Usher Shares the Real Story Behind ‘Confessions’ and What Role TLC’s Chilli Really Played
Usher’s Confessions album is one of the most iconic R&B albums of all time. Released in 2004, it sparked significant fan speculation about its deeply personal lyrics. Many believed the album reflected Usher’s real-life experiences at the time, particularly regarding his high-profile breakup with Rozonda “Chilli” Thomas of the R&B girl group TLC. Now, Usher is setting the record straight regarding Confessions and his passionate relationship with Chilli.
The second-best-selling album of the 2000s decade (behind NSYNC’s No Strings Attached), Confessions sparked fan theories regarding Usher’s infidelity while dating Chilli. Songs like “Confessions Part II” tell the story of a man confessing to cheating and getting another woman pregnant. Certified platinum 14 times by the Recording Industry Association of America, Confessions led many to believe that Usher was unfaithful to Chilli in real life, leading to their 2004 breakup. The speculation only fueled the album’s success. It sold over 10 million copies and solidified Usher’s status as an R&B legend.
Now, Usher is reflecting on Confessions via Audible’s new Words + Music series, The Last Showman. Ahead of its release, he told PEOPLE, “There is a great deal of truth in that album,” saying that the storyline of Confessions did happen to him. “Did I have a relationship ever that was exactly what I was saying? Yeah, I did,” Usher stated. “But the reality of where it landed and the expression of what that was about, it wasn’t exactly in order of the way or better yet in the moment when I delivered that song.”
This backs up what Chilli has said for years. The TLC member has always denied that 2004’s Confessions is about their relationship, which occurred from 2001 to 2004. She even says she “was with him at the studio that whole time.” As Usher reflects on his career on The Last Showman with “fresh eyes,” he knows “people had theories” and “rumors were running fast and furiously.”
Usher didn’t know that the starpower between himself and Chilli would send fans into a frenzy. “I had my share of flings and wild experiences with women that orbited my world,” he explained. “But every serious relationship I’d had up until that point, I didn’t know what it was like to be hounded by paparazzi whenever they left my house. And then, I met Rozonda.”
Chilli first starred in his “U Remind Me” music video, which “sparked the flame” between them. She ended up appearing in his music videos for “U Got It Bad” and “U Don’t Have to Call,” too. Usher continued, “We spent time together, got to know each other. At some point, I wanted to share with the public what I had found. This new feeling — it was something I appreciated. I was very proud of us and wanted the world to see the love blossoming between us.”
So who is Confessions about? Usher told PEOPLE that it’s largely based on producer Jermaine Dupri’s life experiences among others. He gathered several male colleagues in the music industry, including Dupri, while creating Confessions. “We were having real talk sessions,” Usher details. “We would sit around and I would say, ‘Yo, check your egos at the door, and let’s just really be honest. Everybody has to speak their truth.'”
Regardless of Confessions‘ subject matter, we’ll always have Usher and Chilli’s iconic early-aughts relationship to look back on.
