Usher ready for Rihanna duet

Usher wants to do a duet with Rihanna.

The 'OMG' singer said he has been close to the 'Only Girl (In The World)' hitmaker for some time and would love for them to make a track together.

He told UK TV's 'Loose Women' programme: "Of course I'd do a track with her - hold on! We've been friends and our teams work together and we've talked about working together in the past, but it could potentially happen.

"I would love to work with her - I think she's an incredible artist."

Rihanna has recently proved controversial with her sexy video for single 'S&M', and her raunchy performances at the BRIT awards in the UK and at last weekend's NBA All-Star game in Los Angeles.

The singer wore a crystal-covered basque, fringed hotpants and fishnet stockings to perform a medley of her hits, reportedly shocking some of the crowd when she grabbed her crotch area.

Usher defended her, saying: "Artistic direction is just that, you know, and obviously subjective. "Everyone has their opinion and it's a family show.

"I think she is a responsible young lady and maybe the song represented the attitude of, you know, think about it like this- how long have guys been grabbing their crotches?"