“I think people more than likely need to find comparisons, but we are all unique artists and have our creativity,” Usher shared when asked about the comparisons between him and the former *NSYNC member.
Usher is used to being compared to Justin Timberlake, both rising to fame in the early ’00s and most recently, being among a select group to headline the Super Bowl, but as far as being in competition with each other, the “Yeah!” singer says that’s something they’re not.
In an new interview with People, Usher shared what he thinks about being compared to the *NSYNC member, and detailed what their relationship has been like over the years.
“I think people more than likely need to find comparisons, but we are all unique artists and have our creativity,” Usher said. “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.”
While they may have both gotten inspiration from R&B groups like New Edition and Boyz II Men, Usher stressed that unlike Timberlake and some of his contemporaries, he most definitely wasn’t a “Disney kid.”
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“They probably would have kicked me off the lot,” he said, referring to the mature nature of his songs.
But that didn’t stop him from admiring the work of former Mouseketeer 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,” Usher explained.
Years later when they were both successful solo artists, Usher said he tried to collaborate with JT and has always wanted to record something with the “Cry Me a River” singer.
“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 said. “I think that he’s an amazing performer.”
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That said, Usher is happy to be in a league of his own.
“I’m in competition with no one other than myself, and I’ve always tried to beat my own record,” Usher maintained. “Beat my own expectations and try and better myself. And if anything, I’ve been motivated by people like Justin.”
He continued, “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? He had better management staff, you know what I’m saying, access to things I didn’t. I’m cool with that.”
Despite being cognizant that Timberlake may have been afforded opportunities that he was not — for one reason or another — according Usher, everything has worked out as it was supposed to.
“I’m confident enough to celebrate any and every artist and can stand on the stage with any of them,” he added, “and we entertain and have a great time because music is a place of celebration.”
