Singer Usher files for divorce

Usher filed for divorce from Tameka Friday in Superior Court in Atlanta, less than two years after their wedding at a Georgia resort, AP reported, citing court records.

The first hearing on the matter is set for July 15, according to the court papers.

Separation much written about in tabloids
The 30-year-old Grammy-winning artist and Tameka, who got married in August 2007, have been leading separate lives for months, according to a People.com news.

A source told People that Usher has often been away from home, recording his next record in Las Vegas. "He's done his best to keep Tameka away," said the source.

The magazine quoted another source as saying that Tameka has been focusing on keeping her family happy. The couple has two sons together, Usher Raymond V, 18 months, and Naviyd, 6 months. Tameka has three children from a previous marriage too.

"Usher's primary concern is for his children. He is a great father and just wants to do what is right for them," another tabloid, the Sun, quoted a source close to the couple as saying.

In related news, Tameka was spotted at a screening of Eddie Murphy's new movie, Imagine That, in Atlanta the night before Usher filed for divorce. She attended the event with her elder son from Usher and two of her sons from her first husband.

Usher and his wife of less than two years
Born Usher Raymond IV in Dallas, Texas, on Oct. 14, 1978, Usher rose from genuine teen idol to mature pop star. He has sold around 30 million albums worldwide with hits like "Confessions," "Burn," "You Make Me Wanna" and "Yeah!"

Usher rose to fame in the mid-late 1990s. In late 1997, Usher received his first Grammy Award nomination as “Best Male R&B Vocal Performance” for "You Make Me Wanna", which was also nominated for a Soul Train Music Award as ‘Best Male R&B/Soul Single’.

In February 2002, he won a Grammy for ‘Best Male R&B Vocal Performance’ for “U Remind Me”. The next year, he won the same award for “U Don't Have to Call”, making him the only artist aside from Luther Vandross (more than a decade before) and Stevie Wonder (in the 1970s) to win this award consecutively.

Wardrobe stylist Tameka Foster has 3 kids, and she had divorced Noontime Music co-founder Ryan Glover to marry Usher. After hiding their relationship for several months, the news of their engagement came into light in February 2007 when Usher was at the NAACP Theater Image Awards in Beverly Hills. At the time, on-stage to accept his Spirit Award, he thanked Foster, referring to her as his "fiancée".

Usher and Tameka, who is 8 years older than him and was once his stylist, tied the knot twice in 2007, first in a small, private civil ceremony in August at the groom's lawyer's office, and then a month later in front of about 200 guests at the Chateau Elan Winery & Resort in Atlanta.