Usher hopes his Nfl season kick-off performance on Thursday will help him land the coveted Super Bowl half-time show.

Despite strong rumours suggesting Bruce Springsteen + The E-Street Band will perform on American football's biggest stage next February to millions of fans around the world, organisers have yet to confirm who will land the slot, and Usher is hopeful it will be him.

He says, "I don't think it's too early to consider it. Certainly, being associated with the organisation makes that a lot more possible. There have been conversations for a lot of years about me being part of a performance at a Super Bowl."

"I'm hoping that this leads, definitely, to that. This whole process is basically you scratch my back, I'll scratch yours."

Usher will be among the main attractions performing before 2008 Super Bowl champions the New York Giants take on the Washington Redskins in the first game of the season.

If he lands the big show, he'll join the ranks of Sir Paul McCartney, the Rolling Stones, Tom Petty + The Heartbreakers and Janet Jackson among the superstars who have performed at the Super Bowl in recent years.