• by Laurie Sullivan  @lauriesullivan, February 8, 2024

Apple teased this year’s Super Bowl halftime show, promoting R&B singer and songwriter Usher on its Apple Music YouTube channel.

In the teaser ad, Christopher Brian Bridges -- known as Ludacris -- along with Lil Jon, and Taraji P. Henson are in Las Vegas waiting for the big game. They FaceTime with Apple CEO Tim Cook.

When Henson says Ludacris "lost" Usher, Cook hangs up the phone and sends a text message to Ludacris’ iPhone. The message? “You will find him!”

Henson in a stern voice says, “I don’t know if this means ‘You will find him!” Or in a more pleasant and endearing voice, “’You will find him!’.” The words depend on the sentiment and voice.

The video ends with the tagline "Where's Usher?" and says "Coming Soon on ‌Apple Music‌."

Apple is celebrating its second Apple Music Super Bowl Halftime Show with the release of exclusive content ahead of Usher’s halftime performance this Sunday at the Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas. There are playlists, and his albums are available in Spatial Audio.

Apple is promoting the halftime show as “an epic performance 30 years in the making” through a selection of music and exclusive content, from the first-look trailer Apple Music and Usher shared last month, to the artist’s complete studio album discography in Spatial Audio, to exclusive playlists curated by the musician and by NFL teams.

In 2022, Apple bought the rights to the Super Bowl halftime show, reportedly for $50 million per year.

At the time, reports suggested that content could include documentary footage around the preparations for each show or behind-the-scenes footage from dress rehearsals or bonus performances.

Last year, the company held an Apple Music Super Bowl LVIII Halftime Show Sweepstakes to give viewers the chance to watch Usher's Super Bowl LVIII Halftime performance live.