Previously Polyamorous Jidenna Talks His Current Relationship

“Classic Man” Jidenna is in a more traditional relationship after previously exploring polygamy. “The women I was dating, I stopped. I closed all those doors,” he recently revealed.

Source: Gregg DeGuire / Getty

Earlier this week, the artist chatted with Ebro Darden on Apple Music 1 about his latest album “Me You & God” and about how he’s navigating the gray space between monogamy and polyamory in his relationship.

The always-honest rapper/singer has been vocal about his preference for polyamorous relationships for years and said that his current relationship began that way, but quickly evolved.

Jidenna shared that his current love initially had two boyfriends when they first met and he was unbothered by it.

“We both came from non-monogamous situations,” Jidenna told Ebro. “I met her, she had basically had two boyfriends and she was in love with them both. And she told me the second day, after we was dancing to Marvin Gaye at sunset, I was like, “Damn! I might love her.”

This revelation would have been a deal breaker for most men but the “Chief Don’t Run” singer was captivated and at peace knowing his new flame wouldn’t be insecure about his polygamous status.

“I’m with it because I’ve met my match,” said Jidenna. “Usually I’m used to saying, “Hey, I’m coming off a relationship. I had two girlfriends.” And a lot of women were very terrified by that. “Oh, you think you a pimp. You just a sophisticated pimp. That’s this polyamorous word.” But meeting her, I knew that she had already had a similar experience,” he shared.

The Wondaland artist added,

“…man, we built long enough, those relationships kind of went their way. The women I was dating, I stopped. I closed all those doors. So now it’s just us. Is it monogamy or is it monogamous? Maybe you can call it that. But I just know we are in this stage…We in a foundation building stage. That’s all I care about.”

Jidenna also explained that poly relationships aren’t usually what people perceive them to be and they are often navigated improperly by participants.

“People think polyamory is automatically open off rip. Nah, man. Like build with one person. People be trying to add on too quick. They be thirsty. I ain’t thirsty. I want to build for, it could be years, who knows. And we may not open up ever. I reserve that right. Or it may be in 10 years, or it may be in a year.”

Source: JC Olivera / Getty

The Renaissance man says being a role model for alternative forms of masculinity is a part of his purpose and it’s important for men to know it’s a long history of men experimenting with fashions that are traditionally reserved for women.

“You talk about legacy. I believe that part of my legacy is to show specifically cis heterosexual men that there are other ways to be a man. There are other ways to be masculine. And those other ways are not all new. They’re ancient. Look at other pictures or history books of how men presented themselves, what they were able to talk about. It was different over time.”

“And it’s not like we are the first generation to have fluid gender people. We’re not the first generation to have men wearing skirts at the Met Gala. You know what I mean? Actually, skirts are all over the world, bro. The pants, the trousers most of us wear as men was a small sector of society. Most people had the long tunics, different Polynesians, even all the way up to Scotland. My mother’s side is the UK. So I just want to share with people, especially young boys out there, that there’s different ways to be different archetypes that you could follow to be a man.”

Jidenna also said that he took his “mask” off for his forthcoming album and felt it was imperative to reinvent himself, although he questioned his decision.

“I didn’t want to just offer music that people expected. I’m a little bit of a rebel like that, for better or worse. It’s maybe a terrible move, you know what I’m saying? Musically, it’s amazing.”

Jidenna made his new project, “Me You & God”, while he lived on a ranch during the pandemic and shared he and his girl fell in love like “little kids” during that period. The entertainer claims his new love helped him “finish the album” and recalled a romantic moment shared on an LA beach.

“I was looking for somebody, something, some reinvention, some purpose, some passion. And thank God, man, I found her on a beach in LA and once we met, it was a wrap, bro. We held hands the first time we met like little kids, bro, when you walking and then your hands kind of brush up? You’re like, “Oh, am I about to hold?” Ooh. I had that feeling”,  he reminisced.

He continued,

“There was a bonfire. Luckily, like man, some people don’t ever have that feeling, but I’ve had that a few times. My brother told me, “You fall in love three times and that’s it. So make sure the third time’s a charm.” And this is my third time. So yeah, man, she helped me finish the album. I started the album with a certain intention, but I came out on the other side. So the album takes me and I hope the listener, through a journey of starting in that f— boy adjacent stage.”

It seems like love and career are aligning for Jidenna and if you’re a fan of the eclectic artist, you can grab a copy of his latest album.