Paula Patton Recounts Singing On Usher's "Confessions" Album Thanks To Robin Thicke

BY Erika Marie 12.9K Views
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Paula Patton
It was before she even booked an acting job.

It was way back in 1991 when a 16-year-old Paula Patton met a 14-year-old Robin Thicke at an underaged dance club. The pair hit it off, but they didn't officially begin to date until years later. The budding artists were intimately woven into each other's personal and professional lives, and then in 2005 the two finally tied the knot. 

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Robin and Paul seemed as if they were an eternal match made in heaven, but in 2014 they decided to split after being together for 21 years. With such a long history together, there are plenty of memories that they share of one another, one of which was how Robin was responsible for helping Paula sing alongside Usher. 

On a forthcoming episode of TV One's UNCENSORED that airs on Sunday, Paula told the story of how her vocals ended up on Usher's classic 2004 album, Confessions. "While I was pursuing my acting career before I had actually booked a job, I was living with my boyfriend at the time who became my husband, Robin Thicke, and there was a lot of music in the house, which was amazing," Pauls said." So, I got to be apart of a lot of the music being made. One of them was Usher."

"Rob was working on his Confessions album. They just needed a female voice and I was handy and I was available. I sang on 'Can You Handle It,'" she said with a laugh. "But I definitely, the music industry did play a huge part—I mean, certainly [in] my social life—and it was another creative outlet that I loved. I mean, it was really great to be in a home where there was music coming out of the back bedroom that was a studio. I joke that I could have been doing A&R at some point. I certainly was hands-on with Robin with that, the element of that. And I loved it." Watch her clip below.


About The Author
Since 2019, Erika Marie has worked as a journalist for HotNewHipHop, covering music, film, television, art, fashion, politics, and all things regarding entertainment. With 20 years in the industry under her belt, Erika Marie moved from a writer on the graveyard shift at HNHH to becoming a Features Editor, highlighting long-form content and interviews with some of Hip Hop’s biggest stars. She has had the pleasure of sitting down with artists and personalities like DJ Jazzy Jeff, Salt ’N Pepa, Nick Cannon, Rah Digga, Rakim, Rapsody, Ari Lennox, Jacquees, Roxanne Shante, Yo-Yo, Sean Paul, Raven Symoné, Queen Naija, Ryan Destiny, DreamDoll, DaniLeigh, Sean Kingston, Reginae Carter, Jason Lee, Kamaiyah, Rome Flynn, Zonnique, Fantasia, and Just Blaze—just to name a few. In addition to one-on-one chats with influential public figures, Erika Marie also covers content connected to the culture. She’s attended and covered the BET Awards as well as private listening parties, the Rolling Loud festival, and other events that emphasize established and rising talents. Detroit-born and Long Beach (CA)-raised, Erika Marie has eclectic music taste that often helps direct the interests she focuses on here at HNHH. She finds it necessary to report on cultural conversations with respect and honor those on the mic and the hardworking teams that help get them there. Moreover, as an advocate for women, Erika Marie pays particular attention to the impact of femcees. She sits down with rising rappers for HNHH—like Big Jade, Kali, Rubi Rose, Armani Caesar, Amy Luciani, and Omerettà—to gain their perspectives on a fast-paced industry.