Publications
Partners
- Emeli Sandéannounced in April that she is dating classical pianist Yoana Karemova.
- The singer hoped coming out would be inspiring to others as it made her feel free.
- Now, the 35-year-old has shared that she was worried about her faith and family before coming out as queer
Having to choose between love and family isn't a unique situation; however, when you include religion and sexuality the conversation becomes more challenging. While family can at some point change their mind and accept the person you love and your sexuality, religion is a bit more complex as it is an internal experience that can only be dealt with alone.
The 35-year-old singer revealed earlier this year she is in a relationship with female classical pianist Yoana Karemova – and the couple is now engaged. Yet despite finding love, she admitted she wasn’t sure how she’d reconcile various areas of her life.
Speaking to DIVA magazine, she said, "It’s how people would perceive you. I’m a very spiritual person, and that’s another relationship that you really have to dig into deeper. Can I still feel Christian and be with a woman? Do I have to start denying pieces of me that are natural? Also, within the Black community. How would my family in Zambia feel about this?"
READ MORE | Emeli Sande on falling in love: 'I have never felt this depth of love before meeting a woman'
"There are many things I did worry about, but it got to a point where I can’t live my life worrying about others so much. Maybe just being myself will be the best thing I can do, and that’s what I found. At least I know any situation I walk into, I’m going as myself. That has more power than anything you can second-guess."
The Heaven hitmaker – who refers to herself as a "queer woman" but isn’t sure if she even wants a label on herself – explained her decision to open up about her relationship.
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"I just felt this real need to be myself and talk about falling in love. That was the main point. It wasn’t really necessarily, 'I need to talk about my sexuality’, It was more, 'I’m in love, and this is the best thing in my life.'"
The response from her family and friends has been "lovely", with everyone being accepting of her relationship. She said, "A lot of people that have known me over a few years said, ‘We really felt that you can finally be yourself, and maybe you weren’t being yourself in the past’. I’m so lucky to have such an open family. Our family has always been a bit different from the norm."
In May, the artist shared that when she came out, people focused on her dating a woman instead of her finding love, "I guess people made more of a story about it because I fell in love with a woman. But for me, being in love at this level, that's the story. I’ve definitely never felt this depth of love."
