Usher Marries Puerto Rican-Italian Music Exec Jennifer Goicoechea— Here’s Their Love Story
Usher, 45, mesmerized us all with his Super Bowl LVIII halftime show, giving us renditions of hits like “My Boo” and “Caught Up.” While his performance was a walk down memory lane (“Yeah,” anyone?), we are shook to realize Usher looked extra-happy for a surprising reason. As reported by Entertainment Weekly, the R&B singer married his half-Puerto Rican partner Jennifer Goicoechea, 40, in Las Vegas over Super Bowl weekend.
Did you think Usher looked extra emotional during his halftime rendition of “Love In This Club”? Well, maybe he was just in his feelings about the wedding!
Ahead, find everything to know about Usher and music executive Goicoechea’s wedding, their love story, and how they met several years ago.
Who is Jennifer Goicoechea and what do we know about her wedding to Usher?
As per Entertainment Weekly, Usher and Goicoechea obtained their marriage license in Clark County, Nevada on February 8. However, they did not file it immediately, so the exact date of their Las Vegas wedding is unknown.
We do know that Usher shared a bit of his marriage chisme to PEOPLE early last week. When asked about the possibility of marrying longtime partner Goicoechea, who he shares two children with, the singer didn’t shy away from the subject.
“Listen, when you find someone that you know is a great partner, of course it is an honor and a pleasure to be able to share life with someone,” he revealed. “We’ve obviously made a commitment to life for life together because of our children.” The “Yeah” singer added, “It wouldn’t be odd for us to get married.” Sneaky.
Well, turns out Usher was just toying with all of our hearts. Yes, he definitely had that marriage license in his back pocket.
So who is Usher’s music executive wife, Jennifer Goicoechea? According to Harper’s Bazaar, the 40-year-old was born in Miami to a Puerto Rican father and an Italian mother. The businesswoman has a notable, decades-long music career— no doubt something she and Usher bond about.
Goicoechea studied recording arts at Full Sail University in Winter Park, Florida, and got a glimpse into the events world through her mother’s work. In fact, her mother worked for events management company ACT Productions, and Goichochea shadowed her. A short time later, the future music executive became singer Ciara’s assistant.
Working with Ciara catapulted Usher’s future beau into the music industry. Shortly after, Goicoechea started her own music management company called Boogs’N’Effect. By 2016, she became the senior vice president of A&R at Sony Entertainment’s Epic Records.
Moreover, by 2021, Billboard named her one of their “R&B/Hip-Hop Power Players” for her work with artists like Travis Scott, Future, 21 Savage and DJ Khaled.
How did Usher and his wife meet?
Both Usher and Goicoechea have usually kept quiet about their relationship. However, we do know they met several years before they began dating. Back in 2016, when Usher was still married to ex-wife Grace Harry, Goicoechea posted a friendly snap with the singer on Instagram:
Posting a photo of herself having a conversation with Usher at a venue, the music executive joked: “Not sure what I’m saying or who I’m speaking [to]… But my nails look good.”
We know the future married couple remained friends over the years. By 2018, Goicoechea posted another IG photo with Usher and other pals, captioning it, “Boys Club.”
However, People en Español reports that the two became romantic after Usher divorced then-wife Harry in 2018. By June 2019, onlookers allegedly caught Usher and Goicoechea cuddling up to each other at music producer Keith Thomas’s birthday party. By October of that year, paparazzi caught wind of the couple kissing at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles, California. And the rest was “My Boo” history.
The happy couple welcomed their first child together, a daughter named Sovereign Bo Raymond, in September 2020. At the time, Usher posted the news on Instagram, writing, “We are feeling blessed and full of love with the arrival of our beautiful baby girl… ‘Isn’t She Lovely’ by Stevie Wonder on repeat.”
By September 2021, the two welcomed their son Sire Castrello to the world. Usher wrote on IG that his baby boy was the “newest addition to the Raymond crew,” signaling to daughter Sovereign, as well as his sons from a previous marriage, Usher “Cinco” Raymond V, 16, and Naviyd Ely, 15.
Speaking about his wife, Usher told PEOPLE, “I have an amazing partner, a support system.”
“We have an amazing dynamic between our relationship where I’m able to be passionate still about what I do and have an incredible partner,” he explained. He also described Goicoechea as more than his wife— she’s his best friend, too. “I’m very happy, very fortunate to have an incredible friend, not just a partner,” he said.
