Nov
20
2011
Usher Spotted Shopping In NYC With His Sons
Usher was spotted out & about over the weekend taking his sons, Naviyd & Usher V, on a stroll & shopping at the Balloon Saloon in Tribeca, NYC.
Oct
2
2011
Usher & Sons Out & About Over The Weekend
Usher & his sons, Usher V & Naviyd, spent some quality time over the weekend. Check it out!
Feb
9
2011
Usher & Sons Attend “Justin Bieber: Never Say Never” Premiere In LA (Nokia Theatre) + Trailers
Jan
6
2011
Usher Out & About In Miami (Pics)
Usher was spotted out to lunch & with sons Naviyd and Usher V leaving Setai Hotel in Miami, Florida last week.
Nov
10
2010
Usher & Sons Featured In W Magazine (December 2010 Issue)
Usher, photographed at the Chateau Marmont in Los Angeles, with sons Naviyd (left), two, and Usher V, three.
“When you put the passion between a man and a woman up against having children, it doesn’t hold a candle. I’ve never known passion like what my children have helped me feel,” says divorced dad Usher Raymond IV, who shares custody of sons Usher V and Naviyd with ex-wife Tameka Foster. Of course, there are more practical considerations. “Mine was a little more of a rock star’s world before. When you have to childproof your house, everything changes—your furniture selection, your car selection,” he explains. “You become a lot more conscious, or at least I did.” Today the No. 1 hit in the House of Usher is the theme song to Thomas the Tank Engine. As for his own music, the R&B singer insists that the title of his most recent album, Raymond v. Raymond, refers not to his divorce but to his competing personas: the rock star and the family man. Both were partying hard on his 32nd birthday in October. “I’m here sitting by the pool with my kids just enjoying the simple moments of life,” he told me from Los Angeles, where his kids had flown from their home in Atlanta to see him. “And then later on tonight I’ll have a party, the kids will go to bed, and the other Raymond will come out.”
By Diane Solway
Photograph by Andreas Laszlo Konrath
Photograph by Andreas Laszlo Konrath
Oct
21
2010
Usher & Sons Carve Pumpkins
Usher spent some quality time carving pumpkins for Halloween with his sons Naviyd & Usher V. Check out his tweets below.
“I’m so nice with my carving…ya’ll can’t see me…Happy Halloween URIV”
“OK….I had a little help. URIV”
Oct
16
2010
Usher & Sons Out & About At Hollywood Pumpkin Patch
Usher spent his birthday yesterday with his sons Naviyd & Usher V at Mr. Bones Pumpkin Patch in West Hollywood, California.
Usher also tweeted this yesterday. (Click to view pic)
Sep
8
2010
Usher Discusses His Father & Mentor Roles
It may seem like only yesterday that Usher was a teen prodigy. But the precocious young singer who rose to fame in the ’90s is now a 31-year-old divorced father of two young sons, and he’s a mentor in his own right. Unwinding in a Midtown TV studio after an appearance, Usher speaks enthusiastically of his new album, Versus, and upcoming tour, which launches Nov. 10. But he appears especially pleased, and grows more playful, when the subject turns to his toddlers — and to a certain tween heartthrob he has helped groom and guide.
“I call him the single Beatle,” Usher says of Justin Bieber, 16, his protégé and pal for the past two years. Bieber is managed by Usher’s business partner Scooter Braun, and Usher introduced the fledgling idol to record company exec L.A. Reid, who signed him on the spot — just as Reid signed Usher more than a decade earlier.
“I feel as if God specifically placed (Bieber) in front of me, because of how I started,” says Usher, who keeps in touch with Bieber via his BlackBerry and his Twitter account. “I understood the hardships of trying to find yourself in this industry at that age, and I wanted him to have an instant, organic connection to his fans. And he’s done that. He just has these natural talents — and some you haven’t even seen yet.”
Usher is, predictably, just as effusive discussing his sons, Usher Raymond V, 2, and Naviyd, 1. “Life can weigh you down, but children pump blood back into your heart. Their innocence gives you a reason to be open-minded, and they reignite your love for life.”
The kids adore music, “to the point that Usher (V) harasses me and everyone around us to play his favorite song of mine — it’s More, the first song he ever saw me perform. I’d really rather he become a lawyer or accountant, but he may be talented. He’ll just find his way, and I’ll be supportive.”
Usher shares custody with the boys’ mother, stylist Tameka Foster, whom he divorced last year, on amicable terms. “I took a woman’s hand in marriage, and unfortunately it didn’t work out. But it’s damaging when (parents) don’t work together.
“My life isn’t the typical one, but that doesn’t mean I can’t be a traditional father, in my own way. My tradition is loving, being available for my kids. I didn’t have that from my father, so having it will give them greater potential.”
Asked about whether he’s dating, Usher smiles and says, “I’m very single.” He’s not opposed to getting married again, “but I’m in no rush. I want to make sure that I really know what I’m getting into. If someone is out there, I’ll find her and we’ll make it in time.”
Not that anyone would associate Usher’s pursuits with a casual pace. His mentoring extends to his New Look Foundation, which provides disadvantaged young people with grants and training “to motivate them to make a change in their lives. I understand that, coming from a broken home.”
Usher also hopes to do more acting. He especially enjoyed a stint in the Broadway revival of Chicago four years ago: “I can’t recall a more intimate, monogamous relationship I’ve had as an entertainer. You have to show up on time every night, and it tightens you up in every aspect.”
And what of his downtime? “Relaxing isn’t really in my DNA,” he says. “I do meditate. You have to find those moments to focus and process everything.”
And, he says, “I pray — because faith is all we have at the end of the day. You never know which way the coin is going to fall, so you have to stay positive.”
