In a recent interview with the UK radio show Capital Breakfast With Roman Kemp, Usher touched on his decades-long friendship with fellow singer Beyoncé and a time when he once had to act like her “nanny” as he was sort of the oldest person around.
The 44-year-old singer revealed Queen Bey was a member of a group by name “The Dolls” at the time, adding that he acted like her nanny during a session, Insider reported.
“Fun fact: I knew Beyoncé when she was 12 years old, or 11 years old, she used to be in a group by the name of The Dolls,” the Burn singer said. “I don’t know if I could consider myself their babysitter, but I actually had a time when I had to watch The Dolls.”
Usher said he performed his supposed nanny duties while they were having a session at the home of songwriter and record producer Daryl Simmons. “He was working with them at the time, and I just happened to be over there,” the Grammy award-winner recalled.
Usher said he ultimately had to keep an eye on Beyoncé and her bandmates because they were younger. “I kind of found my way into being their, like, I don’t know, chaperone, nanny, or something like that, because I was kind of the oldest person in the room,” he added.
Beyoncé as well as the likes of Kelly Rowland, Michelle Williams, and LeToya Luckett shot to superstardom as members of the Destiny’s Child R&B group. But prior to gaining fame, the group bore names such as GirlsTyme, Something Fresh, and The Dolls, an archived article from Essence Magazine stated.
Usher and Beyoncé have since gone on to have highly successful careers in their music and other entertainment endeavors. The singers have also collaborated in the past as Beyoncé featured on Usher’s 2008 song, Love in This Club, Part II.
