‘OMG’ – how did Usher get to headline the Super Bowl? Before striking NFL gold and landing a Skims campaign with Kim Kardashian, the Atlanta rapper lived with Diddy and ‘babysat’ Beyoncé

Feb 10 , 2024

What was Usher like before he got famous? The ‘Yeah!’ singer – who’s set to perform at the NFL Super Bowl and just landed a Skims campaign with Kim K – knew Beyoncé before she got her big break too. Photo: AP

Rumours of a surprise Taylor Swift performance at this year’s NFL Super Bowl have been loudly quashed, meaning the stage will be all Usher’s – so how did he earn the ultimate prize in pop?

Raised by a single mother, Usher was spotted by Bobby Brown’s bodyguard, hung around with Beyoncé, and got sent to disgraced rapper Diddy’s ‘Puffy Flavor Camp’ before striking gold with hits ‘Yeah!’, ‘Burn’ and ‘My Boo’

Rumours around the possibility of Taylor Swift performing at this year’s NFL Super Bowl have been sadly, loudly quashed last week, with TMZ confirming that the stage will be all Usher’s. The pressure is mounting on a man that may not have been many people’s first-choice for the highest-profile appearance in pop.

The singer, who has been in the biz for three decades and counting, is set to bring his A-game to the national event taking place on February 11. In the run-up to his anticipated performance, the “Yeah!” vocalist has just released a Skims collaboration with Kim Kardashian, telling The Hollywood Reporter that the partnership was formed to promote his new album, Coming Home.

“The idea started with the photo that is my album [cover], where I have the peach in my hand. We shot the reverse of that photo, which was the first shot that was released, and therefore, after, as I do support Kim, supporting Skims was the next step,” he told the publication. “It really was in conjunction with the album.”

So with all eyes on the prize, let’s take a look at the artist whose superstardom is only set to multiply once the weekend is out …

Was Usher raised by a single mother?

Musician Usher turning heads at Chanel’s spring/summer 2024 show in Paris, France, on October 3. Photo: Chanel

Usher was born in Dallas, Texas, in 1978, and was raised by his single mum Jonetta, with his younger brother James, in Tennessee, according to his IMDB profile. The family ended up moving to Atlanta, Georgia, when Usher was about 12, and he often credits his mother for his success.

Did Usher live with Puff Daddy?

Usher’s former flatmate? Sean “P. Diddy” Combs in 2005. Photo: AP Photo

Back in 2016, Usher told Howard Stern how he once lived with Diddy “for a year” after moving to New York City when he was still an early teenager. Stern replied, “That’s the crazy thing. That was L.A. Reid’s idea, right? ‘We’re sending you to something called Puffy Flavor Camp.’”