Usher Has Had Quite The Transformation

There are few R&B crooners as smooth as Usher; from his dazzling dancing to the strong emotions he expresses in his chart-topping melodies. The singer had his sights set on a career in the music industry ever since he was a child, releasing his first album when he was only 15 years old in 1994. Throughout his career, Usher has earned eight Grammy Awards, 18 Billboard Music Awards, eight American Music Awards, and dozens of other accolades for his undeniable artistic talent.

As a seasoned musician, Usher has completed more than enough milestones in his life to look back on with pride. But the "I Don't Mind" singer continues to surprise his fans with plans for new music, new shows, and even a Super Bowl Halftime Show headlining spot.

Usher has undergone a jaw-dropping evolution as not only an artist but a person as well. He managed to overcome many adversities in his life; from his less-than-perfect childhood, the trials and tribulations of the industry, and the ups and downs in his personal life. But the singer has ushered in (pun intended) the many phases of his life with exceptional grace.

Born Usher Raymond IV, Usher's childhood was far from ideal, characterized by an absent father and a mother doing her best to make ends meet. His father left his family when he was just a toddler, leaving him and his younger brother to be raised by their mother, Jonetta. He spoke to the Mirror about how the cracks in his foundation ultimately shaped him to be a better man, and how he avoided the vices that many artists fall prey to at the height of their careers.

"My dad got into drugs at a very young age," he revealed. "Alcohol and substance abuse led to his death. He had many problems and never addressed it. Unfortunately it went on too long and took his life." Usher steered clear of hard drugs, something he feared he could fall victim to just as his father had. "I worried that maybe there was a chemical imbalance that may trigger something, so I couldn't do it," he admitted.

As he grew up, Usher hoped to instill in his children the lessons he said he missed out on due to his absent father. Even with his hectic schedule, the singer has made every effort to be present for his own family. "Not having a father around has made me want to be the best father I can be to my son," he explained. "I wouldn't want that for my child – I wouldn't want that for any child."

Usher's big dreams had him taking a chance at fame as a young teenager. The "Yeah!" singer admitted on the "Late Late Show With James Corden" that he knew he wanted to become a star, and he decided to take it to the next level when he debuted on the talent search TV show, "Star Search," at just 13 years old.

While Usher didn't win the program, it jumpstarted his journey into the music industry. During his time on the show, the singer set the record for the longest-held note ever sung by a competitor at 12 seconds, which earned him enough attention to land a record deal with LaFace Records. He teamed up with music executive L.A. Reid, who knew he had something special from the moment he sang for him. "He really charmed the girls in my office," Reid recalled in an interview. 

That charm led the singer to drop his self-titled debut album in 1994, and while it wasn't a chart-topping success, it did set the tone for what was to come. His second album, "My Way," earned him major respect in the R&B genre, ultimately landing the No. 4 spot on the Billboard 200 album chart and his first Grammy nomination for best male R&B vocal performance for the track "You Make Me Wanna..."

Usher's relationship with stylist Tameka Foster had its fair share of ups and downs. The pair started dating in 2005 and tied the knot two years later, going on to welcome two children together alongside Foster's three kids from a previous relationship. The singer spoke highly of his wife during their relationship, singing her praises on ABC's "Good Morning America" in 2009. "When I became a husband, I became a great man. Everybody knows what I used to be. Now, [I'm] a man of integrity," he said at the time.

Their love story officially ended in 2009, marking the beginning of a tumultuous custody battle, in which Foster stated there was infidelity on Usher's part and that he was absent from their children's lives. The singer rebuked his ex-wife's claims during his interview on "Oprah's Next Chapter" (via Us Weekly). "Absentee from the aspect of having to go and work, that probably would be her version or idea what absentee would be," he said. "But no, I'm not an absentee father at all."

Their custody battle eventually ended in 2012 when a judge granted Usher primary custody. While their breakup was hectic, the singer admitted he had no regrets about his time with Foster. "I recognize my being married as one of the most sincere occurrences in my life," he told ABC News. "You know, unfortunately, it just did not work out and we moved on to be very happy."

Usher has lived an incredible life as one of the world's most respected R&B singers, but no moment was more special for him than becoming a father. "To be a father — daddy — to my family [and] my wife is the most incredible thing ever," he gushed during his "Good Morning America" interview.

The singer shares his two eldest sons — Usher "Cinco" V born in 2007 and Naviyd Ely born in 2008 — with ex-wife Tameka Foster. He went on to father two more children with his girlfriend Jenn Goicoechea; a daughter, Sovereign Bo, in 2020 and a son, Sire Castrello, in 2021. In typical Usher fashion, he revealed that he had playlists prepared for the births of Sovereign and Sire to commemorate the moment. On an episode of "The Ellen DeGeneres Show," he recounted how "In Da Club" by 50 Cent was playing when Sire was born, turning the delivery room into a real-life club celebration.

