Usher marries girlfriend on a busy Super Bowl Sunday
Usher stepped out in front of the biggest audience of his life during halftime at the Super Bowl in Las Vegas, winning widespread acclaim for his high-energy performance. The platinumselling R&B artist also found a quieter moment the same day to marry his longtime girlfriend, Jennifer Goicoechea.
According to the Clark County Clerk’s Office database, the pair applied for a wedding license Thursday and married Sunday.
People magazine first reported on the Vegas wedding, citing a representative for the singer. The ceremony was held at Vegas Weddings just hours after Usher’s halftime performance, the Associated Press reported, and witnesses included Usher’s mother, Jonnetta Patton.
Representatives for Usher and the wedding venue didn’t respond immediately to requests for comment Monday.
The 45-year-old, whose full name is Usher Raymond IV, shares two children with Goicoechea, 40.
It was a busy week for the resurgent R&B superstar. On Friday, he released his ninth studio album, “Coming Home.”
At the Super Bowl, he was competing with the star power of Taylor Swift, who came to support the Kansas City Chiefs and her boyfriend, Travis Kelce, watching the game in a luxury box. (The Chiefs scored a game-winning touchdown in overtime to beat the San Francisco 49ers, 25-22)
The 15-minute halftime show featured a star-studded lineup that included Alicia Keys — who joined Usher in a duet of “My Boo” — plus longtime collaborator Jermaine Dupri, Will.i.am and H.E.R.
The Washington Post’s reviewer, Chris Richards, described Usher’s performance as “a blitz of retinal maximalism,” his voice “seemingly made out of elastic, silk, smoke and sunshine.”