Swizz Beatz defends wife Alicia Keys amid Super Bowl guesting's voice crack, backhug with Usher
Record producer Swizz Beatz defended his wife, singer Alicia Keys, after her special appearance at the Usher-led Super Bowl halftime show in Las Vegas, in which her voice cracked and Usher back hugged her, leading to mixed reactions.
In an Instagram post on Feb. 12, Swizz shared photos of Keys on the piano, the R&B singer embracing her, and her full body while on stage.
“Y’all talking about the wrong damn thing !!!” Swizz said, “Y’all don’t see that amazing dress covering the entire stadium.”
He called the performance “nothing but amazing” and described Usher and Keys as “2 amazing giants,” congratulating them.
“That song is a classic,” Swizz said of Usher and Keys’ collaboration My Boo.
“We don’t do negative vibes on this side we make history,” he added.
Usher performed a medley of his classic hits, including Caught Up, Confessions Part II, Nice & Slow, Burn, and U Got It Bad.
Keys sang the hit If I Ain’t Got You, though her voice cracked at the start, as heard from clips that circulated on social media.
The official YouTube clip from the National Football League, however, was edited not to include the voice crack.
Usher and Keys then had a duet for My Boo, wrapping it up with a sweet backhug.
Other guest artists included H.E.R., Jermaine Dupri, Lil Jon, Ludacris, and will.i.am.
Right after his performance, Usher married his longtime girlfriend Jennifer Goicoechea in Las Vegas, as his representative confirmed to PEOPLE Magazine.
They exchanged vows at an outdoor wedding chapel with a 30-seating capacity.