In an interview with Vibe published on Friday (August 4), the Grammy-winning artist candidly discussed his romantic motivations and how he has learned to love authentically. "I think the most challenging thing I've ever had to face was being single," he revealed to the publication. Usher elaborated, explaining, "Because I don't enjoy being alone. The concept of building a life with someone is what I aspire to, perhaps due to not having witnessed or experienced that. And by forming a strong partnership, I can address that desire by creating the very thing I always wanted to witness. Do you understand what I mean?"

The singer recently concluded his summer residency in Las Vegas and has been through a series of high-profile relationships. These include his relationship with TLC's Rozonda "Chilli" Thomas from 2001 to 2003. Following that, Usher was married to Tameka Foster from 2005 to 2009, with whom he shares two sons, Cinco (15) and Naviyd (14). After their separation in 2009, Usher then married his former manager, Grace Henry. They spent nine years together before parting ways in 2018.

Usher is currently in a relationship with Jennifer Goicoechea, with whom he shares a daughter, Sovereign Bo (2), and a son, Sire Castrello (1). To reach this point in his life, Usher has had to confront his past and address areas of private pain. "Healing took a lot," he revealed in the interview. "Perhaps I was grappling with not having the type of love I wished for as a child. Wanting to understand that void. I didn't have the fatherly relationship I longed for. The relationship with my mother was also gradually becoming strained—because we were working together, because of our differences, and because I was growing older. But those experiences were life lessons. Therapy truly helped me become comfortable with being alone."

When asked whether he still considers himself difficult to love, he responded, "You'd have to ask the people who love me."