Rozonda “Chilli” Thomas and Usher were in contact for 15 years after their 2004 breakup, the TLC member, 52, revealed in a June 2 interview. “I love hard. I was like, ‘God, why can’t I get over this?’” she confessed to PEOPLE. “He couldn’t either.” During that time, the eight-time Grammy winner was married twice: to Tameka Foster from 2007 to 2009 and to Grace Harry from 2015 to 2018.
Despite the comfortable chemistry between the two, Chilli ended their off-and-on relationship in 2019 to focus on herself. “I even stopped dating,” she added. “Because before that I thought if I met the right guy during that time that I wasn’t over [Usher] it wouldn’t work. I would never want to straddle the fence.”
Chilli and Usher, now 44, were together between 2001 and 2004. “We definitely had some chemistry,” she recalled of their romance. “But working chemistry does not mean it works in your personal life. If we were working, it was great. But outside of that, we’re so different.”
The “No Scrubs” hitmaker has since moved on with her boyfriend, actor Matthew Lawrence, 43, who she has been dating since 2022. “I never thought the name ‘Matthew’ would make me blush so much,” she admitted to PEOPLE in May. “I always thought he was cute.” The iconic singer added that their relationship is so strong that they have never had a single fight. “I’m like ‘Matthew, it’s gonna happen one day, cause we’re going to be together forever,'” she sweetly added.
Meanwhile, Usher has been in a years-long relationship with Jenn Goicoechea. They welcomed their second child together in 2021. The “Yeah!” singer also shares two children with his ex-wife Tameka Foster.
Chilli has an adult son named Tron with her ex, Dallas Austin. Tron previously confirmed that he approves of his mother’s relationship with the actor, who was previously married to Dancing with the Stars pro Cheryl Burke.
Usher and Chilli have seemingly moved on from their connection, and Chilli told PEOPLE she has “no hard feelings” toward the R&B singer. Meanwhile, she is all-in on her relationship with Matthew. “He wants to be the best guy he can be and who God wants him to be,” she noted. “God-willing one day we’ll get married.”