‘I Had a Whole Playlist That I Worked on for About Two Weeks’: Usher Reveals the Songs He Played In the Delivery Room When His Son Was Being Born

Usher seems to be enjoying the responsibilities that go along with being a dad of four.

Whether it is taking one of his teenage sons, Nayvid Ely, 13, to fashion week and letting him floss for the paparazzi or tossing his little girl Sovereign Bo, age 21 months, above his head on a private jet until she spits in his face, he seemingly has embraced fatherhood with a certain zeal and joy.

INGLEWOOD, CALIFORNIA – FEBRUARY 10: Usher performs onstage at The Chairman’s Party at SoFi Stadium on February 10, 2022 in Inglewood, California. (Photo by Tiffany Rose/Getty Images for The Chairman’s Party)

One way that zeal was on display was during the birth of his last two children.

While appearing as a guest on “The Ellen DeGeneres Show” he shared with the comedian that during his newest babies’ deliveries, he had one job to perform. As a chart-topping recording artist, the “You Remind Me” artist quite naturally was in charge of determining what soundtrack should be played when either child made their entrance into the world.

The first time, he said, he did a “terrible job.”

“The first time, I was ready. I had this phone and like my speaker.” He dramatically explained how he flubbed Sovereign Bo’s first moments. “Right before we walk in the room the WiFi dies. So, I am like I got one song in my phone, so I kept playing it over and over and over again.”

The eight-time Grammy Award winner said that his lady looked up at him and asked, “Can you play another song, please?”

But he couldn’t; the one song was all he had. Months after the birth of his first daughter, the couple was expecting again. The second time around went a little smoother.

This time, Usher said he was prepared.

“Awh, man. I came fully equipped. I had my MoFi. I had speakers. I had backup batteries,” he said. “I had a whole playlist that I worked on for about two weeks. It was crazy, it was great.”

Things went so great that Sire Castrello entered into the world to a mix of dance-floor hits.

Baby Sire was born with 50 Cent’s hit song “In da Club.” Pumping through his dad’s speaker was “Go, Shorty! It’s ya birthday!” as his newborn was taking its first breath.

Usher revealed that he had been on Ellen’s show 25 times, even injuring himself on one of her physical challenges.

The audience had no idea that he was going to be on the show and when he emerged from backstage, they roared in surprise. So surprised was the audience that they made his visit into somewhat of a historic moment.

According to Ellen, the crowd applauded longer for the singer than any other guest in the 18 seasons the show had been on.