UsherandJustin Timberlakeboth rose to fame in the early ’00s with silky smooth voices and boyish good looks. They’ve both evenheadlined the Super Bowl. But competitors, they are not.
In a wide-ranging interview for this week’s PEOPLE cover story, Usher, 45, shares his thoughts on being compared to Timberlake, 43, and what their relationship has really been like throughout the years.
“I think people more than likely need to find comparisons, but we are all unique artists and have our creativity,” says Usher. “I love the producers that he works with, so much so that I worked with them. And I think he loves the producers that I worked with so much so that he worked with them.”
Usher on the cover of PEOPLE.
“I’d be sitting outside of nightclubs where people would come out at maybe 4 o’clock in the morning, and here I am singing [Boyz II Men’s hit] ‘End of the Road,’ ” he remembers.
Though he performed onStar Searchat age 13 and is a contemporary of Timberlake andBritney Spears, “I wasn’t a Disney kid,” he says, chuckling at the mature nature of his songs. “They probably would have kicked me off the lot.”
Usher in Santa Monica in 2000.SGranitz/WireImage
SGranitz/WireImage
But that didn’t stop him from admiring the work of former Musketeer Timberlake and his group*NSYNC.
“I can remember as a kid going to their foundation events and just supporting *NSYNC and trying to get as close as I possibly could to them, because I just respected what [their manager] Johnny Wright was doing.”
Justin Timberlake and Usher at an *NSYNC charity event in Florida in July 2004.Kevin Mazur/WireImage
Kevin Mazur/WireImage
Years later when they were both successful solo artists, Usher says he tried to work with Timberlake. “I’ve always wanted to do a record with Justin and have reached out many times, but we’ve never managed to make it happen,” he says. “I think that he’s an amazing performer.”
Justin Timberlake and Usher in New York City in 2003.Lester Cohen/WireImage
Lester Cohen/WireImage
He continues, “I think that he has a legacy that should be respected and not compared to anybody else. Do I feel at times that the score was a bit unfair in terms of how people even judged us or some of the things that may have been given to him?” The star pauses, then offers, “He had better management staff, you know what I’m saying, access to things I didn’t. I’m cool with that.”
According to the star, everything has worked out as it was supposed to. This year both singers have new albums for fans to enjoy: Timberlake’sEverything I Thought I Was, due out in March, and Usher’sComing Homereleased Feb. 9.
“I’m confident enough to celebrate any and every artist and can stand on the stage with any of them,” he says, “and we entertain and have a great time because music is a place of celebration.”
For more on Usher’s ups and downs in the spotlight and surprise Super Bowl wedding, pick up this week’s issue of PEOPLE, on newsstands everywhere Friday.
source: people.com
