Usher is proud he has been a "man of integrity" throughout his custody battle.
The singer and his ex-wife Tameka Foster have been embroiled in a bitter fight over their children Usher V, four, and three-year-old Naviyd. Usher has been awarded primary custody of the boys and opened up about what happened during an interview with Oprah Winfrey.
"This will be the only time that I've ever chosen to speak about it. I've been a man of integrity throughout the entire process, which I hope my boys will understand," he said on the show, which was aired in the US last night.
Usher and Tameka had planned to wed in July 2007, but called the ceremony off at the last minute. It was widely reported that the musician's mother Jonetta had refused to attend, but the pair tied the knot the following month.
"I wanted to give her the wedding that she wanted. But I wasn't quite ready," Usher explained. "I impregnated this woman, we were in a relationship, we were in love I was taking responsibility.
"When we had Usher V, it was by far the most incredible moment of my life. I couldn't have been more happy. After that, I did get a great sense of the insecurities that were there and the fact that she wasn't coping well with being in this position, being married to Usher, and all that came with that."
Usher, 33, explained the relationship was beset with issues. Not everyone approved of it and the pair also didn't communicate well.
"I didn't want to get to the point where I would cause myself harm or do anything that I felt like would be harmful to me, so I couldn't stay in it," he explained.
The pair tried counselling, but it didn't help. In the end Usher filed to end their relationship in June 2009, sparking the battle over the children.
In court, Tameka accused her ex-husband of being unfaithful and of not being around enough. He maintains he only travels because of work and always puts his sons first.
Usher is proud of the way he handed the court case but remains upset that the relationship disintegrated to such an extent.
"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 understand. It wasn't until I was on the stand, where I cried, when I realised, 'Oh, this is an attack," he said.