Usher, Oprah Winfrey (photo: OWN)Usher, one of the most anticipated performers at this weekend's iHeartRadio Music Festival in Las Vegas, sparked major buzz Sunday after discussing his ex-wife, fatherhood, and protégé Justin Bieber on an episode of Oprah Winfrey's Next Chapter series.
The "OMG" singer, who was recently awarded full custody of his sons with ex Tameka Foster, explained why the court proceedings moved him to tears. "The friend that I was to Tameka, I don't know that I could ever be again, because I really felt like we were friends," Usher told Winfrey during an interview at his Atlanta home. "She made us enemies in a way that I could never [understand]. It wasn't until I was on the stand, where I cried, when I realized, 'Oh, this is an attack.' "
In the nasty split, Foster accused Usher of being unfaithful. Usher candidly addressed the accusations with Winfrey. "When we were separated, yes, I was. We were not divorced," he said.
In response to Foster's claims that he was romantically linked to one of her bridesmaids, he said, "The conversation about the bridesmaid has always been one that's been complicated. Outside of my marriage and our separation and our divorce, I did have exchanges with [the bridesmaid]. We were friends. She was someone who was part of the children's lives before."
Usher also discussed the death of his 11-year-old stepson, Kile Glover, who died after being in a jet-skiing accident during the summer.
"I miss Kile," he said. "We cooked together, we laughed, we sang. He loved to sing and dance. He loved to tell jokes."
Usher, who visited Kile in the hospital, dismissed rumors that he did not attend the funeral. "It hurts me to hear people speculating that I wasn't at the funeral. I absolutely was at the funeral. I was at the burial as well."
Usher also explained his parenting style, saying that he tries not to spoil Usher Raymond V, 4, and Naviyd Ely Raymond, 3. "We are raising future adults, so we have to make them understand that if you do good, good follows. If you do bad — and we have a little [timeout area] in the house — you might miss a treat."
Usher, who signed Justin Bieber to the Raymond Braun Media Group, said he immediately knew the "Boyfriend" singer had the talent for stardom. "He was passionate, absolutely, I saw the potential of success," he said. "It was really always left up t him. I told him, 'You can go as far as you want to go if you want to go there.'"
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Usher, Lil Wayne, Green Day and Rihanna are among superstar artists who will perform at the iHeartRadio Music Festival in Las Vegas on Friday, September 21, the event's opening night. Aerosmith, Brad Paisley, Taylor Swift, Mary J. Blige and others are playing Saturday, September 22. The shows begin at 7 p.m. PST and will be streamed exclusively on Yahoo! Music.
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