R+b star Amerie is banned from having a boyfriend - as her mother "doesn't understand the concept of dating".

The 1 Thing singer admits her mom's traditional Korean values mean any potential partners are off limits - only 'close' male friends are acknowledged, and not romantic relationships with the opposite sex.

She says, "My mom is very traditional, and she didn't understand the concept of dating. She didn't understand why I'd ever want to call someone a boyfriend. It was a bad word in our house."

"We were just supposed to call them friends. If I had a boyfriend now, my mom would still only call him my close friend."