Usher Addresses Alicia Keys Super Bowl Embrace

One of the viral moments during the Super Bowl LVIII Halftime show came when Usher hugged Alicia Keys while they performed their 2004 hit song "My Boo." As Keys got up from the piano and sang their song together, Usher embraced Keys from behind, where she was seen smiling and laughing. Usher spoke about the moment in a new interview.

"In no way anything done there should have been viewed as bad or in any way perverted or anything like that," Usher said per Entertainment Tonight.

"No, it was literally about having fun because of a song that me and Alicia made many years ago," Usher explained. He added that he meant "no disrespect to anybody."

The moment garnered responses from fans and Swizz Beatz, Keys' husband. Usher said that he spoke to Keys and the producer, and they are all on good terms despite the backlash from social media. "We've laughed about it... it's all love."

Keys is married to producer Swizz Beatz, and while the internet seemed to make this viral moment negative, he just brushed it off.

"Y’all talking about the wrong d--- thing !!! y’all don’t see that amazing dress covering the entire stadium," Swizz Beatz wrote on Instagram with photos of his wife's performance. "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."

While Swizz Beatz didn't think much of the moment, fans had a more aggressive response to Usher's embrace.

"@USHER ENOUGH IS ENOUGH BRO!! U NEED TO APOLOGIZE TO SWISS," he wrote on Instagram. "SHE MARRIED MY N---- I KNOW THAT WASNT PLANNED."

"It's wrong to hold someone's wife life this. I don't care if Swiss Beatz is okay with it," another fan wrote.

"Don’t take it personal…I think u talking about the wrong d--- thing [laughing emoji], but carry on tho," a fan wrote in Swizz Beatz's comment section.

Others had a similar reaction to Swizz Beatz.

"Usher put his arm around Alicia keys & the insecure brothers of America had a fit," one fan wrote.

"I’m loving the jokes and memes, but some of y’all are REALLY mad about Usher and Alicia Keys?! Wow," a fan responded on X (formerly known as Twitter).

Regardless of what the internet thinks, Usher, Beatz, and Keys are all good.

While Usher is great to listen to, he's also not bad to look at either. Even after all these years, Usher is still giving us the same visuals we fell in love with when he dropped Confessions back in 2010. During his live performances, he is always putting on a show. We can't wait for one of the largest gigs of his career coming up in a couple of months.

While Usher has been doing his thing during his Las Vegas residency and performing several festivals over the summer, he is now going to take his talents to the world's largest stage: The Super Bowl. Last month it was announced that Usher will be staying in his second home of Las Vegas a little bit longer as he will be the Super Bowl LVIII headliner.

"It's an honor of a lifetime to finally check a Super Bowl performance off my bucket list," Usher said in a press release. "I can't wait to bring the world a show unlike anything else they've seen from me before. Thank you to the fans and everyone who made this opportunity happen. I'll see you real soon."

Jay-Z, who signed a multi-year partnership with the NFL through his label Roc Nation, praised Usher's longstanding legacy in the music industry.

"Usher is the ultimate artist and showman. Ever since his debut at the age of 15, he's been charting his own unique course. Beyond his flawless singing and exceptional choreography, Usher bares his soul," said JAY-Z. “His remarkable journey has propelled him to one of the grandest stages in the world. I can't wait to see the magic.

Usher's new album Coming Home, will also be released on the day of the Super Bowl: February 11, 2024.  Songs such as "Good Good," "Boyfriend," and "GLU" will be featured on the album.

He is also reportedly going on tour after the Super Bowl in support of his new album so you just might be able to witness these sexy Instagram looks in person.

Take a look at seven of his sexiest Instagram photos below:

Paris Fashion Week never looked this good. The Confessions creator attended the luxury designer event earlier this year and he did not come to play. Usher wore several outfits over the course of the week including a black and blue blazer, a tan leather suit, and even switched up his hair color to an orange during his time overseas.

It's the confidence for us. One of Usher's greatest traits is that he knows how to put a fit on. He wore leather joggers with a loose oversized white tank and a matching jacket. But, it was truly the accessories that made the outfit even sexier. The white shoes, diamond chains, and oversized sunglasses brought the outfit to the next level.

We love a shirtless moment. This photo is from his annual Lovers and Friends Festival which is hosted in Vegas every year. If Usher has more moments like this on stage next year, we are ready to pack our bags and head over to Sin City.

There's something about Usher on this motorcycle that does something for us! The Grammy-winner was the cover star for Zeit Magazin, which is a Germany-based publication. In this Instagram post, Usher also showed more shots from the photoshoot, such as a shirtless photo with him in dress pants, him in an all-black outfit standing next to a car, and a playful shot of him sticking his tongue out. (Don't mind us just hopping on a flight to Germany to pick up a copy).

Usher recreated his "Nice & Slow" single cover in honor of its 25th anniversary and we can't tell the 1997 version from this 2022 photo. In both photos he is wearing his iconic "U" chain as he poses shirtless (thank you for that, Usher). And to answer his question in the caption, at 7 pm on the dot, Usher was in his "drop top, cruising the streets."

If one thing Usher still has its his "IT" factor. He performed one of his latest songs "GLU" at the Dreamville festival back in April when he so conveniently took off his shirt before performing. Let's just say we have suddenly forgotten all the words.

What is the sexiest photo on his Instagram? Easy: this shirtless photo of him standing in a warehouse. His glaring focus into the camera, the sun outlining his body, and now we are all so suddenly jealous of the towel hung on his neck. No caption needed *mic drop*.