Chilli and Usher were one of the music power couples of the noughties and when they split, fans couldn’t help but wonder whether the TLC star was the inspiration behind Confessions.

Rozonda “Chilli” Thomas is one third of TLC, one of the most popular music acts and biggest-selling girl groups of the 1990s. Chilli and Tionne “T-Boz” Watkins continue performing together as TLC however the group’s rapper, Lisa “Left Eye” Lopes, passed away in April 2002 at the age of 30.

This month, Chilli is opening up on her life with TLC and in the spotlight. The singer is to feature in Lifetime’s documentary, TLC Forever. The documentary premieres on Saturday, June 3.

A look back over Chilli and Usher’s relationship

Chilli and Usher, full name Usher Raymond IV, met in 1993 but wouldn’t start dating for another eight years. The R&B celebrities dated from 2001 to 2004. At this point, both artists had established music careers, breaking out in the 1990s. Usher released his very-first album in 1994, two years after TLC’s first album debuted.

They were frequently spotted at awards ceremonies together, such as the Grammys and the BET Awards, and their chemistry was palpable in the music videos for U Remind Me and U Got It Bad.

The pair eventually split in 2004 but engaged in an on-off relationship over the years. “I love hard,” Chilli told PEOPLE ahead of the documentary release. “I was like, ‘God, why can’t I get over this?’ He couldn’t either.” 

No, Confessions is not about Chilli

Despite what you might be led to believe about the timing of Confessions’ release, the album is not about Chilli. Usher’s fourth studio album was released in March 2004, around the time Chilli and the singer had parted ways. This led to widespread rumors that the TLC singer had inspired the project. But this couldn’t be further from the truth.

Explaining to PEOPLE, Chilli revealed she “was with him at the studio that whole time” they were making the album. This dispels any notion that she was the inspiration behind the breakup album.

In fact, Chilli has been dispelling this notion for years. A decade ago, Chilli explained that the tales of infidelity and fathering a child with a mistress were all taken from Jermaine Dupri’s life, the album’s lead producer. Chilli also confirmed that there was no cheating involved in her breakup with Usher.

Chilli found love with Matthew Lawrence after Usher

Although fans of the R&B stars always hoped that Chilli and Usher would reconcile, the couple have parted ways for good. Chilli has since found love with Matthew Lawrence, 43, the former Boy Meets World star.

Chilli explained that she “stopped dating” in 2019 to focus on herself. “Because before that I thought if I met the right guy during that time that I wasn’t over [Usher] it wouldn’t work. I would never want to straddle the fence.” They cut off contact that year which gave Chilli time to heal.

Post-Usher, Chilli has found love with former child star Matthew. “He wants to be the best guy he can be and who God wants him to be,” she says. “God-willing one day we’ll get married.”

Watch TLC Forever on Lifetime from Saturday, June 3