Earlier today (Feb. 15), PEOPLE published an exclusive interview with Usher, who opened up about his past relationship with TLC star Rozonda “Chilli” Thomas. “If I am to be honest, I was her No. 1 fan, and she was my superstar,” he said in reference to lyrics found on the Confessions single “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.'”

Usher and Chilli‘s highly publicized romance officially came to an end in 2004. “I was a young man and she had very specific rules that didn’t work for me,” he explained to the publication. “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.”

He continued, “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. I hurt her, too.” He then stated that the situation “broke my heart.” “I really did love that girl,” the singer added. “I did everything that I thought you would’ve wanted me to do, but I guess my good wasn’t great enough.”

As REVOLT previously reported, Chilli was equally candid about her feelings for Usher during that time. “We definitely had some chemistry. But working chemistry does not mean it works in your personal life,” she expressed to PEOPLE back in June 2023. “If we were working, it was great. But outside of that, we’re so different. It looked great, but in real life… He knew he had to be a certain way with me, and he couldn’t.”