This story is featured in the May/June 2024 issue of ESSENCE.
Usher Raymond is at peace. A true showman who goes above and beyond on the stage, the crooner could be expected to be a ball of kinetic energy offstage too. But as we begin our conversation, he’s very calm. His tone is warm and mellow. Not tired, as well-known figures often are when interviewed after a long stretch in a studio or on a set—but not overly energetic, either. He’s present, confident and engaged.
This is because, before tackling work, he carves out time for himself. Before our interview, Usher slept in a little and completed his daily yoga class. Mentally, the 45-year-old says, yoga helps him keep things in perspective. Physically, the discipline allows him to stave off injury as he gets older—and to be more flexible when he hits those masterful dance moves on stage.
“I make it a practice to wake up every morning at six or seven o’clock, no matter where I am,” he says of his yoga routine—which he sometimes carries out in private but often does in public classes. “I have a few places that I go that reserve a back corner for me, where nobody notices. And typically, in these rooms, it’s pretty dark—so you don’t really see who’s there until they turn the lights up, and people realize, ‘Oh, wait a minute, is that who I think it is?’”
This serenity he gets from this regimen is necessary after his last three and a half years of high-profile weekend shows in Las Vegas—first at the Colosseum at Caesars Palace, in 2021, and then at the Dolby Live at Park MGM from 2022–2023. He also worked on his first new album in nearly eight years—2024’s Coming Home—and curated the longest, most-watched Super Bowl Halftime Show ever. And on the personal front, he welcomed his fourth child and married his longtime partner, music exec Jennifer Goicoechea— aptly, in Vegas.
Frenzy follows him, so moments of solace—whether he’s hiking, bike-riding, roller-skating or slipping into the back of a dimly lit Ashtanga class for an hour and a half—are a treat for the king of R&B. There, I said it. But Usher is not on a break. He shares that he’s been working so hard that he missed his top o’ the morning class and had to catch a later one. The Grammy-winner—in between also winning Entertainer of the Year awards, being honored on the Black Music and Entertainment Walk of Fame in his hometown of Atlanta (he spent his first 12 years in Chattanooga before moving to, and embracing, ATL) and posing for his ESSENCE cover—has been busy planning his upcoming tour. “Usher: Past Present Future” will take him around most of the U.S. and through Europe this August, into the spring of 2025. Additional dates have already been added due to demand. An Usher show is a hot ticket—because fans know they’re going to get a one-of-a-kind experience.
“I think there’s a connection I feel to my audience, and a connection to the people, that’s based on my service to them,” he says. “I want to make certain that they know I’m committed to serving this art. I’m committed to working to make certain that you feel gratified, for the time that you decide to share with me.”
This sense of connection comes from his epic Vegas residency, which in over 100 performances saw everyone—from A-list celebrities to groups on girls’ trips to couples (because you can’t leave your girl around Usher, as he’s lyrically warned)—in the stands, singing along to his hits. Fans clamored for tickets and for the opportunity to get up close and personal with the star. One superfan, in a viral moment during a show, even videotaped herself pressing his face close to hers as she screamed “Oh my God!” Usher waited patiently, gold microphone in hand, until she released him. I told you he’s calm.
His series of shows were definitely a game changer, shifting how people see residencies. They’re no longer a sign of a career entering its twilight through a mishmash of regimented routines; instead, they’re a chance to push creative boundaries. In addition to bringing insanely talented pole dancers, artists and skaters to the stage, Usher is proud to have brought Black culture to Las Vegas—all while demonstrating the power of our dollar, as his regularly sold-out shows grossed more than $100 million and sent a clear message.
“This was about offering people something that was new: a Black audience that did not exist in Las Vegas,” he says, “and the Black dollar that did not exist in Las Vegas, where casino owners didn’t know there was that person who had that extra $2,000 or $3,000 to spend.”
“Furthermore,” he says, “I was really blown away when I arrived that there wasn’t a union for minorities. So I was like, Oh sh-t. This is actually serving more than just the legacy play and celebrating my catalog. It’s creating an industry for people who don’t have as much power in this city. So I’m selling the culture that comes from our true background. Every time you see me on stage, you see our Black culture. You see HBCU culture at the Super Bowl. You see skating. You see Atlanta culture. I bring that to the forefront, where that becomes a priority. That is the attraction. But that did not exist in Las Vegas before I was brought there, before my residency.”
