Usher is a father of four children: Usher V, Naviyd Ely, Sovereign Bo and Sire Castrello

Grammy-winning artist Usher has one of the most versatile careers, having acted in films, performed on Broadway and served as a coach on The Voice — but his most important role is dad.

Usher is a proud father of four children. He shares sons Usher "Cinco" V, 15, and Naviyd Ely, 14, with his ex-wife Tameka Foster, as well as a daughter, Sovereign Bo, 2, and a son, Sire Castrello, 1, with his longtime girlfriend Jenn Goicoechea.

The musician has been open about not having a strong relationship with his own father and has used his childhood as a teaching tool for being a parent himself.

He told Essence in 2008 that he evaluated "what I feel like I missed from my own father — knowing that I was accepted. That I mattered. And hearing that he cared enough to put me before himself" and vowed to provide his children with the support and security he never had.

Usher's kids have also served as the inspiration behind some of his music. He revealed that his 2020 song "I Cry" was inspired by a moment he shared with his two oldest sons in which he began crying while they were all watching an animated movie together.

"There was a moment between a son and a father and it got to me — I started crying. So my kids, they look over at me and they're like, 'Are you crying?!' " Usher recalled. "I'm like, 'Yeah, I'm crying!' They're like, 'You cry?!' I'm like, 'Yeah, I cry, and it's okay to cry.' "

He added, "My kids were at the front of my mind when I created it."

Both of Usher's children with Goicoechea were born during the COVID-19 pandemic. He opened up about the experience during a September 2020 appearance on The Late Late Show with James Corden.

"I think everybody's had the opportunity to take a beat back and realize what really matters in this time — it's family," he said. "It is coming closer to your loved ones and appreciating the ones that you have while you have them."

He added of the news that he and Goicoechea were expecting their first child amidst the pandemic, "I think it's been a tough time for everybody, so [it's] great to have this incredible news, this new arrival. Really anticipating it."

Over the years, the "Yeah!" singer has shared several glimpses of his kids on social media, and his oldest children have even accompanied him to a handful of entertainment industry events.

Keep reading to learn more about Usher's four children.

Usher "Cinco" Raymond V, 15

Usher's first son, Usher Raymond V, was born on Nov. 27, 2007, to Usher and his then-wife Foster.

Ahead of his birth, Usher expressed his hopes for his firstborn during an interview with PEOPLE.

"I just want my son to fully be coherent and to be healthy, first and foremost," he said. "You can wish for a million and one things. But I hope that my son has the same energy I had as a child. Hopefully, he won't be as bad as me. I hope that he's just a healthy son."

In 2008, Usher and Usher V appeared on the cover of Essence together. In his interview, the artist discussed how becoming a parent made him reflect on his own father's role in his life, and how he intended to be a better role model for his son.

"You should never abandon that responsibility, which is to be there, reading with your child, being supportive of your child's growth," he told the outlet. "That is communicating. That is making the choice to put your child before your own vanity."

When Usher V was just 5 years old, he nearly drowned after getting his arm stuck in a pool drain while trying to retrieve a toy.

"I am blessed and fortunate to say that my son Usher V is doing well and is recovering," Usher said in a statement at the time. "I am overwhelmed by the outpouring of prayers, love and support for my family's well-being."

Usher also thanked those involved in saving his son's life, including two male employees who were working in the house and jumped in the pool to rescue him.

In 2014, Usher V was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes at 6 years old. While speaking at the JDRF's Promise Ball the following year, which aims to raise awareness and money for diabetes research and a cure, Usher shared how proud he was of his son's bravery.

"A child that every day has to prick himself and has to be cautious of what he eats and also to carry this disorder around — that really is the type of bravery that we all aspire to have," he said.

He continued, "I want to be supportive not only as someone who's vying for a cure, but also as a father who has a child who's experienced a lot of highs and lows."

In November 2022, Usher spoke about how his oldest boys feel about his fame. He noted that Usher V prefers to go by his nickname to separate himself from his dad.

"I have one son, Cinco, who does not like to be called Usher, who tries to get away from it," he told Tamron Hall.

Naviyd Ely, 14

Usher and Foster welcomed their second son, Naviyd Ely, on Dec. 10, 2008.

In June 2009, Usher filed for divorce from Foster. Their divorce was finalized in November and Usher was granted full custody of their two boys.

When Naviyd was just 3 years old, he joined his dad and brother at the 2011 premiere of the documentary Justin Bieber: Never Say Never. Usher served as the "Holy" singer's mentor when he first broke onto the music scene a few years prior.

After filming his 2016 movie Hands of Stone, Usher told PEOPLE that he took a break from his career to "focus on my kids and personal things."

