Modern Music Power Couples

Many can recount that old William Shakespeare quote from Twelfth Night, claiming “music be the food of love” – an art that can nourish the soul and amplify our emotions. It’s fitting then that we often hear of musical power couples, catching the public eye (and ear) with their romantic journeys, joined together in love songs as well as their own love stories. From Biggie and Faith Evans to Kurt Cobain and Courtney Love, or even further back to Sonny & Cher or Mick Jagger and Marianne Faithfull, there’s always been a fascination found among music lovers about the lovers within music. Today, Funktasy will take us through some of the modern-day music scene’s power couples – let’s see which lovebirds are singing in tune with each other today!

Beyonce & Jay-Z

If there were high school hip-hop power couples, these two would probably reign as the prom king and queen. Both titans in the music industry: her, one of the most praised, popular and powerful performers in modern history, and him, undeniable rap game royalty, a frequently favoured lyricist with a pen as sharp as his business mind.

From their early collaborations in the 2000s like “Bonnie & Clyde ‘03” and “Crazy In Love”, their chemistry wasn’t only in the studio – building together and marrying in 2008. Since then, they’ve raised three children, performed together both on the stage and in the studio, and cultivated a combined net worth of $3 billion.

Though they are famously private about their relationship, the couple may have had some turbulence (you might remember the infamous Solange elevator slap after Jay’s rumoured cheating). But even then, they parlayed their marital woes into two career highlight albums: Bey’s ‘Lemonade’ and Hov’s ‘4:44’, two conceptual, contemplative records that explored themes of love and infidelity, as well as social issues and the black experience. It seems perfectly on-brand for music’s highest-paid power couple to capitalize on their romantic controversy, making it into a memorable rollout for some of their most soul-searching music yet.

Nelly and Ashanti

This pairing will have 2000s fans reminiscing on their oversized jerseys or crop tops. Back when hip-hop and R&B were a little less moody and a little more fun, these two had some killer hits. Ashanti had bops like “Only U” and “Foolish”, and hot hooks on tracks like “What’s Luv?” by Fat Joe. And Nelly gave us some radio-rap gold with songs like “Dilemma”. Honestly, the hook for “Hot In Herre” has been so deeply engraved into the collective memory of music fans from the noughties that your whole family can probably still recite it without even knowing who it’s by.

As their romance has recently come back into the spotlight over the last few years, people might not know how far back it goes. The two artists met at the Grammys in 2003, started dating and kept a low-profile partnership for 10 years, unfortunately going their separate ways in 2013 due to “trust issues”.

But coming back just like the nostalgia for their catchy club bangers, the two have rekindled their relationship in the past couple of years, since reuniting onstage at Fat Joe and Ja Rule’s Versuz battle. By 2023, they confirmed they were back together and have since gotten engaged and welcomed a child into the world. Let’s all hope that this love stays strong – and if it ever needs to heal again, we’re sure Nelly has some band-aids left over from his old photoshoots.

Alicia Keys and Swizz Beatz

A strikingly creative couple who have proved their worth as exceptional artists, Alicia Keys and Swizz Beatz seem like a great match, even down to their music-related stage names. Alicia has shown her musicianship since the start of her career, with her classical piano training and soulful singing shining on classic tracks like “Fallin’” and “If I Ain’t Got You”. And Swizz has been behind countless bangers, producing tracks for the likes of DMX, Busta Rhymes and even our previously mentioned power couple Beyonce and Jay-Z.

“He’d usually pull up in some fancy car, rolling deep with his Bronx crew and shining with diamonds. I wanted nothing to do with that scene or with Swizz,” recounts Keys in her memoir.

When the two New York natives met on their local music scene in the 90s, it wasn’t love at first sight. Alicia recounts in her memoir that “He’d usually pull up in some fancy car, rolling deep with his Bronx crew and shining with diamonds. I wanted nothing to do with that scene or with Swizz.” But further down the line, the two reconnected and started dating in the late 2000s, tying the knot in 2010 and welcoming a baby boy into the world in the same year.

They aren’t as mysterious as some of the other power couples here. Their red carpet walks, media appearances, press interviews and musical collaborations all give a glimpse into the dynamic between the two talented hitmakers. Whether stepping out in style at the Met Gala, showing affection at The Grammys or posting sweet snaps of each other on social media, it seems these two composers are joined together in perfect harmony.

Rihanna and A$AP Rocky

Probably the ‘it’ power couple right now, Rihanna and Rocky’s relationship seems like a perfect pairing. Two stylish, innovative icons that brought a little edge to each of their genres. Rihanna, an R&B megastar and make-up mogul who’s reinvented herself with every release, and Rocky, an experimental trend-setter in hip-hop, known for his versatility as well as his visual aesthetics. Their shared wardrobe must be high-fashion heaven.

The two met around 2012, with A$AP featuring on Rihanna’s ‘Cockiness’ remix, which led to Rih Rihi featuring in the Harlem heroes “Fashion Killa” music video. The video feels like a glimpse into their future together – two fashion-savvy artists sharing a clear chemistry, flirting and joking while decking themselves out in designer wear. While each of them had other romances during the 2010s, they confirmed their own relationship in 2021, with Rocky calling Rih “the love of my life”.

They’re also alike in their patience for creativity. Rihanna’s taken a sabbatical from songwriting while she’s been building Fenty into a billion-dollar brand, and A$AP has been quiet on the music front while making forays into fashion and acting. We’re still waiting on the rumoured “R6” record, and it’s starting to feel like the title of Rocky’s next album, “DON’T BE DUMB”, is a direct joke on anyone believing its release dates. But they’ve brought three kids into the world, and above the fans, fashion or future music, it seems that family comes first for these two.

Jhene Aiko and Big Sean

With an on-and-off relationship that they’ve kept more private recently, we can still shout out to Big Sean and Jhené Aiko. Listening to the two artists’ music, you can sense an alignment in style and spirituality. Jhené’s dreamy, atmospheric, soul-bearing brand of R&B complements Big Sean’s radio-ready rap records, which dash in reflections of motivation, mental health and vulnerability alongside his sharp wordplay and punchlines.

Before they started dating, Jhené was in a long-term relationship/marriage with producer Dot Da Genius, while Sean had been romantically linked to Naya Rivera and Ariana Grande. But their friendship flourished into romance, with the couple making it official in 2016. They shared three years, separating amicably in 2019, with Jhené sharing that “Me and Sean are good. I’ve got tons of love for him.” They stayed close friends and collaborators, paying tribute to each other on social media and making public appearances together. Right after their separation, Sean even dropped perhaps the most “single” of all singles, titled “Single Again”, with Jhené on backing vocals – how’s that for a healthy break-up?

But in 2022, the pair announced they were expecting a child together, and their son was born later that year. They’ve still been pretty low-profile about their relationship, with Sean commenting on the possibility of marriage in an interview with Charlamagne Tha God: “I would like to, and I don’t like putting our personal business out there like that either, but there’s a lot of work that needs to be done.” Still, they’ve given us some pretty solid music together, including their TWENTY88 collaborative album. The project showed the spiritual spark and creativity between them, from airing dirty laundry on “Talk Show” to the sensual alt-R&B love shared on “2 Minute Warning”.

Mad Musical Couples

These musical power couples have caught the attention of fans worldwide, from their relationship stories to their rifts, recouplings, recordings and releases together. It’s interesting to see how these pairs complement each other – from the grandiose presence of Bey and Jay to the muso marriage of Alicia and Swizz Beatz, or the reflective romance between Sean and Jhené. It seems that these couples’ connections are strengthened by their shared passion for their art, from their first meetings in the industry and their similar styles to their various collaborations. Music helped them to find their muses – let’s hope that these duos carry their duet for as long as they can.