Usher's Got Fans Fallin' in Love With His Sweet Family
Originally appeared on E! Online
Usher has found love in this club called fatherhood.
While the R&B icon is undoubtedly excited to burn up the stage at the 2024 Super Bowl Halftime Show, there's nothing that makes him say "Yeah!" quite like being a dad to kids Usher "Cinco" V, 16, Naviyd Raymond, 15, Soveriegn, 3, and Sire, 2. In fact, Usher's little ones serve as his biggest musical inspirations.
Take, for example, his song "I Cry," which the Grammy winner wrote after experiencing an emotional moment with his two oldest sons while watching a movie together.
"I'm not shy in terms of being honest with my kids about the fact that I didn't have a relationship with my father at all," Usher shared in 2020 interview with radio station WPGC 95.5 FM. "And there was a moment between a son and a father and it got to me—I started crying. So, my kids, they look over at me and they're like, 'Are you crying?!'"
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Not only was Usher comfortable with letting his teens see his vulnerable side, but the 45-year-old also told them: "It's okay to cry."
"My kids were at the front of my mind when I created it," Usher said of the 2020 track, adding that "it's relevant to this time and will continue to be relevant as we move forward."
But how do his kids feel about having a superstar singer for a dad? "They don't care," Usher said with a laugh in a 2022 interview with Tamron Hall, quipping that his teenage sons "are now less interested in spending time with me, oddly."
He jokingly added, "Unless I'm taking them to a concert or paying for something they want."
For more confessions from Usher about his family, keep reading for a deep dive into his family tree.
<p>Usher "Cinco" Raymond V</p>
Usher became a dad for the first time on Nov. 27, 2007, when he and then-wife Tameka Foster welcomed son Usher Raymond V.
The singer (real name Usher Raymond IV) nicknamed him Cinco as a nod to him being the fifth member of the family to bear the name.
"I have one son, Cinco, who does not like to be called Usher," the singer told Tamron Hall in 2022, "who tries to get away from it."
<p>Naviyd Raymond</p>
Usher and Tameka welcomed Naviyd Raymond on Dec. 10, 2008.
According to the Grammy winner, his second son "really loves entertainment" and is perhaps dad's biggest critic.
"Not only does he watch my show, but he gives me critiques," Usher quipped to Tamron Hall. "He's like, 'You missed this thing. you didn't do this thing.' And I'm like, 'Yeah that's the point. It's not supposed to be the same every night.'"
<p>Tameka Foster</p>
Tameka is Usher's first wife. She worked with the singer as his stylist before their relationship turned romantic in 2005.
The pair tied the knot on Aug. 3, 2007—just months after announcing their engagement—before celebrating their marriage with a larger wedding ceremony on Sept. 1, 2007.
However, their romance fizzled out by June 2009, with Usher filing for divorce in Atlanta. Though the divorce was finalized five months later, Usher and Tameka spent years fighting in court over the custody of their two sons.
Ultimately, the R&B icon was awarded primarly custody of Usher V and Naviyd in 2012.
In recent years, Usher and Tameka appeared to be on good terms. He wished the fashion designer a happy Mother's Day in 2023, writing on Instagram, "Thank you for the gifts you've given. I appreciate you."
<p>Sovereign Raymond</p>
Usher became a girl dad after girlfriend Jennifer Goicoechea gave birth to their first child together—a daughter named Sovereign Raymond—on Sept. 24, 2020.
"Sovereign is such a beautiful word and name to me," he shared of the moniker's meaning in 2021 interview with Extra. "A supreme ruler is obviously the defined name."
And since the little one is the only girl in his brood, Usher quipped at the time, "She's definitely ruling the household."
<p>Sire Raymond</p>
Usher and Jennifer welcomed son Sire Raymond on at 6:45 p.m. on Sept. 29, 2021. At the time, the baby boy arrived weighing 7 pounds, 13 ounces.
"He's different than any of my other kids," Usher told People in 2022. "I've managed to have a little code going with him when I talk to him and how we speak to each other. He makes me mush."
<p>Jennifer Goicoechea</p>
Jennifer was first linked to Usher in October 2019, when she was photographed kissing the "Yeah!" artist backstage at one of his shows. Four months later, the pair stepped out at Vanity Fair's annual Oscars after-party together.
"I have an amazing partner, a support system," Usher said of the music exec in a 2023 interview with People. "We have any amazing dynamic between our relationship where I'm able to be passionate still about what I do and have an incredible partner to work through some of the harder times as a young man dealing with children and dealing with the dynamic of how you communicate with them."
