Friday, 23 May 2008

Usher talks fatherhood & marriage

Singer squashes split rumours

Dance-loving talk show host Ellen DeGeneres may have met her match: Usher. The R&B star and new dad stopped by The Ellen DeGeneres Show to show off his moves and talk about his most "amazing" project to date.

"He
is my reason for living," the singer tells Ellen of his 6-month old
son, Usher Raymond V, with wife Tameka. "[Aside from] my wife,
obviously, for helping me have him."

In the episode airing Friday, the newlywed also says of his
bride: "She's built up ... the foundation of who I am. I want to see
more men standing with their women. I want to see more men be open and
honest about where they are in life."

And speaking of honesty, when asked what surprised him most
about having a baby, the star replied with a laugh: "That I had him –
that was a big surprise!"

That – and "learning more and more about the beauty of
fatherhood," he said. "As an African-American, to be there for my child
is so important when there are so many young African-American kids
without their fathers. I just want him to grow up to be as wise as he
can possibly be, kind and open hearted. [Fatherhood] changes everything
about me."

Of recent Internet rumors that Usher and Tameka had filed for
separation, his manager Benny Medina told PEOPLE: "It's 100% not true.
Usher and Tameka are currently traveling in Europe together as a family
on his promotional tour. This rumor is completely false."