Before his series of concerts in Paris next month, Usher revealed the music superstar he once “chaperoned” when they were both younger. The “Don’t Waste My Time” singer appeared as a guest on the UK radio show Capital Breakfast With Roman Kemp where he described what happened during his first encounter with Beyoncé when she was just a child.
“Fun fact, I knew Beyoncé when she was 12 years old, 11 years old,” he said. “She used to be in a group by the name of The Dolls. I don’t know if I could consider myself their babysitter, but I had a time where I had to watch The Dolls.”
The 44-year-old R&B crooner, who is only about three years older than Beyoncé, was signed to his first recording deal at age 14, following a chance audition with record executive L.A. Reid, who swiftly offered young Usher a contract with his then-label LaFace Records.
“I was at Daryl Simmons’ house,” he continued, referring to the record producer and songwriter who consistently works with L.A. Reid and Kenneth “Babyface” Edmonds, co-founders of LaFace Records.
“[Simmons] was working with [The Dolls] at the time, and I just happened to be over there and they were working on a session. I kind of found my way into being their like, I don’t know, chaperone, nanny, or something like that — the oldest person in the room,” Usher added.
While there is no evidence to suggest that the now dad-of-four and Beyoncé, 41, ever collaborated on any recordings during those first youthful encounters, they did eventually partner up in 2008 to record “Love In This Club, Pt. II,” along with rapper Lil Wayne. The song spent 14 weeks on the charts and peaked at No. 18 on the Billboard Hot 100.
Beyoncé — who is mother to three children with her husband JAY-Z, including 11-year-old Blue Ivy Carter and six-year-old twins, Sir and Rumi — has been wowing fans on her Renaissance World Tour since it kicked off in May in Stockholm, Sweden.
Blue Ivy has been joining her mother on stage as a dancer throughout the tour, which has turned out to be the highest-grossing tour ever among R&B artists, with the U.S. leg grossing a total of $141.4 million thus far.
The Renaissance World Tour kicks off a three-day run in Atlanta, Georgia, tonight at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
As far as Usher, he begins his 8-show leg at the La Seine Musicale in Paris starting Sept. 24th through Oct. 5. before concluding his Las Vegas residency, My Way, at Dolby Live at Park MGM.
In other news – Britney Spears’ sons reportedly safe amid Maui fires
Britney Spears’ boys Sean Preston, 17, and Jayden James 16, are saddened by the fires that ravaged Maui, says dad Kevin Federline‘s attorney in new comments just after they moved to the Big Island on Aug 1. “[They are] not personally [affected], but there’s people in the area that are dying and having their homes destroyed, so it’s very traumatic,” K-Fed’s lawyer Mark Vincent Kaplan, told Page Six for a Friday, Aug. 11 report.
“Obviously, right now, everyone is very sad about what’s going on there with the fires and the casualties from the fires, but other than the trauma from that, they’re very happy to be there,” he explained. Read More