Usher has had his fair share of challenges being a father, including when his son, Cinco, was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes. While he and ex-wife Foster were previously embroiled in a tumultuous custody battle, Usher explained that they have come together for the sake of their son's health. "The breeding ground of disaster is lack of communication," he told People. "You honestly have to find the means and the ability to have mutual parties ... our [kid's] endocrinologist is a mutual ground."

Despite his father being absent the majority of his life, Usher decided to reconnect with him later in 2007. But his mother didn't support the decision, and the "OMG" singer opened up to the Mirror about his conflicted emotions, saying, "She never wanted me to meet my dad but as a man I had to make my own decision. What if he died and I never got the chance to meet him?" He ultimately put aside his past resentment, admitting, "I was happy that I did, happy that I got closure, happy that I forgave him for not being there and that I knew he really did love me."

The reunion was short-lived, however, due to his father being in the hospital at the time due to liver failure. The Grammy award-winning artist told Oprah he decided to pay for his father's liver transplant, but he ended up suffering complications during the procedure and went into a coma. "The hardest part of this story is the fact that, within the process of making the decision of whether my father lives or dies, if they take him off of the [breathing] machine, my son is across town just being born."

Usher made it back to his father's side before he passed away, getting the closure he had hoped for. "I remember showing a picture of my son to my father, who was unconscious, saying 'Look at this, this is Usher. This is the continuation of us,'" he told the Daily Mail.

Usher famously mentored Justin Bieber when he first burst onto the scene in 2009, guiding his teen protégé through the difficult obstacles of stardom. At the time, the "Baby" singer was working with talent manager Scooter Braun, who set up a meeting between Bieber and Usher after the singers had a chance encounter. "I said to him, 'Why don't you set up a meeting between me and your manager ... I'm late for an appointment with Jermaine Dupri and I don't want to keep him waiting, so let's do this the right way,'" Usher recalled on "The Howard Stern Show."

Usher was watching some of Bieber's YouTube music covers while he waited for his meeting and was convinced by L.A. Reid's wife to give the undiscovered star a shot. "Perri says, 'Are you crazy? You better get down there right now and meet this kid. He's amazing,'" Usher recounted. He decided to take a chance on the Canadian and help jumpstart his career.

While Usher's mentorship contributed to Bieber's incredible success — including their 2010 collaboration, "Somebody to Love" — the Canadian endured several hardships throughout his career. Nevertheless, Usher had done his best to help him navigate the excessive media attention. "As a mentor, he's accepted my opinion, I can give him my perspective. He's like a child to me, so I don't necessarily feel like it's business, you know what I'm saying? I feel like I'm talking to someone who has had hardships," Usher explained.

The DJ had Usher falling in love again ... with his second wife, Grace Miguel. The pair started dating shortly after the singer's split from Tameka Foster in 2009, with Miguel playing the role of girlfriend as well as managing his career for years. "I have an incredible partner and manager," Usher told Billboard in 2014. "She has helped me through some of the hardest times in my life and my career." The two exchanged vows in 2015 in a private ceremony in Cuba.

Mixing business and pleasure may not have been the best idea, as the two later split in 2018. A source told The Jasmine Brand that the pair had different ideas about having kids, leading to their breakup. "Grace REALLY wanted to have kids and Usher wasn't necessarily open to the idea," the source claimed, alleging that Miguel was not able to conceive due to her age and Usher wasn't on the same page about exploring other options.

The two appeared to split on amicable terms, however, and released a joint statement to Us Weekly at the time. "After much thought and consideration we have mutually decided to separate as a couple," the exes wrote. "We remain deeply connected, loving friends who will continue supporting each other through the next phases of our lives."

Usher received some heartbreaking news in 2012 when he learned that his stepson was involved in a fatal accident. Kile Glover — who was the 11-year-old son of his ex-wife, Tameka Foster, and her ex-husband, Ryan Glover — was struck by a jet ski that May while at Lake Lanier. Kile was being towed on an inner tube alongside a 15-year-old girl at the popular Georgia vacation spot when they were both hit by a man later identified to be Jeffrey Hubbard.

Kile was taken to the hospital immediately and was pronounced brain dead, but his family hoped he would make a full recovery. "Kyle, You are strong.. You'll be saved I know it," Foster wrote on her Facebook at the time (via MTV). He remained on life support until two weeks later, when he eventually succumbed to his injuries and tragically died of heart failure. Hubbard was found guilty of homicide by a vessel in 2014 and sentenced to four years in prison.

