10:24 AM EDT 10/19/2009
Usher
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The Making of Usher's Revealing New Song
Originally posted 10/18/2009 09:10AM
When Usher's latest single "Papers" hit airwaves last week, many were shocked by the kiss-off tune's candid lyrics about a soured relationship. The pop star, in the middle of a divorce from his wife of two years, boldly crooned he was ready to "sign them papers" while detailing late-night fights and nearly losing his mom.
Some speculated the song is a glimpse into Usher's rocky relationship with his soon-to-be-ex-wife, Tameka Foster Raymond. But singer-songwriter Sean Garrett, who penned the tune's lyrics, wants to set the record straight.
"Some of it is true, and some of it isn't," Garrett says. "That's what makes this record so intriguing and explosive. Some of it is about his life and some of it is not."
Permalink | Filed Under: Music NewsUsher
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Usher's Divorce Turns Tuneful
Originally posted 10/07/2009 09:15AM
When life hands you divorce ... turn it into a hit song?
That seems to be Usher's strategy with his still untitled new album. He's taking an equally adversarial tone in his lilting first single, "Papers," in which the R&B star sings that he's ready to move on.
The tune, which premiered online Monday, references pivotal moments in Usher's personal life, including his decision to fire his mother as his manager. "I gave my heart and turned my back against the world 'cuz you were my girl," he sings, continuing, "I done damn near lost my mama/I done been through so much drama/I done turned into the man I never thought I'd be/I'm ready to sign them papers."
Permalink | Filed Under: Music News, Divorced, Usher
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Usher's Got Milk – and a New Album
Originally posted 06/19/2009 02:45PM
He may be a multi-platinum artist, but as far as Usher is concerned, he hasn't truly arrived until now. To be an icon in Hollywood, "You've got to do things like win Oscars and Grammys," he says, "but you're nothing if you don't have a milk ad!"
The R&B star, 30, tells PEOPLE his shoot for the Body By Milk campaign was "a lot of fun," adding with a grin that his ad "makes me look taller." The shoot was held in Las Vegas and coincided with recording for his new album where he says, "I would throw on a suit to go to the studio, to get in the mood."
Due in October, the as-yet-unnamed album – the working title Monster was leaked, he says – will be "romantic at times," and grittier at other times.
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Inside Usher and Tameka's Marriage
Originally posted 06/15/2009 11:10AM
When R&B Star Usher filed for divorce from his wife, Tameka Foster Raymond, last week, few people in the singer's inner circle were shocked.
"No one I've spoken to is surprised," a source close to the couple tells PEOPLE. "As bad as this is gonna sound, it was never a matter of 'I wonder if they'll divorce,' but more like 'I wonder WHEN they'll divorce.'"
Several sources paint a picture of a troubled marriage that started unraveling even before the couple's wedding in September 2007.
"They peaked before they even got married," a friend of Tameka tells PEOPLE. "Right after it was over, they started to drift apart. [Usher] just wasn't ready to settle down, at least not with her."
Permalink | Filed Under: Tameka Foster, Usher
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Usher Files for Divorce
Originally posted 06/13/2009 01:45AM
Usher has filed for divorce from wife Tameka Foster Raymond.
The R&B star filed the petition Friday in Superior Court in Atlanta, court records show. The couple, who got married in August 2007, have two sons together, Usher Raymond V, 18 months, and Naviyd, 6 months.
Usher, 30, and his wife of nearly two years, 38, have been leading separate lives for months, sources tell PEOPLE. The singer has been away from home often recording his next record in Las Vegas, one source says. "He's done his best to keep Tameka away," says the source.
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Usher and Tameka: Talk of a Split
Originally posted 06/12/2009 03:40PM
Usher may have raced to his wife Tameka's side when she apparently suffered cardiac arrest in February in Brazil, but according to sources, that was a brief reunion in an otherwise troubled marriage.
In fact, Usher is expected to file for divorce early next week, according to an insider.
But a source who knows Tameka Foster Raymond says the stylist is still referring to Usher as "my husband" and isn't about to call it quits. "She's been in his life for so long. She's very loyal to him," says the source who knows her. "Tameka is the type of woman to stick it out."
Permalink | Filed Under: Tameka Foster, Usher
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Usher's New Album Title Is Big (and Scary)
Originally posted 05/20/2009 07:20PM
Grammy Award winner Usher lets PEOPLE in on a secret: his sixth studio album is going to be called Monster.
Usher has been spotted recording in Las Vegas and in his Atlanta hometown with producer Jermaine Dupri on the album, which is set for release this fall on Jive Records.
The singer also confirmed via his Twitter page that he recently shot a scene in the upcoming film Five Killers with actors Ashton Kutcher and Katherine Heigl. – Tiffany McGee
Permalink | Filed Under: Music NewsUsher
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Usher Shares His Wish for His Sons
Originally posted 04/29/2009 01:55PM
At just 17-months-old, Usher Raymond V already has a lot in common with his dad. "He's got my name and it seems to me he has my personality," Usher tells PEOPLE.
So does that mean the singer, 30, wants his son to grow up to be a Grammy-winning R&B star? Not necessarily: "I hope whatever he chooses to do in his life, he goes after it with passion and dedication."
That's the same message Usher (who welcomed second son Naveid last December) is spreading to help increase awareness of the benefits of the Boys & Girls Clubs of America. A childhood photo of the singer is featured on a new billboard for the "Be Great" campaign, with the tagline "Be Iconic."
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Tameka Raymond Seen Leaving Brazil
Originally posted 02/19/2009 02:00PM
After Wednesday's announcement that Tameka Raymond left a Brazil hospital on Monday, photos of her departure were released on Thursday.
Raymond, wife of Usher, was seen at the Airport of Guarulhos, reportedly heading back home to the United States.
She had spent 11 days recovering from a cardiac arrest suffered immediately prior to undergoing plastic surgery.
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Tameka Raymond Leaves Hospital in Brazil
Originally posted 02/18/2009 03:40PM
Tameka Raymond, wife of Usher, has been released from a Sao Paulo hospital after spending 11 days recovering from a cardiac arrest suffered immediately prior to undergoing plastic surgery, a hospital spokeswoman announced Wednesday.
"She left the hospital on Monday night," Mirtes Bogea, a spokeswoman for the Sirio-Libanes Hospital, tells PEOPLE. "We do not have any more information about her condition."
Usher's rep had no comment.
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