Appearance, Interview, Lifestyle, News

Chilli Focused on Matthew Lawrence After Usher Claims He Was Heartbroken She Rejected His Marriage Proposal 20 Years Ago!

Chilli and Usher (2002)

Usher tore down the TV ratings this past weekend when he headlined the Super Bowl with a show-stopping performance, and secretly married his long time girlfriend Jennifer Goicoechea in Las Vegas.

However, the R&B superstar decided to dive into his past and touched on his previous relationship with the ‘C’ of TLC, Rozonda “Chilli” Thomas, whom he dated from 2001 to 2004.

In a cover story he did with PEOPLE magazine, Usher said, “If I am to be honest, I was her No. 1 fan, and she was my superstar. At the age of 8, I put her poster on my wall and said, ‘Man that girl is so beautiful. One day I’m going to meet her.’”

Explaining why the relationship with Chilli didn’t work out, he admits, “I was a young man, and she had very specific rules that didn’t work for me,” he says. “We were missing each other. I really did want to have a different type of relationship where she was there with me, and she couldn’t be. She didn’t believe that I was actually in love with her as much as I was.”

Usher then stuns readers with his admission, saying, “I wanted to marry her. I proposed, and she told me no. I went through a great deal of pain after that, not trusting women or wanting to open up.” He admits, “I hurt her too,” but the situation “broke my heart.”

Chilli and Usher (2003)

Of course, the media would expect a response from Chilli after Usher’s recent revelations. However, a spokesperson for Chilli has informed TMZ that Chilli is far too occupied with her current beau of 2 years, Matthew Lawrence, to be focused on anything that is going on in the press.

Chilli was in fact spending some quality time at the Sandals resort in Jamaica with Matthew, celebrating his 44th birthday.

“More importantly,” TMZ states, “[Chilli’s] mind is a world away from all this Usher stuff. Speaking of which, our sources tell us that Chilli, generally, takes marriage very seriously … and she’s not just going to hop into a commitment like that until she’s totally convinced she and her partner are both ready for marriage.”

Chilli with boyfriend Matthew Lawrence (2023)
Usher with wife Jennifer Goicoechea (2024)

Time is a healer, after all. And Usher seems to have finally moved on. These days, “I’m not hurt over that at all,” Usher says of him and Chilli not working out. “We’ve since become cool with each other, celebrate each other and it’s always light when we see each other.”

Announcement, Appearance, Interview, News

Janet Jackson Announces TLC as Special Guests on the Japanese Leg of ‘Together Again’ Tour 2O24

Global superstar Janet Jackson took to her Instagram today (Nov 15) to reveal that she is planning to take her lucrative ‘Together Again‘ tour overseas to her fanbase in Asia!

The tour, which has generated over $51m in gross profit as present time, will take Ms Jackson across four dates in Asia and two in Hawaii.

Janet will start the tour at the Smart Araneta Coliseum in Manila, Philippines, on March 13. Three days later, she will head to Nagoya, Japan, where she will perform at Port Messe (March 16) and then at Jo Hall in Osaka (March 17) the day after. Janet Jackson will round out her Asia shows in Yokohama at the K Arena on March 20.

Janet won’t be alone on the Japanese stretch of the tour, as she has invited her friends and iconic superstars TLC to join her as special guests at the three dates she is performing at in Japan!

Janet Jackson accepts her Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction (2022)

T-Boz and Chilli will bring their energetic performances to the tour and prove why they were the perfect candidates to include on the tour, with TLC sharing a very similar fan base to Janet!

This also marks the first time TLC and Janet Jackson have been involved in a tour together. TLC has always been open about how much Janet has inspired them and their careers. “I grew up trying to dance like Janet”, Left Eye once confessed during an interview in London in 1995.

T-Boz with Janet Jackson at the ‘Velvet Rope’ album launch party (1997)
T-Boz and Janet Jackson backstage (1993)
Chilli with Janet Jackson backstage (1993)

Left Eye also explained why she loves Janet Jackson so much. “Other than my father, when I was a teenager, Janet Jackson was a big influence on me”, she reveals. “I rented her videos and I copied her dance steps. Whenever I went to auditions, I copied her dance steps in the auditions. I mean, I had the one key in my ear, like the key she used to wear, with the black baseball cap. This is when Rhythm Nation came out. I was a HUGE Janet Jackson fan, I even felt that I looked like her.”

Left Eye felt she looked like Janet Jackson in her younger days

During press interviews for MTV’s 20th anniversary, ‘MTV 20’, in 2001, whilst discussing the topic of Janet Jackson, Chilli reveals, “For young girls, like myself at the time, I looked at her and I was like, ‘now, that’s how I’ve got to do it'”.

T-Boz, in particular, has grown close to Janet, after she would often visit and send T-Boz flowers when she would become sick in the hospital after a sickle cell crisis. Eaged-eyed fans also spotted T-Boz in the audience during the taping of Janet’s ‘Velvet Rope’ tour in 1998.