The tragedy took a toll on Usher, who was a large part of Kile's life. The R&B singer took to Instagram to mourn the loss of his stepson on what would have been his 16th birthday, writing (via Billboard), "Since you left I ain't been quite the same. I wonder if you miss me, do I make you proud. Know you're watching me, I feel your spirit. I keep you right by my side. #Stronger Happy 16th Birthday, Kile$. We miss you."

It didn't take long for Usher to get back in the game after his 2018 split with Grace Miguel, as he started dating his longtime girlfriend, Jenn Goicoechea, in 2019. The pair first sparked relationship rumors at producer Keith Thomas' birthday party that summer and have been going strong ever since. They welcomed their first child together, a daughter Sovereign Bo, in 2020, and a son, Sire Castrello, the following year. 

Goicoechea is no stranger to the entertainment business, as the Miami native grew up shadowing her mother Barbara, the former director of operations at an event production company. She went on to become an assistant for musician Ciara and ultimately crossed paths with her future beau. The two have since gone on to appear at several red carpets together, sharing sweet moments backstage. One photographer posted a snapshot to Instagram of the two getting cozy at the Hollywood Bowl in October 2019, writing, "Caught a rare moment with @usher backstage the other day. I stay catching moments like these boys be catching feelings!"

Usher has gushed about his girlfriend in front of thousands of adoring fans, even treating her to an impromptu birthday surprise onstage during a show in 2022. In a video posted to X, formerly known as Twitter, the crooner escorted his lucky lady to a cocktail table on stage while he toasted her special day with champagne. 

Deciding to put up a residency on the Las Vegas Strip, Usher began his Sin City reign in 2021 at Caesars Palace and later moved to MGM Park in 2022, where his show was consistently sold out. The 100-show run was packed with all of his greatest hits, as well as some of his more recent tracks including "Good Love" and "Boyfriend." The residency sadly came to a close in December 2023. In a fan video reposted by Usher on X, the singer was overcome by emotion during his final show while singing his David Guetta collaboration, "Without You." In the clip, he tells his fans, "God bless you, I love you," as his backup dancers and cheering fans encourage him to continue.

The show was a longtime dream of Usher's, and the singer reposted a video of himself foreseeing a future in Las Vegas in a 2004 interview. In the video, the interviewer asks the star, "Promise me ... you will never become a Las Vegas resident in 20 years time," to which he replies, "I can't promise you that." Usher wrote in his tweet: "I saw it then ... look at me now."

He spoke about his vision for Vegas in a 2023 interview with GQ, saying, "I really wanted to give women something to look forward to ...They've been saving up all year and were able to manage to get away from their kids or get away from their problems."

Usher is being dubbed the "Comeback King" as fans anxiously await his first solo album drop in nearly a decade. "Coming Home" is Usher's ninth album and is set to release in February 2024, marking his first record since his 2018 joint project with Zaytoven, called "A" — named after his hometown, Atlanta. His last solo release, "Hard II Love," came out in 2016. The upcoming album will feature 20 songs, including his 2023 single, "Good Good," a collaboration with 21 Savage and Summer Walker.

The album is an homage to his Georgia roots and was produced with the help of Usher's long-time business partner L.A. Reid. "I'm coming home, I'm back home with my team," the singer told Apple Music's Zane Lowe. "Even when you see the artwork, you will understand it. When you see the peach. You get it. You understand where I'm from and what we're doing."

The "Comeback King" noted that "there's a lot of honesty" in the record, adding that it will feature a lot of reconnections with writers and producers he worked with in the past. "When you are at home, you're comfortable," Usher explained. "When you're at home, you feel connected. And inspired." Despite having decades of success in the music industry, Usher hopes to continue his longevity as an artist for years to come. "Something about this journey has been about never arriving," he told Lowe. "It's just really been about the journey ... The journey is the destination for me."

Usher is set to take the stage at the Super Bowl Halftime Show on February 11, 2024. Being a headliner for the Super Bowl has been a longtime dream for the singer, and he hopes to bring the audience an epic show packed with hits that fans have been singing for decades. 

"It's been a dream of mine and a bucket list, you know, thing to be able to get it," he gushed on "Good Morning America." "You know, they say what is it, Oscar, Tony, Grammy, Emmy, right? You should put [the] Super Bowl there too, right?" Usher to give a 13-minute-long performance that fans of all ages can enjoy, and he admitted he couldn't pull it off without the help of his sons, who have been putting their input into the show. "But for my young'uns, Cinco and Naviyd, I'm taking notes," he said. "They've been like taking conference calls with my entire team, giving notes."

In an interview with Vogue, the R&B singer explained that he has been taking inspiration from legendary Black artists like Prince and Michael Jackson to prepare for the big day. While he may be performing for millions around the world, he said he hopes to make his performance as personal as he can. "I'm literally speaking to every woman," he revealed, "I want to make it feel like that."