Usher may have been born to take the music industry by storm, but according to the singer himself, he was put on this earth to be a dad. While opening up on Oprah’s Next Chapter, the R&B superstar dismisses claims made by ex-wife Tameka Foster that he’s an “absentee” father, and insists that his children are the number one priority in his life.

“Absentee from the aspect of having to go and work, that probably would be her version or idea of what absentee would be. But no, I’m not an absentee father at all,” said Usher. “I was born to do what I’m doing as a dad. I realised that once I had a child. When I had them, that’s when they became a priority.”

After being entangled in a bitter court battle, Usher gained custody of the two kids that he shares with Tameka. But don’t expect these exes to reconcile anytime soon! According to the “Scream” singer, he and his former wife aren’t exactly on the same page.

“We don’t see eye-to-eye. The friend that I was to Tameka, I don’t know that I could ever be again, because I really felt like we were friends. She made us enemies in a way that I could never have understood. It wasn’t until I was on the stand, where I cried, that I realised, ‘Oh this is an attack.’ “

Photos by Daniel Deme/WENN