All about Usher’s girlfriend, parents and family as he headlines Super Bowl halftime show
Usher has concluded a stunning performance at the 2024 Super Bowl halftime show tonight.
On Sunday 11 February, the singer was set to receive immense support from his fans, family, and loved ones, including his girlfriend, Jenn Goicoechea, as he took to the stage at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas.
Although it’s unclear when their relationship started, Goicoechea and Usher were first pictured together in 2016, years before they started dating. They first went public with their relationship in 2019 when they were first spotted kissing at the Hollywood Bowl.
Since then, they’ve gone on to expand their family, as they share two children, Sovereign Bo, three, and Sire Castrello, two, together.
Although she’s continued to celebrate and support her boyfriend’s career as a singer, Goicoechea has also done some of her own work in the music industry.
Here’s everything we know about Goicoechea and her relationship with Usher.
Goicoechea also works in the music business
When featured in Rolling Out magazine in 2015, Goicoechea spoke about her career in the entertainment business, as she’s been working as Associate Director of the Rhythm and Soul division at The American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers (ASCAP), since 2014. According to the publication, she was raised in Miami and had the opportunity to work with her mother, Barbara Goicoechea, who was a production manager for Act Productions.
After moving to Atlanta, Georgia to work with ASCAP, some of her responsibilities in the role have included discovering new talent, developing her clients’ careers as songwriters, and maintaining strong relationships with other members of the music industry.
“Having strong organizational skills, event planning abilities, being able to identify burgeoning talent early on while staying current and involved on the music scene and keeping my ear to the pulse is what helped me get to where I am today,” she told Rolling Out at the time.
Usher and Goicoechea went public with their romance in 2019
Although it’s unclear how this meeting came to be, Goicoechea first revealed on Instagram in 2016 that she had the opportunity to chat with Usher, whose real name is Usher Raymond IV. At the time, she shared a photo of herself whispering something into Usher’s ear, while they appeared to be at a nightclub.
“Not sure what I’m saying or who I’m speaking to,” she wrote in the caption. “But my nails look good.”
In March 2018, she also posted a picture with Usher and a few friends, alongside a caption that read: “Boys Club.”
However, the singer and the music executive weren’t romantically linked until October 2019, when Goicoechea was photographed kissing Usher on the cheek at the Hollywood Bowl.
Usher and Goicoechea share two children, while he is a father of four
One year after going public with his romance, Usher announced that he and his girlfriend had welcomed their first child together, a baby girl named Sovereign Bo. On Instagram at the time, he shared a snap of the then-newborn’s fingers wrapped around her father’s hands.
“We are feeling blessed and full of love with the arrival of our beautiful baby girl, Sovereign Bo Raymond. “Isn’t She Lovely” by Stevie Wonder on repeat,” he wrote in the caption of the post, shared in September 2020.
During an appearance at the iHeartRadio Music Awards in May 2021, the couple confirmed that they were welcoming their second child together, with Goicoechea posing with her hand over her baby bump.
In October 2021, Usher took to Instagram to announce his baby’s arrival, a son named Sire Castrello Raymond.
“Hi my name is Sire Castrello Raymond … I am the newest addition to the Raymond crew. I was born Sept 29 2021 at 6:42pm weighing 7lbs 13oz. Hear me roar … A.K.A Ra Ra,” the “OMG” singer wrote in the caption of the post, which included a picture of the then-newborn.
In addition to his two children with Goicoechea, Usher has two other children from a previous relationship. More specifically, the singer and his ex-wife, Tameka Foster, share two sons: Usher “Cinco” V, 15, and Naviyd Ely, 14.
Usher’s girlfriend has continued to support him throughout milestones
Over the years, Usher has frequently posted about his partner on Instagram, while also opening up about the dynamics of their relationship. In May 2023, Usher took to social media to reflect on receiving an honorary doctorate at the Berklee College of Music in Boston, Massachusetts. The photos also showed that when Usher received the honorary degree, his girlfriend was by his side.
“They call me D-o-c-t-o-r R-a-y-m-o-n-d,” he wrote in the caption. “Thank you @berkleecollege for honouring me and presenting me with a Doctor of Music degree. I’m so grateful for this opportunity to share a message to the next generation of artists, producers, vocalists, arrangers, dancers and more.”
During an interview with People in November 2023, after it was announced that he’d be performing at the Super Bowl, Usher also praised his girlfriend as an “amazing partner” and “support system”.
“We have an amazing dynamic between our relationship where I’m able to be passionate still about what I do and have an incredible partner to work through some of the harder times as a young man dealing with children and dealing with the dynamic of how you communicate with them,” he explained.
He went on to applaud Goicoechea’s parenting skills, noting that while he’s more of the “disciplined” one, she isn’t, so it creates more of a “balance” in their relationship. He then acknowledged how lucky he is to have his partner in his life.
“I’m very happy, very fortunate to have an incredible friend, not just a partner,” he said. “She’s my best friend and I love her.”
According to People, the couple are likely to tie the knot soon, as they received a marriage license in Clark County, Nevada, on 8 February, just days before Usher took to the stage for the halftime show.
Who are Usher’s parents?
In addition to the support of his partner, Usher also has the support of his mother, Jonnetta Patton.
In a 2023 interview, Usher credited his mother with his success, telling Grant Cardone: “The type of ambition that was required for me to be the type of entertainer that I am, it was in the spirit of my mother, first and foremost.”
During the singer’s halftime show performance, Usher gave a shout out to his mother: “But if you do call, know that God answers prayers. They said I wouldn’t make it. They said I wouldn’t be here today. But I am. Thank you Mama, we made it!”
Usher’s father, Usher Raymond III, died in 2008. The singer previously revealed that the pair had had a tumultuous relationship but had reconciled later on in his father’s life.
“My father and I had a very short amount of time together throughout my entire life, but the most valuable time was during his final days,” he told Essence. “He asked me to forgive him for not being there.”
