the Super Bowl is still unknown, Usher’s performance sounds like it’ll be one for the books.
This article was originally published on
