While Usher and Alicia Keys were all smiles during their intimate Super Bowl duet, some tongues got a-wagging. But Keys’ husband — producer Swizz Beatz — says that some naysayers are focused on “the wrong damn thing.”
Keys was one of the many recording artists who joined Usher onstage at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas during his halftime show on Sunday, making a surprise appearance to play her 2003 hit “If I Ain’t Got You” and to sing “My Boo,” their besotted 2004 duet.
The 16-time Grammy Award winner appeared on the field playing a red piano while wearing a massive red organza cape and Swarovski crystal-encrusted Dolce & Gabanna catsuit to belt out the hits. That — not her instantly iconic embrace with her collaborator — is what her husband wanted viewers to take away from the gig.
“Y’all talking about the wrong damn thing !!!,” he wrote Sunday night on Instagram, sharing a series of photos from his wife’s duet.
“y’all don’t see that amazing dress covering the entire stadium,” he wrote. “Tonight’s performance was nothing but amazing with 2 amazing Giants ! Congrats @usher and my love @aliciakeys that song is a classic … We don’t do negative vibes on this side we make history.”
Swizz Beatz, who has been married to Keys since 2010, attended the game with their sons Egypt, 13, and Genesis, 9.
Swizz Beatz and Alicia Keys, seen at the 2022 Met Gala, have been married since 2010 and share two sons.
(Evan Agostini / Invision / Associated Press)
Keys has not yet responded to the public discourse around her performance, but took to Instagram to showcase her custom look without commentary. She also shared a clip of model and TV host Chrissy Teigen visibly moved by Keys and Usher while watching at home.
“I always love halftime. I never ever hate on halftime,” Teigen wrote, posting a clip of herself at home with her children with musician John Legend. “It’s such a big deal and the pressure is so insane, the timing is so bananas. It’s all just so much and I’m so proud of anyone who does this show. But man, when you know all the songs.”
Usher, who sang a medley of his R&B hits, roller skated and gave a performance touted as “30 years in the making,” also invited Will.i.am, Ludacris, Jermaine Dupri, H.E.R. and Lil Jon to do cameos during the 13-minute set produced by Jay-Z’s Roc Nation.
“Overall, the performance showcased Usher’s range and dexterity, though it might have moved too fast to properly demonstrate the emotion in his singing or the heady thoughts on romance that distinguish his songwriting,” The Times’ music critic Mikael Wood wrote in his review.
But plenty of people still felt the romance. Usher, it appears, was well aware of his undershirt and bodice-ripping stage presence. A faux disclaimer from Apple Music introduced his set by gently warning viewers that it might cause “singing, dancing, sweating, gyrating [and] possible relationship issues.”
And another notable celebrity felt that firsthand.
“When Usher sang ‘Don’t leave your girl around me’ was he talking to me?” wrote “Guardians of the Galaxy” and “Jurassic World” star Chris Pratt, sharing an Instagram clip of his wife, Katherine Schwarzenegger, singing every single lyric with the R&B superstar.
And others fully embraced it.
“CAN’T SPELL USHER WITHOUT H.E.R.” H.E.R wrote Sunday on Instagram. “HALFTIME SHOW?!?!???? WHAAAAAAT. AND IT WAS THE GREATEST EVER. THANK YOU FOR YOUR TALENT, YOUR LOVE, AND FOR SHARING THIS MOMENT WITH ME. WOW I HAVE NO WORDS.”
“We love you, Usher! All day,” tweeted actor Keke Palmer, who was embroiled in her own relationship drama after she went viral for being serenaded by Usher during a Las Vegas residency show in July. shows. She added on Instagram stories: “Usher be entertaining us since I was about 5 years old. I’m 30 now. It was only a matter of time before he did that Super Bowl, and, yo, he ate it down!”
“Wooow @Usher,” tweeted “Saturday Night Live” alum Leslie Jones. “YOU JUST KILLED THAT S—!!! How YOU FEEL?!”
“Now that @Usher is done performing, how many people are done watching?” asked “Real Housewives of Atlanta” star Kandi Burruss. “I’m not gonna lie, I tuned in for #Usher. He killed it! #SuperBowl”
“Man @usher really went crazy!!!” tweeted Big Sean.
“It wouldn’t be #BlackHistoryMonth without some #BlackExcellence at the Super Bowl!” tweeted civil rights attorney Ben Crump. “Usher shared the stage with so many Black musical icons, and featured performances by the Jackson State University’s Sonic Boom of the South and the brothers of Kappa Alpha Psi!”
“Do you know the level of skill it takes to steadily hold your position AND hit choreographed movement in sync on roller skates?! #Usher,” wrote marketing and PR professional Ray Love Jr.
