You might notice that your queer friend with the dainty tattoos running up their arms has a little extra pep in their step today. That’s probably because Lucy Dacus confirmed that she and her boygenius bandmate Julien Baker are in a relationship. Your friend probably already knew this, but it’s nice for Dacus to get it on the record.
The news came as an aside in a profile of Dacus for The New Yorker published on Monday. Describing Dacus’s upcoming album, Amanda Petrusich wrote, “It’s a gorgeous and tender album about falling in love — Dacus is now in a committed relationship with Baker — and how the tumult of that experience has forced her to reckon with the unknown.” It’s very chic to have your long-speculated romance confirmed so casually.
Dacus didn’t offer up many other details about their relationship in this profile (she did mention they’ve moved to L.A. together, and the album features a song that’s obviously about Baker, “Most Wanted Man in West Tennessee”), but that might be because The New Yorker doesn’t peddle in celebrity gossip. People, on the other hand, was going to get the scoop. In an interview with the tabloid that came out on Tuesday, Dacus spoke more about her relationship with Baker.
“It’s funny to just say it so plainly, because I feel like there’s all of this tension of people guessing,” Dacus said. “I don’t know, we just talked about it kind of recently, and we were like, ‘What is actually at risk for people knowing this?’ We wanted to be protective because it matters so much. I hope to God people knowing won’t make it a less true or pleasant experience. So that’s one of the many precious things I’m giving up with this record. And she’s ready to be telling people, too. So, from us to you, we are in love.”
Sweeties alert! Dacus didn’t say how long they’ve been dating, but she told People that their relationship began “percolating” during their time in boygenius, whose first project came out in 2018 but blew up in 2023. And now they seem happy and we get some beautiful music about that relationship — it’s a win-win.
