Photo: DFree / Shutterstock / YouTube
What a talented couple!
By Alice Kelly — Written on Jul 27, 2021
Lil Nas X put on a romantic gesture for his secret boyfriend, and thanks to some internet sleuthing, we may know exactly who the lucky man is.
The Grammy winner has been staging a Black, queer revolution since the earliest days of his career and, as an out and proud gay man, it’s no wonder relationship rumors have started to swirl.
When Lil Nas X posted a TikTok showing him sprinkling rose petals all around his Los Angeles home for a “romantic date” with his boyfriend, fuel was added to the fire that the singer is dating dancer Yai Ariza.
Who is Lil Nas X’s boyfriend? Meet Yai Ariza.
Lil Nas X is rumored to be dating Yai Ariza after he mentioned that his boyfriend was “returning to the country.”
Over on Ariza’s Instagram, the dancer shared a story saying he was back in Los Angeles, where Lil Nas X lives.
Here is everything you need to know about Ariza and Lil Nas X’s relationship.
Yai Ariza is a dancer.
This is one talented couple! Ariza is a professional dancer who knows his way around a stage just as well as his rapper beau.
The talented performer regularly posts dance videos and choreography. According to his Instagram bio, he is signed by an LA-based talent agency that represents dancers.
It’s unclear when exactly Ariza met Lil Nas X, or when they started dating, but Ariza first performed with his rumored boyfriend on "Saturday Night Live" in May.
As part of the performance, Ariza even licked Lil Nas X mid-dance routine, so if that doesn’t confirm a romance, we don’t know what does!
Ariza also recently stared in Lil Nas X’s “Industry Baby” music video.
Ariza is Columbian.
Ariza says on his Instagram that he was “born and raised in Columbia” but currently lives in Los Angeles.
He also appears to have been spending some time in his home country as he recently celebrated his birthday in Cartagena, Columbia. This could explain why Lil Nas X threw such an extravagant date for his return to the United States.
Ariza kissed Lil Nas X on stage at the BET Awards.
If you think Ariza looks familiar, that could be because of his role in Lil Nas X’s highly publicized BET Awards performance.
The internet went crazy when Lil Nas X made out with one of his dancers at the end of a performance of his “satanic” track Montero, and there’s no prizes for guessing who that dancer was.
Ariza captured the moment with his rumored boyfriend on Instagram and wrote, “We are making history!”
Lil Nas X may be keeping Ariza hidden.
Both men have remained somewhat coy on social media and haven’t shared videos or photos of one another outside of a professional context.
However, Lil Nas X did give away some clues that caused fans to piece things together.
After the BET performance, some assumed the man Lil Nas X had been teasing in his Instagram stories was Ariza ─ and it looks like they are correct!
Alice Kelly is a writer living in Brooklyn, New York. Catch her covering all things social justice, news, and entertainment. Keep up with her Twitter for more.