Now, the performer is bottling this immersive cultural experience and taking it right to the people. He’s curating his set list based on the regions he will be in, even involving fans in the process. He’s taking note of requests on social media, for songs to cover from his vast catalog, as he puts the show together.
“I try my hardest not to miss anything, and to give people an incredible show that they’ll remember,” he says of the difficult task of creating exactly the right set list. (My request for “Twork It Out,” from 8701, would he says be “a long shot.”)
Fans aren’t the only people eager to spend time with Usher. Along with his commitments as Usher the performer, the star makes sure he’s showing up at home as Usher the father. With teenage boys Usher “Cinco” Raymond V, 16, and Naviyd, 15, from his first marriage to Tameka Foster, plus daughter Sovereign, 3, and youngest son Sire, 2, from his relationship with Goicoechea, he has his hands full.
“I’m cooking breakfast for my babies; I’m changing diapers; I’m reading at bedtime,” he says. “‘Seven o’clock on the dot’ has obviously changed into something other than the drop top,” he jokes. “For my older boys, I try to help them understand their homework. I don’t get it as much, and I think that is hard for me, honestly. But I do take the time to make them, and make it, a priority, and I do try to understand.”
He also supports his children in their endeavors outside of schoolwork, from the artistic to the athletic. And all of his kids know that solo time with Dad is a top priority for him.
“Sovereign has her time, Sire has his time, Naviyd has his time. And Usher—” He switches abruptly. “Cinco! He doesn’t like to be called Usher. Sometimes he wants his own identity. So Cinco, he has his own time. And they all like different things.”
They bond over the game Monopoly Deal and those bedtime stories they do as a family when he’s at home. When he’s not, the Raymond children always know exactly where their father is. He’s on stage—dancing, singing and putting on a show at the highest level, which he’s been doing for more than 30 years. And when he’s offstage, he’s laser focused on planning and preparing for the next much-talked-about performance.
When asked what keeps him inspired and invested in an ever-changing industry—where a catchy dance and numbers of followers can be more important than talent to guarantee success—he answers with the ease he’s displayed throughout our time together. “The opportunity to do something new, to introduce and try and experiment and create yet another experience that no one has had—while actually keeping youth and energy around me, to inspire me—that’s what keeps me young,” says the icon. He recently collaborated with fellow Atlantans 21 Savage and Summer Walker, as well as with Oscar-winning artist H.E.R., who joined him at February’s Super Bowl Halftime Show. “As a young person, I was always trying to figure out how to be like the greats of my past. And in this time, I think it’s kind of reversed.”
“Also,” Usher adds, “it’s about keeping the integrity, by keeping it live, keeping that mic on, keeping that band live and doing that work. I’m hoping that I can be a staple—in the same way Prince was for me—for the young people who are coming up after me. The same way that Michael Jackson and Bobby Brown and New Edition, and all those incredible performers of the past, were for me—I’m hoping that I can be the same for them.”
Credits
Photographed by: Adrienne Raquel
Styled by: Yashua Simmons
Barber/Grooming: Shawn Shizz Porter
Makeup: Jenn Hanching using 111SKIN & Danessa Myricks Beauty
Nails: Temeka Jackson using The GelBottle at A-Frame Agency
Set Design: Cody Rogers
Lighting Director: Sebastian Johnson
Photography Assistants: Lance Williams and Malik Dowdy
Digitech: Stowe Richards
Retouching: picturehouse + thesmalldarkroom
Market Editor: Aidan Palermo
Fashion Assistants: Laura Cheron Haquette and Andrew Mcfarland
Set Assistants: Ruth Kim and Nikki Kauten
Tailors: Macy Idzakovich and Ivy Idzakovich
Production Manager: Alaura Wong
Production Assistants: Malek Mahones, Jai Wilson, Reagan Claire Smith, Cecilia Alvarez, Blackwell and Tyreek Voltaire
Location: The Beverly Estate
Special Thanks: L’Ermitage Beverly Hills and Short Stories Hotel