Usher Takes Entertainment Weekly

Usher opens up about fatherhood, his new album, ”Here I Stand,” and what it says about how far he’s come in the new issue of Entertainment Weekly.

On the then 27-year-old in the midst of a life-changing existential dilemma: ”I was going out night to night, having a different woman in my bed every time I chose, and I began to wonder: Am I really being a playa or am I a whore?”

On going for the cougars: ”I really was dating for maturity because that’s what I thought I would get — a person that has some stability. She also has to be understanding, patient, kind, and supportive.”

On his mother missing his wedding: ‘My mother made a decision not to come to my wedding because she didn’t really agree with my decision (his choice of wife or his decision to fire his mother as manager). I don’t know why [she didn't come]. She’s never told me and I’ve never asked her. It hurt me very much not to see her there ’cause I would’ve liked for her to be there, not to mention that I paid so much money for her to be accommodated and her behind didn’t show up. [Laughs] But just as she’s made stands, so have I.”

To read the full Usher interview, visit EW.com.