Stormzy is one of the biggest names in British music, with his relationship with Maya Jama only boosting his star power. That’s why, this week, fans were left heartbroken by the news that the couple, who previously dated then got back together last year, had called it quits for a second time.
The news was a shock – especially as the couple were pictured together at Glastonbury and the British Grand Prix at Silverstone just weeks before. But from the joint statement, which was shared on Instagram, it’s clear that Stormzy and Maya still care deeply about each other. They wrote, ‘We've been laughing whilst drafting this because we never, ever, in a million years thought we'd be the couple announcing a break-up, but for the sake of clarity and, more importantly, to allow us the space and grace that's needed for us both to be able to navigate this next bit of our lives with peace, we thought it might be best to.
‘We fell madly in love in 2014, broke up in 2019, and then spent five years manoeuvring life apart. We decided to try for the final time in August 2023, and we've spent this past year trying our best to make it work; however, we recently decided to call it quits. We were 21 and 20 when we first met-both at the beginning of our careers and spent five years growing together and then five years growing separately.'
To many fans, the pair, who grew into their high profile careers – Stormzy in music, Maya as a presenter and the host of Love Island – were a love story for the ages. The couple first dated from 2015 to 2019, but reconciled in 2023, after Stormzy spoke candidly on his albums and in an interview with Louis Theroux about their split, calling losing Maya ‘the 'biggest regret a man can make’.
When the pair released their split statement, they signed it off from ‘Mike and MJ’, leading many people to realise they didn’t actually know the rapper’s name. Below, you’ll find that information, along with everything you need to know about the rapper…
What is Stormzy’s real name?
Stormzy’s full name is Michael Ebenezer Kwadjo Omari Owuo Jr – AKA Mike. He chose Stormzy as his musical alter-ego when he was just 12 and had recently started rapping. Telling the story on The Graham Norton Show in 2022, he explained, ‘I was about 12, 13. I was sat on my sofa in my front room, I was with my cousin [on] MSN. God just put it in my head and I went on MSN and changed my screen name to Stormzy, the rest is history. I wasn't into storms, I just thought this sounds good.
When did Stormzy and Maya Jama meet?
When Stormzy and Maya Jama first met at a Red Bull Culture Clash event in London in 2014, their lives looked very different. Maya was a DJ at Rinse FM at the time and Stormzy was slowly becoming a mainstream rapper, yet neither of them were household names.
The pair started dating in January 2015, and appeared on the cover of British Vogue together in 2018. In the interview, Maya looked back at the beginning of their relationship, saying, ‘If I'm really honest, I knew I fancied him from the start. But I didn't want anything yet, because, you know, you're trying to do the whole friend situation first, and then I'd do, like, obvious hints that I fancied him and then take it back because I didn't know if he definitely likes me. It was a childish phase. And then one day we just kissed, and that was that!'
When did Stormzy and Maya Jama first split up?
The couple split for the first time in August 2019, just two months after Stormzy’s historic headline performance at Glastonbury. Later that year, the rapper released his album Heavy Is The Head, which featured the song ‘Lessons’ on which he rapped, ‘Fast forward now/ My nephew's still asking for his Aunty Maya/ Guess this is the karma for what I done to Maya/ I just stood and let it burn, I couldn't down the fire/ Lord, I pray you make it easy, that's my one desire.’
His next album, 2022’s This Is What I Mean, also featured a number of songs fans believed was about his split from Maya. When it was released, Stormzy was interviewed by Louis Theroux, where he said that the break-up was ‘probably the biggest loss a man can have, isn’t it? Away from someone passing away, that’s the biggest loss you can have’. He added, ‘I didn’t do what a man should do to fully appreciate love, and care for his woman.’
Isobel Lewis is a news and entertainment writer at Grazia, where she covers TV, entertainment and celebrity. She previously worked as a culture reporter for The Independent, and has written for publications including The New York Times, The Guardian and The i.