Though they're one the most adorable couples in the music industry, Big Sean and Jhené Aiko's relationship has been one of the most curious because of the circumstances surrounding their courtship. While the two have been friends for several years, the story of how Big Sean and Jhené Aiko met is actually kind of confusing.
Though she would not directly address how they got acquainted, Aiko, who, according to E!, recently finalized her divorce from music producer Dot Da Genius in Oct. 2017 after two years of marriage, did reveal to Billboard in Sept. 2017 that Big Sean is the love of her life. Stressing that she and Big Sean — whose real name is Sean Anderson — started off as just friends, the 29-year-old Souled Out singer explained:
"When I met Sean, if you looked in the dictionary for Jhené Aiko, it would be a picture of Sean. Basically, he is my type, but he knows. That's why when I was 16, I had a lot of boyfriends that were like, that fit, that look. I was dating people who I wasn't attracted to right off the top or whatever. So I ended up not having a type. But then when I met Sean, I had a boyfriend and he was showing interest in me, but I was like, I have a boyfriend. But we were friends, it was never, nothing disrespectful ever happened between me and Sean."
As many may know, both Anderson and Aiko have been involved in separate and very public relationships in recent years — something which has left fans scratching their heads about exactly when and how the pair got together in the first place.
Anderson, who was involved in highly publicized romance with pop singer Ariana Grande until April 2015, was also at the center of a nasty split from then-fiancée, actor Naya Rivera, just a year prior in 2014. Meanwhile, Aiko's marriage officially ended late last year.
Prior to going public as a couple, Anderson and Aiko joined forces in 2016 to form the group Twenty88. The musical duo released an album also entitled TWENTY88, which a press release from Def Jam referred to as "the story of the highs and lows of a relationship, with insights into conflict, memories, love, sex, and more," according to MTV.
In her interview with Billboard, Aiko revealed exactly how she and Big Sean's friendship would eventually blossom into a full blown romance:
"Obviously we worked together as well throughout our relationship. We did songs together. And then it just came to a point where it was like, 'I'm single, you're single, we love each other.' We actually already loved each other as people and then it was like, "Okay, let's just, you know, be together." So it was different because of that friendship. That comes first, we're friends before anything. We can bicker like a friendship."
Though no timeline of their actual meeting was shared, Aiko revealed that, despite each being involved in separate relationships, her friendship with Anderson dates back to the death of her brother Miyagi, who passed away from cancer in 2012.
She explained:
"We were forced to really, really get to know each other on a friendship level, you know what I mean? And to the point where he was even at my brother's funeral. We talk to each other on a friendship level throughout all of my relationships, just like, 'How is this one thing, how are you doing?'"
Although she's been private about her personal life in the past, Aiko seems to be more open than ever when discussing her relationship with Anderson. "I have a big family. The friends that I have become family. I don't have a bunch of friends. I literally have like two friends outside of my blood relatives. Everyone else that I call a friend is literally related to me by blood," she explained. "So Sean has become my family. I don't know what the future holds, but as far as my life goes right now, yeah, he's 'L-O-M-L.'" (For the uninitiated, the initials stand for "Love of My Life.")
So, yes, it's safe to say that Big Sean and Aiko are well on their way to becoming one of the music industry's most successful power couples.
