- Usher says he avoids working with his wife, a music executive, in order to protect their relationship.
- “Your things are your things. My things are mine,” Usher said during a podcast appearance.
- Therapists previously told BI that partners should set boundaries with each other for a healthy relationship.
Usher prefers to keep business and pleasure separate, especially when it comes to his relationship.
During an appearance on Tuesday’s episode of the “Baby, This is Keke Palmer” podcast, Usher spoke about how he would rather not work with his wife, Jennifer Goicoechea, a music executive, even though they’re in the same industry.
“I definitely rely on her opinion about things. She’s an incredible sounding board and brings calm to some of my madness sometimes,” Usher told podcast host Keke Palmer. “But if we had to work together, oh my God, it wouldn’t work. It would damage our relationship. I would never do that.”
The “Yeah!” singer started dating Goicoechea in 2019 and married her during the 2024 Super Bowl weekend — after his halftime performance.
Although Goicoechea is established in the music industry — she is a senior vice president of A&R at Epic Records — Usher says he doesn’t think they should expect to be involved in each other’s work unless they want to.
“Like, matter of fact, we have a policy, you know. If this is a business that you’re in, I’m going to help establish and work on it. But it’s your business, you know, and then we have the things that we do together, but it’s not a mandate. It’s a choice in relationship,” Usher said.
At the end of the day, he feels that setting boundaries is healthy.
“Your things are your things. My things are mine. I have something I’m passionate about, I need your support, I need your help, I want to get counsel. But those kinds of boundaries established, I think, are hopefully going to make this a more sustainable relationship,” Usher said.
“This is my third one,” he said, referring to the marriage, “and I’m trying to make sure I don’t take this ring off.”
Usher shares two children, Sovereign Bo and Sire Castrello, with Goicoechea. He has two other children, Usher “Cinco” Raymond V and Naviyd Ely, with his ex-wife Tameka Foster, whom he was married to from 2007 to 2009. He was also previously married to Grace Miguel from 2015 to 2018.
Having boundaries is crucial for a healthy relationship, Janet Park, a therapist at Healing Phoenix Therapy, told Business Insider previously.
“Boundaries establish what we feel OK with and don’t feel OK with in a relationship. In that vein, boundaries are important because they serve a critical role in establishing safety and trust in a relationship,” she said.
Additionally, if a person fails to honor their own needs and limitations, they may be setting themselves up for feeling uncomfortable or unfulfilled in the relationship down the line, she said.
One of the most important things about establishing boundaries is that it should sound more like a request, and not a demand, Adrienne Clements, a therapist in private practice, told BI previously.
“This can look like saying, ‘Would you be willing to give me solo time in the house today?’ as opposed to ‘I need some solo time in the house today,'” she said.
A representative for Usher did not immediately respond to a request for comment sent by Business Insider outside regular hours.
