Photo: Prince Williams/Wireimage; David Crotty/Patrick McMullan via Getty
UsherandT-Painhad a chat after the “Buy U a Drank” singer claimed a comment from Ushersent him into a depression.
“I’m happy that T-Pain said something — I’m not sure if it was before or after our actual conversation after I heard what was said,” Usher toldBillboard. “It was very hurtful to know that he had experienced that kind of hardship in life. I wouldn’t wish that on any person.”
“Private conversations for me have always been intended to uplift. But when or if people get pieces of it, they can always have some other interpretation,” he added. “But we’ve spoken since and we’re good.”
Alexandra Gavillet/Billboard
“That is the very moment, and I don’t even think I realized this for a long time, but that’s the very moment that started a four-year depression for me,” he added then.
Usher also used his lengthy interview withBillboardto address The Weeknd claiming that it was"flattering" that Usher copied his styleon track “Climax.” (The Weeknd later clarified there wasno beef between them.)
“With regard to The Weeknd, he’s another person I had a positive conversation with who completely felt [the headlines were] a misinterpretation,” Usher said. “Again, I can’t get caught up in what’s said outside when I know person to person that no harm was meant.”
The interview withBillboardcomes ahead of his Las Vegas residency, which Usher explained that he’s more than excited for.
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“I’m feeling like I’m about 18 right now — in terms of passion, not wisdom,” Usher said. “There’s a playful nature that I think is coming back. I actually feel like I’m having fun. And that had been missing for some time.”
As for preparing for his typical day ahead of his shows, Usher shared that he starts his day with yoga and stretching early in the morning before working out with “an amazing trainer at a UFC facility.”
“We work in water, lift weights and do a lot of core exercises, focusing on my pelvic floor, to make sure I can handle all the dancing, skating and singing I’m doing,” he said. “I’m arming my body almost like an athlete, a boxer.”
After a morning of workouts, he meets with a vocal coach, does a few meetings before a little lunch.
“I try to stop around six o’clock, review notes I’ve made during rehearsal,” he said. “Then I get home around eight to spend time with the kids, have a little dinner and then decompress.”
Usher also spoke about how important (or unimportant!) charts and numbers are for him.
“No. 1 is always going to mean a lot to everybody. But it doesn’t, and shouldn’t, change your passion. It hasn’t changed mine, whether I put out a record that hit No. 1 instantly or took time to get there,” he said. “I have a record company that’s willing to fight for it and get it heard, to connect with my audience and prospective new fans. I’ve tried a lot of stuff. There’s a way to play in R&B where you can be as creative as you want. Don’t cut yourself off — don’t feel you need to be tied so authentically to one thing.”
“I see what H.E.R. is doing, what Giveon, Daniel Caesar andJustin Bieberare doing. But people choose to try and segregate [R&B music],” he added. “Sometimes it’s a bit odd that an R&B record with worldwide appeal has to go through a very specific funnel before the rest of the world can hear it. Why is it that an R&B record can’t just be launched and heard around the world?”
source: people.com