He then described a perfect moment he spent in Italy with Usher V and Naviyd, who were 8 and 7 at the time.

"I went on an air balloon trip with about 15 people and we were about 3,000 feet in the air," he said. "Both my boys were up there with me ... The whole family was up there. It was cool to just have that little moment away."

That same year, Usher V and Naviyd attended their dad's Hollywood Walk of Fame Ceremony on Sept. 7, 2016. The family posed for photos together with Usher's star on the red carpet.

In December 2021, Usher wished Naviyd a happy 13th birthday on Instagram, writing alongside photos of them together: "NAVIYD!!! Turnin the Big 13!!! My Silent Partner, Creative Director, Always Full of Ideas… You're "The Good News" Wishing you the Happiest Birthday son!! Love DAD You are my favorite 13-year-old."

Usher spent some quality time with Naviyd at the AMIRI Autumn-Winter 2022 Runway Show in Los Angeles, where the pair sat front row with Evan Ross.

In his November 202 conversation with Hall, Usher shared that unlike his older brother Usher V, Naviyd "really loves entertainment." He not only watches all of his dad's shows, but he also gives him critiques.

"He's like, 'You missed this thing. you didn't do this thing.' And I'm like, 'Yeah that's the point. It's not supposed to be the same every night,' " Usher said.

Sovereign Bo, 2

Sovereign Bo was born about a month early on Sept. 24, 2020. She is Usher's first child with girlfriend Goicoechea.

"We are feeling blessed and full of love with the arrival of our beautiful baby girl, Sovereign Bo Raymond," Usher wrote on Instagram with a photo of his newborn's hand. "'Isn't She Lovely' by Stevie Wonder on repeat ❤️ ❤️ ❤️."

Usher announced that he and Goicoechea were expecting their first child together a few weeks prior on Sept. 2, 2020.

"Babies always bring such joy to a family and [I'm] really excited for my young one — well, my bean's arrival," he said on Good Morning America.

Usher revealed the symbolism behind his first daughter's name in a May 2021 interview with Extra.

"Sovereign, man, is such a beautiful word and name to me, you know, a supreme ruler is obviously the defined name," he explained. "She's definitely ruling the household, but Sovereign Bo — Bo is at the end of it, so [she's] my little 'reign-bo.' "

Sovereign is Usher's only daughter, and she was born knowing what she wants, as he told Ellen DeGeneres.

"She came out early," he said. "She was scheduled to be a Scorpio but decided she had a different plan. Libras, you know, they kinda have their minds made up what they wanna do."

Talking about his Las Vegas residency at Caesars Palace, Usher told Good Morning America in July 2021 that he was "loving being a girl dad."

"I'm even changing my colors; I'm wearing pink and cool stuff like that," he added.

However, Sovereign wasn't the only baby in the house for long. She was still an infant when Goicoechea and Usher announced they were expecting again.

In October 2022, Usher shared an adorable photo of Sovereign dressed as Mirabel Madrigal from Disney's Encanto for Halloween.

Sire Castrello, 1

Sire Castrello, was born to Goicoechea and Usher on Sept. 29, 2021.

The father of four announced his son's birth the following month on Instagram, posting a black-and-white photo of the baby's face and the caption: "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 weighting 7lbs 13oz. Hear me roar … A.K.A Ra Ra . 👶🏽 ♎️ Gang."

After Usher said he did a "terrible job" picking the music for Sovereign's birth, he was determined to pick a better song for Sire's entrance into the world; he chose "In Da Club" by 50 Cent.

"The second time, I came fully equipped," he revealed on The Ellen Degeneres Show. "I had my Mophie. I had speakers. I had backup batteries. I had a whole playlist that I had worked on for about two weeks. It was crazy. It was great."

Ahead of Sire's first birthday, Usher shared a series of photos of the two of them together. In the photos, Usher grins at his youngest son, and there's a video of the baby giggling happily. "Blessings," Usher captioned the post.

"Me and him have a really cool relationship. He's different than any of my other kids," he told PEOPLE. "I've managed to have a little code going with him when I talk to him and how we speak to each other. He makes me mush ... My new little boy, he's something special."

In October 2022, he celebrated both Sire and Sovereign's birthdays by posting photos of them from a suit-themed photo shoot inspired by the movie The Boss Baby 2: Family Business. The two toddlers both wore matching suits with their hair in slick updos.

Usher also posted a photo of him and Sire in casual clothes, captioned: "#1 in the buildin'☝🏾
HAPPY 1st BIRTHDAY Sire Ra!! 🎂🎉🥳🎊MyBiggieBoy."

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