BY: Walker
Published 6 hours ago
The singers met in 1993, when Usher signed to the same label as Chilli, LaFace Records, but didn’t start dating until 2001.
Now, Usher is reminiscing about his past relationship with Rozonda “Chilli” Thomas.”
In an exclusive clip shared with PEOPLE from Audible’s new Words + Music series, Usher’s The Last Showman, the singer delves into the media speculation that surrounded him and Chilli, 53. He reflects on how they connected and their relationship would make news — for better or for worse.
“I had my share of flings and wild experiences with women that orbited my world, but every serious relationship I’d had up until that point, I didn’t know what it was like to be hounded by paparazzi whenever they left my house,” Usher, 46 begins. “And then, I met Rozonda.”
Usher says he always admired her and her band TLC. “I asked her to be the lead in my video and that kind of sparked the flame,” he continues. Chilli wound wind up starring in his music videos for “U Remind Me,” “U Got It Bad” and “U Don’t Have to Call.”
“We spent time together, got to know each other, at some point I wanted to share with the public what I had found. This new feeling, it was something I appreciated. I was very proud of us and wanted the world to see the love blossoming between us.”
However, Usher knew that going public with their relationship “opened up the conversation” and if they broke up, there would be “questions and speculations.”
The “OMG” singer notes that social media didn’t exist in the capacity it does now. “I didn’t have to endure strangers and their comments and the comments section, offering their opinions and criticisms about our relationship or my life,” he explains. “But I knew that would shatter.”
News clips then play the announcements made on the airwaves about his new romantic relationship, “Guess which music stars are now dating?” one says. “R&B artist Usher Raymond is now being photographed with his new girlfriend,” another adds.
“People had theories. Rumors were running fast and furiously,” Usher adds.
“Everyone was in search of answers,” Usher concludes in the clip, “and we were right at the cusp of seeing celebrity culture shift into something more invasive, more sinister.”
The “DJ Got Us Falling In Love” singer and TLC member dated from 2001 to 2004. Fans had long speculated that his album Confessions was about their relationship.
Though Chilli denied the songs were about their relationship, Usher says the storyline of Confessions did happen to him. “There is a great deal of truth in that album,” he told PEOPLE in 2024.
In the upcoming Audible series The Last Showman, the eight-time Grammy winner will open up about “inspirations, heartache, and growth that fueled the creation of his record-breaking magnum opus, Confessions, while revisiting some of its most iconic tracks.”
“With the recent 20th anniversary of Confessions, creating The Last Showman has been an incredible opportunity to reflect on the most pivotal moments of my career with fresh eyes and deep appreciation,” Usher said in a press release.
“This project isn’t just about telling my story; it’s about sharing the raw, unfiltered truth behind the music that’s connected with generations of listeners, as well as the power of vulnerability in art.”
Other musicians featured on Audible’s Words + Music slate are John Legend, Beck, Pete Townshend, Snoop Dogg, Eddie Vedder, Yo-Yo Ma, Mariah Carey, Alice Cooper, Elvis Costello, Tom Morello, Billie Joe Armstrong, Carlos Santana, T Bone Burnett, Gary Clark Jr., Sheryl Crow, Steve Earle, Liz Phair, Sleater-Kinney’s Corin Tucker and Carrie Brownstein, Sting, Brandy, and more.
The Last Showman is available to stream on Audible.
via: People
