Usher, just days after marrying music executive Jennifer Goicoechea, says his ex-girlfriend and TLC singer Rozonda “Chilli” Thomas was the one who got away.
The “Confessions” and the “Yes!” The singer, 45, revealed that he proposed to fellow musician Thomas, 52, during their relationship in the early 2000s. “I really loved that girl,” Usher said while reviewing their romantic history for People .
The Grammy winner, who said he fantasized about meeting the singer as a child, began dating Thomas (one-third of TLC) in 2001. They dated for three years and finally broke up in 2004. The ups and downs of their romance continued to influence Usher's 2004 hit release, “Confessions.” At the time of their split, Usher (real name Usher Raymond IV) said he and Thomas were at different stages in their lives.
“I was a young man and she had very specific rules that didn't work for me,” he told the magazine. “We were missing each other. “I really wanted to have a different kind of relationship where she was with me, and she couldn't be.”
Despite their differences, Usher revealed that at one point he wanted to spend the rest of his life with Thomas. “I wanted to marry her,” she said, “I proposed to her and she said no.” In case it wasn't clear from songs like “Burn” and “My Boo,” Thomas' rejection left Usher in his feelings.
He added: “I went through a lot of pain after that, I didn't trust women or want to open up.”
More than 20 years after their split, both Usher and Thomas have moved on. In 1997, Thomas and her former producer boyfriend Dallas Austin welcomed his son Tron Austin, who is expecting a child of his own. More recently, Thomas began dating “Mrs. Doubtfire” actor Matthew Lawrence.
Usher married fashion designer Tameka Foster in 2007. They welcomed sons Usher Raymond V and Naviyd Ely, but divorced in 2009. After Foster, Usher married writer Grace Harry. They were married from 2015 to 2018.
The “Coming Home” singer married for the third time, this time to Goicoechea, 40, just hours after his Super Bowl LVIII halftime spectacular on Sunday. A representative for the singer confirmed to the Times on Tuesday that the newlyweds were “surrounded by family and close friends” for their Las Vegas nuptials.
“They both hope to continue raising their children together surrounded by love and thank everyone for the well wishes,” the representative added.
Usher celebrated his wedding on Instagram and shared photos from the secret ceremony. In Usher's photographs, the singer and Goicoechea are seen sealing the event with a kiss and posing with his loved ones.
“One of them 💍 2.11.24,” Usher captioned his post.
