By Nekesa Mumbi Moody
The Associated Press

Confessions may be good for the soul, but they've been even better for Usher's career.

Though he's been an R&B star since he was a teen, racking up millions in album sales, it took this year's steamy Confessions album - in which the 25-year-old croons about broken relationships, adulterous affairs and sexy interludes - to make Usher ubiquitous.

The album has sold more than 5 million copies in five months. He's had unavoidable smash hits with the songs "Yeah!," "Burn" and "Confessions, Pt. II." Your chance to hear the songs live is Tuesday when Usher comes to U.S. Bank Arena with rapper Kanye West.

Yet he's still not done. He plans to re-release Confessions later this year with new material, and he has also agreed to star in a yet-untitled MTV film.

Q: What's been the biggest change in your life since your huge success this year?

A: It's the longest that I've been single, I'll tell you that.

Are you looking for someone to lock you down?

My grandmother always told me don't look. (But) If I could find a woman who would want to lock me down, if she was serious, and she knew how to get me, take care of me, I'd let her take care of me, man. Every man want a woman that could hold them down. She's gotta have a whole lot of qualifications.

What kind of qualifications does a woman need to get Usher?

IF YOU GO

What: Usher with Kanye West When: 8 p.m. TuesdayWhere: U.S. Bank Arena, 100 Broadway St., downtown Admission: $54.30 and $67.65; call Ticketmaster at 562-4949 or go to www.ticketmaster.com Information: www.usbankarena.com

She has to be able to take a lot dealing with me, she has to withstand a lot. I'm not easy. I'll just put it this way: It would just be better to be my friend starting off, make sure you get your feet wet first before you go diving all the way into the deep end. I can be something else, but I can also be really good, too. I'm a good guy. Everybody has two personalities, you know.

Have people come up to you and said, "I broke up with someone after hearing 'Burn?' "

I've heard it both ways, I've heard people say, "You know what? As a result of your album, our relationship is stronger." I've heard some people say, "I'm going through this right now."

This album created a lot of rumors about whether you were a cheater, a baby daddy ... was that frustrating for you?

Nah, not at all. As long as it was selling records, that's good (laughs). It helped sell more records. It's a world of tragedy, and no one is a stranger to it. So when I write these songs, or when I sang these songs, I think it aided, or gave a sense of a relief for people who were going through it. ... I think like a director or a writer.

There are plans to re-release "Confessions" later this year. Why?

There are just so many songs, if you turn on the radio, there are so many leaked records right now, and I feel like people want that. And if you have still honest people out there who don't download, I want to make those records available for them. And there are some versions that are featuring other artists, like Alicia Keys. I've done so many records. I'm repackaging it with a few new songs that hopefully you haven't heard.

Is there anyone's career you'd wanna have?

If you could put the career of Will Smith, Sean "Puffy" Combs, (Island/Def Jam President) L.A. Reid, and Michael Jackson all in one, there you have it. Those are some big shoes to fill, but I've got big feet.