Even those who aren’t football fans will likely be glued to their TV sets on Feb. 11 to watch Usher take the stage to deliver an XL performance for the 2024 Super Bowl halftime show.
After all, the beloved R&B crooner is known for captivating audiences and for melting hearts (even Hoda Kotb’s and Jenna Bush Hager’s) with his moves.
But when it comes to Usher’s own heart, there’s just one woman who has it — his girlfriend, Jenn Goicoechea.
Who is the woman the “Yeah!” singer calls his “partna”? Here’s everything we know about her.
She knows music — and not just his
Usher didn’t usher her into the world of music. Goicoechea got her start in the industry by working with her mother, Barbara Goicoecha, who’s the director of operations at Miami-based event and multi-media production company ACT Productions.
According to a 2015 profile in Rolling Out, that connection led the younger Goicoechea to a job opportunity with singer Ciara, and it eventually put her on the path to discovering and fostering musical acts.
She told Rolling Out, “having strong organizational skills, event planning abilities, being able to identify burgeoning talent early on while staying current and involved on the music scene and keeping my ear to the pulse is what helped me get to where I am today.”
Goicoechea worked as the director of the Rhythm & Soul department at the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) from 2014 until 2016. She’s now the senior vice president of A&R at Epic Records.
How to pronounce her name
Goicochea’s mother is Italian, but she gets her last name from her Puerto Rican father. It’s pronounced Goy-co -che- ah.
She’s been dating the singer-songwriter since (at least) 2019
Usher first made an appearance on Goicochea’s Instagram in 2016, when she shared a photo of herself whispering in his ear.
In the caption, she joked, “Not sure what I’m saying or who I’m speaking (to) 🙄😂 But my nails look good.” However, that wasn’t a subtle relationship announcement.
At the time, Usher was still married to his former manager, Grace Miguel. He and Miguel divorced in 2018, and it wasn’t until October of 2019 that Usher and Goicochea signaled their pairing by allowing a photographer to capture a kiss they shared at the Hollywood Bowl.
Marriage plans?
Though there has been engagement buzz about them in recent years, neither Usher nor Goicochea have confirmed the rumors.
While Goicochea has never been married, Usher has said “I do” twice before. Before his 2015 marriage to Miguel, he was married to stylist Tameka Foster from 2007 to 2009.
They’ve built a family together
Of course, there’s no ring needed to see how close Usher and his girlfriend are. They already share the ultimate bond in the form of their two children.
The couple welcomed a daughter, Sovereign Bo, on September 24, 2020 and a son, Sire Castrello, on September 29, 2021.