Usher assembled a star-studded crew of guest performers, including Alicia Keys, Ludacris and will.i.am, for his dazzling set at the 2024 Super Bowl Halftime Show — but he missed out on what would've been the biggest cameo of all.
Page Six reported today that Usher tried to recruit his former protégé Justin Bieber to join the show, but the Biebs "just wasn't feeling it," according to an unnamed music industry source.
"There’s no bad blood between Usher and Justin. Justin just wasn’t up for it — he just wasn’t feeling it."
Usher, who helped Bieber navigate the industry early on in his career and collaborated with him on the 2010 megahit "Somebody to Love," reportedly tried hard to persuade him to perform, before ultimately rolling with Keys, Ludacris, will.i.am, H.E.R., Jermaine Dupri and Lil Jon.
Bieber made his return to the stage with an acoustic set at History in Toronto earlier this month, but prior to that, he hadn't performed live in over a year since cancelling his 2022 tour due to an illness.
Although the show would've been even more electric had Bieber joined for a performance of "Somebody to Love," it was a spectacle nonetheless. Check it out in full here.