R&B superstar and Red Stripe Star Performer Usher, ahead of taking the Reggae Sumfest stage (followed by an exclusive Usher party) on Saturday night, shares ‘notes’ on the industry, his style influencers and women with Tatler. Enjoy!

You’ve worked with many recording artistes. Which musician or choreographer, past or present did you enjoy working with?

It’s always a real pleasure to work with Will.i.am because he is so open-minded and I feel like he really understands how to capture the culture of the moment.

Your sound and the themes in your music have changed over the years. What has stayed the same?

Classic music lives on forever, is the one thing that resonates with me in every album that I make. When I was younger and I’d hear Stevie Wonder or I’d hear a song that I’d never heard by Donny Hathaway or a song that Miles Davis had done… it was kind of like a real special piece. It hits me like it was my first time ever hearing it when I heard it, although my parents and friends or whoever was playing it for me, they had heard it before, but that’s the magic with music… That it lasts forever.

After being in the music industry for so long how do you stay driven and inspired?

The inspiration for my music is lifestyle, you know, you go through something and get to something. To be able to share that experience with my fans, hopefully it’ll touch you in the way that it did me, you know, enough to be compelled to even write about it.

Of all of your hit singles, which is your favourite to perform? To sing in the shower? To set the mood?

Off the new record, one of my favourite tracks, because it’s unexpected is There Goes My Baby I love this track, when I hear it, you know, it’s like a power ballad. It reminds me of something out of the ’80s, just like an ultimate power ballad.

Advice to other artistes?

Stay humble.

How do you relax?

I really don’t get time to rest or relax, but I try to sleep on the plane.

What’s your ideal date?

It would be pretty simple and calm – dinner, then probably drinks at the bar, definitely some dancing. I’d watch her dance!

What do you enjoy most about a woman?

I love a woman’s curves, her shape, particularly nude. I really do enjoy that. And you should know I’m a fan of lingerie, I mean more than most men, Jimmy Choo boss, Tamara Mellon is a friend of mine and I keep telling her we have to do something cool together, like design a lingerie line through Jimmy Choo. My ideal woman would be naked under a trench coat except for some Cosabella underwear and Jimmy Choo shoes. You may have heard that I might be launching a lingerie line for men and women. Comfort and intimacy are very important.

You’re ready for global domination. You’re already a superstar, a composer, a producer, actor, and philanthropist and most recently a fragrance designer. You have released two limited edition signature fragrances, UR for men and UR for women. Tell us about that.

Similar to my latest album, I wanted a fragrance that really evokes who I am and how I’ve evolved. I’ve had lots of emotional changes in my life with my marriage, a new baby and the passing of my father. Since I launched Usher He and Usher She, my life has really developed and I wanted to do something special for my fans that really showed the evolution of Usher. There’s always a story behind what I create. These fragrances transcend and bring together all my worlds – my art, my music and my passions.

Many celebs also pair their fragrances with clothing lines, why didn’t you go that route?

I’m building a lifestyle brand and I’m not rushing to do clothes. I feel like I’m speaking to my customers now with the fragrances, and in this economy and with my style and attention to detail, my clothes won’t come cheap. It’s not the right time.

You’ve toured the world, seen lots of things, what kind of traveller are you?

I always go out and embrace where I am – I don’t stay locked up in a hotel room. I am an eclectic spectator.

The girls on The Rock want to know, are you in a relationship?

I just got out of a two-year marriage, so I’m not interested in a relationship (Usher has two young sons from his marriage to Tameka Foster, which ended in June 2009). I’m instead just keeping myself busy in the studio.

Who or what inspires your style?

David Beckham. He is one of the guys that have always been recognised for his unique style. I put him in my League of Extraordinary Gentlemen. He has a great demeanour about him and it speaks through his clothes as well as his choice of jewellery. He is the smartest gentleman to me. Michael Jackson also inspired my style.

(Dapper suits or rockstar denim, it’s undeniable that Usher has superstar style. His is a street-meets-couture look, he is mostly known for his great voice, body and his style of clothing. Every woman would love to see this on a man. Usher’s usual get-up is simply a fancy stripe polo shirt, a fitted hat and a white or black blazer to top off the outfit. This is now in style today, a lot of men love the Usher style, and so do the ladies that like in on the men.)

You’re mother Jonetta, for a number of years, was your ‘mumager’, how did that keep you grounded?

I would not be who I am, what I am, without her.

And what are your thoughts on being a father?

They make me want to get up and live, you know. I have a purpose that is greater than just, you know, amassing wealth and being recognised, you know. This is, this is real, real life now.

What’s your philosophy on life?

Life is an evolution. So as I look at the reality of who I’ve become, I’m very happy, you know, but at the same time I’m, I’m humbled in every way every day.