HUSHER LIVING MY DREAM

THE SUPER BOWL HALFTIME HEADLINER IS A NEWLYWED AND BACK A Teer OP OF HIS GAME. EEOW SEE? S SURVIVED PAST 5 PRU*G:GiLES AND FOUND LOVE AGAIN

- JANINE RUBENSTEIN

It’s four days before Usher will hit the biggest stage in the world—and of his career but sitting down in his trailer in Las Vegas just after a rehearsal for the Super Bowl LVIII halftime show, the R&B superstar, 45, is calm and contemplative. 

“This right here is a significant moment in my life,” he says, speaking to People over Zoom. “After 30 years of a career, to be recognized in this way, after sometimes not getting the accolades and recognition that I worked hard for, it’s like I’m back where I started when I was just a kid who had a belief and talent that I didn’t realize would carry me the way that it has. It hasn’t let me down.”

The eight-time Grammy winner’s silky-smooth tenor and acrobatic dancing skills are gifts that have kept on giving as he’s navigated a tumultuous life in the spotlight. This week’s shining moment caps the star’s remarkable career renaissance, kicked off by the success of his top-selling Las Vegas residency that began in 2021.

"I don't know that I could have curated a better moment three years ago when I decided that Las Vegas would be a place that I would come to spend this much time," he says, noting the serendipity he feels headlining the Super Bowl in the same city where he became the hottest ticket in town, with celebrities flocking to his sexy serenades.

But delivering hits like "Caught Up" and "Yeah!" in front of 65,000 cheering fans wasn't even the only highlight of his triumphant day. After his performance Usher slipped away with a small group of family and friends to a Vegas wedding chapel to privately tie the knot with his love Jennifer "Jenn" Goicoechea, a music executive and the mother of his daughter Sovereign, 3, and son Sire, 2. His mom, Jonetta Patton, was the couple's witness.