Super Bowl, the annual league championship game of the National Football League (NFL) of the United States, is probably the most anticipated sporting event for music fans with its Halftime Show. Each year, legendary or iconic superstars are invited to perform and their sensational performances are promised the spotlight. This year’s Apple Music Super Bowl LVIII Halftime Show will be headlined by Usher. An official trailer has been unveiled, featuring Usher, his fans, and celebrities like LeBron James, J Balvin, and Jung Kook. The video condenses his 30-year career into one minute.

In an industry where fads and tastes change as we speak, few artists are as timeless as Usher. Sure, there are plenty of artists who have managed to maintain their superstar status by staying active and not letting themselves be carried away by fame. But Usher’s case is a bit more special: He doesn’t look out of place whether you put him at a dinner theater filled with middle-aged fans from his heyday or at a club full of younger fans enjoying his current music. To wit, it’s hard to feel the time gap between the Usher of the “Yeah!” era, when he showed off intense dancing and singing to the crunk sound, and the Usher who recently teamed up with BTS’ Jung Kook on “Standing Next to You.” Besides, by the time “Yeah!” was released, it had already been more than a decade since his debut. Usher is certainly an artist far from the influence of time.

Usher’s rise to stardom came early. Other than the relatively long hiatus between “A” (2018), his collaborative album with record producer Zaytoven, and his new album Coming Home set to be released this month, he has never been out of the mainstream music scene. That being the case, Usher would have been introduced to each of us at a different time. For some, it’s the 1990s Laface Records era when he sang sensual slow jams and hip hop souls like “Nice & Slow” and “You Make Me Wanna…”, for others, it’s the 2000s Confessions era when he peaked in popularity with the Crunk&B track “Yeah!” Millennials and Generation Z might have recently found Usher through his collaboration with Jung Kook.

For that reason, we all have different ideas of what we want to see in the Halftime Show. It wouldn’t be any better if we could hear all of his hit tracks, but we only have 13 minutes. And when you’ve got as many Multi-Platinums and hit singles (Nine No.1 singles on Billboard Hot 100 alone!) as Usher, it’s too short a running time even for the best songs of all time only. So what are some of Usher’s “best songs of all time”? As many U.S. media outlets have done, predicting Usher’s set list is one of the greatest pleasures of waiting for his historic performance.

There’s no doubt “Yeah!” will be listed. Produced by Atlanta-based rapper Lil Jon, “Yeah!” was the first song to blend energetic and menacing southern crunk with sophisticated mainstream R&B. It marked the beginning of the genre known as Crunk&B. The thoroughly club-oriented track is completely different from the traditional hip hop soul in its direction, despite its fusion with hip hop. “Yeah!” is not only Usher’s signature song but also one of the most iconic songs of 2000s R&B. It can both serve as a great opener and a grand closer.

Next up is “Love in This Club (Feat. Young Jeezy).” Inspired by producer Polow da Don’s Vegas stay, the song retains the feel of a luxurious city built on a desert in both its mood and lyrics. It would be thrilling to hear it at a larger venue, especially with its subtle synth backdrop. Needless to say, the combination of Usher’s smooth vocals and the synth is magnificent. “Love in This Club (Feat. Young Jeezy)” is like a song made for a Halftime Show.

“OMG” can’t be left out. “OMG” is a mid-tempo track with elements of dance-pop, electropop, and R&B, produced and featured by will.i.am from the Black Eyed Peas. Most of all, it represents a transition in Usher’s music, as he began to actively embrace electronic dance music in the 2010s. “My Boo,” a duet with Alicia Keys, is also a strong candidate. The sticky, slow groove of Jermaine Dupri, with whom Usher first collaborated on his second album My Way (1997), came through. The melody is mesmerizing, and the duo’s vocals are sweet. Production-wise, it sits at the opposite end of the spectrum from “Yeah!” in Confessions, which makes it all the more interesting. If “My Boo” is on the set list, a surprise appearance by Alicia Keys could be in store.

Meanwhile, as was the case for the former headliners with an extensive career, there is an anticipation for a stage retracing Usher’s early steps. A medley of songs like “You Make Me Wanna…”, “Think of You,” “U Got It Bad,” and “U Remind Me” would make the show extra emotive. Finally, there are new songs from his upcoming album Coming Home which will be released a few days before the Halftime Show. Expect some of the pre-released songs like “Good Good (Explicit)” featuring Summer Walker and 21 Savage, “Risk It All,” a soundtrack from the movie The Color Purple, or “Standing Next to You (USHER Remix)” with Jung Kook to be included.

In a statement, Usher said, “It’s an honor of a lifetime to finally check a Super Bowl performance off my bucket list. 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.”

His wait and thrill are palpable. As for “a show unlike anything else,” the trailer gives us a hint of what to expect. In the video, “Yeah!” is reworked by a dynamic marching band and a string section. Other songs may also feature a live arrangement and it’s the most anticipated part of the show along with the stage setup. On one of the greatest stages in the world, a stage set aside for the maestros with a solid musical legacy, an R&B giant will stand, for “One performance, 30 years in the making.”