Usher, T-Boz and Janet Jackson at the CBS ‘Velvet Rope’ special (1998)

Tickets to Janet Jackson’s ‘Together Again’ concert in Manila will go on sale on November 25, while tickets to all three of her Japan tour dates will be available on January 13. Tickets and more information can be found at Janet’s official website.

‘Together Again’ 2024 Asia tour dates:

March 2024:
13 – Manila, Philippines – Smart Araneta Coliseum
16 – Nagoya, Japan – Port Messe (with TLC)
17 – Osaka, Japan – Jo Hall (with TLC)
20 – Yokohama, Japan – K Arena (with TLC)

Announcement, Appearance, News, Television, Tribute

Chilli Accepts TLC Legacy Award at 2023 Variety Power of Women Ceremony with Full Speech

The beautiful Chilli was honored to accept the Variety 2023 Power of Women Legacy Award on behalf of TLC on April 4, 2023 in New York.

Her TLC sister, Tionne “T-Boz” Watkins was unable to attend the event due to sinus infection she was still recovering from. Chilli joked that they do not like to share one award, so hopes the event provides them each with the prestigious award.

Chilli started off her acceptance speech for TLC’s Legacy Award by giving thanks to God for her talents. “When I say that he has been there for us — and still is — I’m just so thankful to him”, Chilli said. “You always want to be sure you’re doing what’s right — and we always should — but I just want to make sure that I’m being a good daughter to my Lord and Savior, that’s very important to me”.

Chilli then got emotional as she recalled some of the group’s hardest moments and their biggest triumphs as women of color in the music industry.

“When you are a woman of color, it’s real hard — it’s a huge struggle,” she told the audience. “I’ll always remember when ‘No Scrubs’ came out and it was actually our first number one entering in. I always wanted to be on the cover of Rolling Stone magazine…we didn’t get the cover. I won’t say who got it, it’s okay because he deserved it too but we also did. The message was ‘the last time we had someone Black on the cover, it didn’t really sell well.’” To clarify, the Rolling Stones cover went to Eminem that month.

She continued, “I have to say that just because you hear many ‘no’s’ does not mean that you don’t have the talent because you do — we never stopped believing in ourselves and each other.”

Chilli took a moment to give TLC’s long-term manager, Bill Diggins, his flowers for sticking around with the ladies through their highs and lows, since the loss of Lisa “Left Eye” Lopes in 2002. “Bill Diggins believed in us when we were on top of the world. And when everything happened — losing our sister — and no one believing in us anymore, thinking that it was over…he never felt like that, ever”, Chilli reveals.

Chilli vowed to “forever keep our sister Lisa ‘Left Eye’ Lopes’ memory alive through everything that we do.” Whilst addressing the rumors that the group had been on the lookout for a replacement after their reality talent show, UPN’s ‘R U The Girl‘ in 2005, Chilli joked, “We never ever even thought about replacing her — even after she burned the house down…by the way it was an accident!”

Announcement, Appearance, News, Television

Chilli’s Son Tron Austin to Star in Docuseries ‘Family Legacy’ on Paramount+

Paramount+ announced via press release on April 4, 2023 that the new music docuseries ‘Family Legacy‘ will premiere Tuesday, April 25 exclusively on the service in the U.S. and Canada.

The series will also premiere internationally on Wednesday, April 26 in the U.K., Italy, France, Germany, Switzerland, Austria, LATAM and Brazil, and on Saturday, April 29 in Australia. An official trailer and key art for the series were also released.

Narrated by actor and music artist Quincy Brown, each half hour of the five-episode series will feature the children of legendary music artists and bands including Linkin Park, Van Halen, Backstreet Boys, *NSYNC, Boyz II Men, TLC, Biggie Smalls, Sean “Diddy” Combs, Brandy and Melissa Etheridge reliving some of entertainment’s most iconic moments and giving viewers an intimate look at their favorite artists.

Featured in the series are:

  • Tron Austin (son of TLC’s Chilli)
  • Bailey Cypheridge (daughter of Melissa Etheridge)
  • Baylee Littrell (son of Backstreet Boys’ Brian Littrell)
  • Briahna Fatone (daughter of *NSYNC’s Joey Fatone)
  • Christian “King” Combs (son of Sean “Diddy” Combs)
  • C.J. Wallace (son of Notorious B.I.G.)
  • Draven Bennington (son of Linkin Park’s Chester Bennington)
  • Justin Combs (son of Sean “Diddy” Combs)
  • Nathan Morris II (son of Boyz II Men’s Nathan Morris)
  • Quincy Brown (son of Sean “Diddy” Combs)
  • Sy’Rai Smith (daughter of Brandy)
  • Andrew Hagar (son of Van Halen’s Sammy Hagar)

Through thousands of hours of exclusive MTV footage and brand-new interviews with the children of our favorite stars, ‘Family Legacy’ takes fans on a tour of iconic musicians’ most celebrated moments, with perspectives and untold stories only their kids could provide!

‘Family Legacy’ is produced by MTV Entertainment Studios, with Bruce Gillmer and Jeremy Davies as executive producers. Nancy Glass, Eric Neuhaus and Lauren Flowers serve as executive producers for Glass Entertainment Group.

Watch the trailer below: