Background of the Meeting
Grimes, born Claire Elise Boucher, is a Canadian singer, songwriter and music producer. She has achieved critical and commercial success with her experimental music and has received several accolades such as an Oscar nomination and a Grammy Award nomination. Elon Musk is the founder of Tesla, a leading technology company, and an important figure in the tech world. He is an investor, engineer and philanthropist. He has also been well-known for his support of different causes such as renewable energy and space exploration. On May 7th, 2018, Grimes and Musk first met at the red carpet ceremony of the Met Gala in New York City.
References to Each Other
Prior to the Met Gala, both Grimes and Elon Musk referenced each other on social media. Grimes posted on Twitter that “OMG it’s Elon Musk” after a fan asked her to name her nomination for ‘world’s most influential person’ in a previous tweet. Musk replied in a humorous way saying “Cool collar”.
Just a few days before the Met Gala, Musk made another reference to Grimes on his Instagram. He posted a Tesla advertisement captioned “s3xy hal 9000” referring to Grimes’ music video for her song Venus Fly in which she appears as a character called “Hal 9000”. Both Grimes and Musk were aware of this reference and both re-tweeted the advertisement.
Meeting at the Met Gala
The glamorous evening of the Met Gala was the place for their showdown. It became evident that the two of them were fans of each other’s work and wanted to meet in person. On the day of the gala, Grimes posted a tweet saying “I shall meet my tech overlord tonight” confirming the rumour in the air. Elon Musk showed up with his then-girlfriend, actress Amber Heard.
Their interactions at the Met Gala included a few touchy conversation topics as shared by Grimes herself. She revealed that Elon Musk had requested her to write a song about a “talking robotic exoskeleton”, to which she gave the title ‘Skynet’. Elon Musk joked that the song would be used to kidnap people. Later on, Musk, Grimes, and Heard all posed for a picture together on the red carpet of the Met Gala.
Growth of Their Relationship
At first, the relationship between the two was just platonic, a mutual admiration for each other’s work. But as the days passed, that started to change as seen in Grimes’ tweet about having a fling for three weeks. It’s unclear if the two were officially in a relationship or not, as both were very tight-lipped about it.
In late August 2018, it was reported that Grimes and Elon Musk were dating officially. On one of the couple’s first dates, Musk took Grimes on a tour of his California estate where they stopped and fed the wild kangaroos living in the area.
The couple even made a joint appearance together in February 2019 at the Bulgari x We_Hub event in Rome, where Grimes hosted a party, and Musk was the special guest. By then, the couple was already engaged and announced the news at the event. The two also walked the red carpet looking very sophisticated and in love.
Confirmation of Their Relationship
The two stayed silent about the details of their relationship until later in 2019, when the two opened up regarding their engagement and how long they had been together. Grimes admitted that the two had been together for a long time and Musk’s response seemed to suggest that he was not fazed about the situation. In a 2019 interview, Musk confirmed it saying “We’ve been together for roughly a year and a half”.
The two were unusually open about the details of their relationship in the media and on social media. Grimes reportedly changed her profile picture to a selfie with Elon Musk. In the same month, they both got tattoos inspired by the ancient Sumerian god of wisdom, Enki, and even went to a theme park together with their friends and fellow singer, Azealia Banks.
Conclusion of their Relationship
The relationship between Grimes and Elon Musk had sparked the attention of fans, who were closely following the couple’s story. However, the romance was short-lived and in March 2020, the couple announced their split. Later Grimes revealed that the relationship ended amicably, as they both believed that the intensity of their romance was slightly too much: “Very intense and surreal, but when it ended it was really great. Felt really good for both of us”.
It was reported that their relationship ended due to their conflicting lifestyles, both having different views on life. Despite the end of their romance, both Grimes and Elon Musk remain supportive of each other.
Life After the Relationship
Despite the end of their romantic relationship, life continued as normal for both Grimes and Elon Musk. In May 2020, Grimes released her new album ‘Miss Anthropocene’, which ended up as one of her most successful releases. Meanwhile, Elon Musk was named the fourth wealthiest man in the world in March 2020.
Just a few months later, Grimes and Elon Musk announced the birth of their son on the 5th of May 2020, with Grimes taking the lead in selecting the baby’s name: X Æ A-12. Since then, both parents have shared their delight on social media. Elon Musk said “Never thought I’d be excited to be a parent but it’s really awesome” on a Saturday Night Live episode.
Present Day
Today, Grimes and Elon Musk continue to share custody of their son, making sure to balance each other’s schedules. Recently, Elon Musk took to Twitter and confirmed that he was still supportive of Grimes and her career ambitions. He also revealed that they had been in contact since the birth of their son.
Both Grimes and Elon Musk have remained active in their respective careers. Elon Musk has continued to show support for other projects, while Grimes has recently confirmed her plans to release a few new songs in early 2021.
Mutual Respect
Although their romantic relationship has come to an end, the two remain on good terms with each other. In an interview, Grimes commented on the mutual respect that exists between the two. She said: “I think it’s really special because of both of us being in the public eye and I think it’s nice to have a good relationship with that”.
Grimes and Elon Musk have both maintained their admiration for each other, although not publicly. Musk himself has said that despite the end of their romantic relationship, the two remain good friends and he is proud of her art and her immense success.
Engagements After the Relationship
Since Grimes and Elon Musk split up, they have both continued on to pursue different relationships. Shortly after the split, Grimes announced her engagement to artist, Xavier Dirke, with whom she had been good friends for years before the engagement. On the other hand, Elon Musk quickly moved on and started dating musician, Grimes’ fellow Canadian and the singer of one of her most popular songs ‘Flesh’.
The relationship between Grimes and Xavier Dirke ended in October 2020. Although the reason is unclear, multiple media sources have reported that it happened due to personal issues. However, Grimes and Dirke have remained in contact, as they co-produce music together.
Elon Musk on the other hand is still in a relationship with Grimes’ fellow Canadian. The two continue to enjoy each other’s company and can be seen frequently in public events and media appearances.
Grimes and Elon Musk’s Impact
Though the romance between Grimes and Elon Musk might have ended, the two will likely continue to remain in the public eye. Grimes continues to make her art and her success has been inspirational to the younger generations. As for Elon Musk, the news of his relationship with Grimes has brought more attention to his companies, especially Tesla.
The impact that the two have made on the public is remarkable, both leaders in their fields. Millions of people follow them for their art and their innovations and it is… difficult to ignore the attention that comes with being in the public eye.
