Usher starred in the halftime show, but Beyoncé was the big musical winner of the Super Bowl

By Chris MorrisFormer Contributing Writer
Chris MorrisFormer Contributing Writer

    Chris Morris is a former contributing writer at Fortune, covering everything from general business news to the video game and theme park industries.

    Beyoncé had her own surprise in store during the Super Bowl.
    Beyoncé had her own surprise in store during the Super Bowl.
    Kevin Mazur—WireImage for Parkwood/Getty Images

    Going into Super Bowl LVIII, music fans knew to keep their eyes on Usher and Taylor Swift. But no one expected Beyoncé to enter the conversation, much less become the center of it.

    The pop star was the centerpiece of a Verizon commercial during the second half of the game that seemed fairly typical—a giant star teaming with a company to promote its services in a humorous manner. In this case, the carrier flexed on its network’s reliability as Beyoncé tried to “break the internet” in a number of increasingly ludicrous attempts, from running for president to traveling to space.

    The efforts, of course, failed, but at the very end of the spot, Beyoncé says, “Okay, they ready. Drop the new music.”

    That baffling line wasn’t a joke. It was a declaration. Once the commercial ended, the first two singles for Beyoncé’s new album were released, and the release date for the album—Renaissance Act II—was revealed to be March 29.

    The songs, “Texas Hold ‘Em” and “16 Carriages,” hint that the album will have a country flavor.

    And fans seem to be all in on the news.

    While Usher might have headlined the Apple-sponsored halftime show, it was Beyoncé who topped the Apple songs sales charts on Monday, with “16 Carriages” taking the top spot and “Texas Hold ‘Em” at No. 2. Usher came in at No. 3 with “Yeah!” (Usher’s new album was the top seller on that list, though.)

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