Chloe Bailey’s new man

Just ahead of Valentine’s Day, new couple alert! Chloe Bailey and Burna Boy. Though he was previously in a pretty public relationship with musician Stefflon Don, and famously gifted her a Rolls Royce, for Chloe, this is really the first time we’re seeing her actively pack on the PDA to this extent despite being linked to a few guys in the past. 

Rumours about Chloe and Burna Boy started swirling back in December, when photos of them hanging out in Lagos started to surface. Fans couldn’t quite figure out whether it was platonic or romantic, and her vague responses to being asked about the potential romance on The Breakfast Club didn’t help much.

“Well, I’m a grown woman…and he’s a grown man, just like I’m a grown woman. I had a great time in Nigeria,” she said during the interview. 

Two months later, though, and here we are. Pictures of them kissing in restaurants, spending quality time together in his home country and speculation that she’s told him she loves him have all prompted fan reactions. 

All of this is a far cry from what we’ve heard from Chloe about her dating life in the past. Having been homeschooled for most of her life, she’s admitted to being very green when it comes to men and dating, which she spoke candidly about in a cover story for Allure in the summer of 2022.

In the story, written just a few years after alleged romances with rapper Gunna, soccer player Memphis Depay and allegedly Diggy Simmons, who co-starred in Grownish with her, Chloe says that only in recent years has she started "getting into that world and learning the ways of men."

And despite her sexy music videos and past social media posts, which have been just a bit cringey at times, which I wrote more about here, she insists that it’s a persona, rather than a reflection of who she is at her core:

"I present myself in my music videos as this really sensual girl, but when it comes to love and relationships, that's not how I am. But that's what guys think of me sometimes. So, I've been pretty protective of my heart and figuring out guys' true intentions."

In that cover story, she also opened up about the kind of guy she was looking for.  

"If their heart is made of gold, I'm so in…I just want them to appreciate my nerdy side, my work ethic, and be my best friend,” she said, adding that her partner has “to be someone who's really intellectual because that's sexy."

Chloe has the right to ask for the world, but fans don’t think that that’s what’s happening. 

The concern is over whether Burna Boy is a good fit for her (read: loyal). But a lot of those concerns seem to stem from stereotypes about African men – and Nigerian men in particular – that they are, at their core, lotharios. For others, though, perhaps it’s not so much concern as it is jealousy. Stefflon Don, the receiver of that Rolls Royce I mentioned? She unfollowed Chloe after footage of her and Burns Boy surfaced, which is certainly understandable. But in recent weeks, Stefflon Don re-released footage of her receiving the Rolls Royce as a gift. That? Not so understandable. And messy.

I wrote about how long it took me to come around to liking and admiring the Bailey sisters. And with Halle having a baby and her life going in a completely different direction than Chloe’s, Chloe is possibly seeing, firsthand, the importance of exploring and having fun while you’re young and childfree. So whether her relationship with Burna Boy is just that, or something with a bit more potential and longevity, I hope she knows that outside of the jealousy of some, she’s got a whole lot of women viciously rooting for her to have the best time ever with one of the yummiest musicians on the planet. 

What are your thoughts on this new relationship? Let us know at The Squawk! (App link here)