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It’s good to be the king, just ask Usher. The R&B singer wears a bejeweled crown on the cover of the latest issue of Billboard. Inside the mag, the veteran crooner talks about a myriad of things including his protege Justin Bieber, his new girlfriend and the Atlanta music scene.
In the interview, Usher says he’s still working on his new album and he wants it to be perfect before he releases it to the public.
“I just ain’t ready. Meaning I have more that I want to say and more that I want to do,” he explains. “My process is pretty different. L.A. Reid will tell you, it takes two albums to make one with Usher.”
In the meantime, Usher will entertain audiences on his upcoming UR Experience tour, which kicks off on Nov. 1.
“This will be one of my freest tours,” he says about the trek. “S—, I’m singing love songs that went on to be baby-makers — and now the damn babies are in the audience. Talk about a family reunion.”
Although he and Chris Brown are blazing the R&B music charts with their collaborative hit single ‘New Flame,’ the 36-year-old singer keeps his ears to the streets as well.
“Favorite song right now is ’0 to 100′ [from] Drake,” he tells Billboard. “Of course, any and every artist coming out of Atlanta, from Future to Young Thug. I think Atlanta culture is more relevant now than it’s ever been in time, musically and culturally. And, I’m really enjoying it.”
Elsewhere in the interview, Usher talks about his new girlfriend Grace Miguel who has been helpful to his career so far. “One thing that has come from having a great partner like Grace is being able to cherish the places that I’ve gone,” he says.
Usher also talks about his mentorship with Justin Bieber (“I’m supportive of him”) and his time with Diddy when he was a youngster in the R&B game (“My time with Puff, it gave me chutzpah”).
The latest issue of Billboard, with R&B king Usher, is on newsstands now.
