What’s With All The Main Pop Girlies Dating Actors?

Is there something in the air in Hollywood?
By: Astrid Zulhaime
March 22, 2024

Talk about worlds colliding! We’re avid celebrity watchers here at Glitz, so we can’t help but notice that there’s been an influx of main pop girls with actor boyfriends. Although the pairing isn’t exactly a rare one given the many overlaps of the music and film industries, we count no less than five of these couples (with one bonus!) all existing together at the time of writing. Is this a little unusual? Maybe, maybe not. But is it newsworthy? Definitely. Let us introduce you to the not-so-secret relationships of these main pop girls and their actor boyfriends.

We Have Our Eyes on These Main Pop Girls and Their Actor Boyfriends

1. Olivia Rodrigo and Louis Partridge

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Source: X

Olivia Rodrigo is a triple Grammy award-winning singer who rose to pop star status with her debut album, Sour (2021), which spawned multiple hits including Drivers License, Deja Vu, and Good 4 U — the last two having reached the top spot on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. However, the pop star first started out as an actress, albeit with singsong roles like Nini in High School Musical: The Musical: The Series (2019-2022). Rodrigo has acting in common with her English boyfriend Louis Partridge, most known for his work in Netflix’s Enola Holmes movies as Lord Viscount Tewkesbury.

As the youngest couple on this list (both turning 21 this year), Rodrigo and Partridge are also the most secretive — so much so that there are barely any pictures of the two online. But considering they were spotted kissing on the streets of New York and London late last year, it’s safe to say that this couple is more than just a rumour. In fact, Partridge all but confirmed it to British Vogue recently as he talked about dating in the public eye: “I think [Rodrigo] got it a lot worse than I have. I can be a bit of a normal person. She’s got tons and tons of eyes on her case.” That explains why the two have been all but hiding their relationship — good for them!

2. Sabrina Carpenter and Barry Keoghan

Some would argue that Sabrina Carpenter isn’t a main pop girl, but with her recent success in charting catchy tunes like Nonsense and Feather, we’re inclined to believe that she’s well on her way. Carpenter has made her name in the world of acting as well, starring in both television shows and movies like Disney’s Girl Meets World (2014-2017) and Netflix’s Tall Girl movies. Inversely, BAFTA-winning Irish actor Barry Keoghan is an Academy Award and Golden Globe Award nominated actor, most known for his roles in Marvel’s Eternals (2021) and the recent family-friendly drama Saltburn (2023).

Similar to our previous couple, twenty-four-year-old Carpenter and thirty-one-year-old Keoghan were first linked in December 2023. The couple has still refrained from publicly confirming their relationship until now, but the tight hold on the reins seems to be gradually loosening. Case in point: they posed together repeatedly at Vanity Fair’s annual Oscars after-party earlier this month (where Keoghan wore a friendship bracelet with the name “Sabrina”, aww). He even hilariously commented a cheeky “🙋🏻☘️.” on Vanity Fair’s video of Carpenter gushing over fellow Irish actor Cillian Murphy. From us to the happy couple, don’t you think it’s time to stop this nonsense and make your red carpet debut?

3. Dua Lipa and Callum Turner

main pop girls actor boyfriends
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main pop girls actor boyfriends
Source: X

Albanian-British singer-songwriter Dua Lipa is arguably the biggest female pop star to hail from the United Kingdom since our generation’s Queen of Ballads, Adele. Lipa owes her breakthrough in the United States to her Grammy-winning second studio album, Future Nostalgia (2020). Thanks to hits like New Rules, Don’t Start Now, and Levitating, both her LPs are the most-streamed female albums on Spotify with 10 billion streams each. Lipa’s new boyfriend, British actor Callum Turner, starred as Theseus Scamander in the Harry Potter prequel trilogy, Fantastic Beasts.

The most recent pairing between a main pop girl and an actor, Lipa and Turner first sparked dating rumours in January 2024. They have since attended the after-parties of not one, not two, but three award shows, namely the Grammys, the BAFTAS, and the Brit Awards. Despite being photographed as each other’s dates at these massive events (and vacationing to Mexico together this week), Lipa and Turner have also never hit the red carpet together — what gives? Perhaps Lipa’s new rule is to never have another glamorous Cannes Film Festival 2023 moment just for everything to end up in flames, iykyk.

4. Ariana Grande and Ethan Slater

Following the news yesterday that pop superstar Ariana Grande has finalised her divorce with ex-husband Dalton Gomez, it’s time to say thank you, next. Singer-songwriter and actress Ariana Grande hardly needs any introduction as the leading pop icon of our generation. However, did you know that before becoming a Nickelodeon star, Grande’s career first began when she starred in a Broadway musical called 13? Her boyfriend, Ethan Slater, is a Tony Award-nominated actor and singer, known for his theater roles in musicals like SpongeBob SquarePants. A match made on Broadway?

Having met on the set of their upcoming musical film, Wicked (2024), the start of this main pop girl and actor relationship in mid-2023 was incredibly rocky to say the least. Slater was still married with a newborn baby when rumours first started circulating that he was dating Grande. Despite the massive media frenzy surrounding the couple, we’re not here to speculate whether or not the homewrecker allegations are true. All we know for sure is that both Grande and Slater are now separated from their previous partners and seem happy together during the handful of times they were spotted out in public. So back off people, the boy is hers.

5. Rosalía and Jeremy Allen White

Spanish singer-songwriter Rosalía may not be a main pop girl in America, but the reggaetón music genre reaches a far wider demographic than just the States, so who cares? In fact, the thirty-one-year-old is the first ever Spanish-singing act in history to be nominated for Best New Artist at the Grammys and even has two of the awards under her belt, so who needs main pop girl status when you have those awe-inspiring achievements? You might recognise Rosalía’s boyfriend, Emmy Award-winning actor Jeremy Allen White, from his viral Calvin Klein underwear campaign. Outside of looking hot on billboards, White also stars as Chef Carmy Berzatto in one of the biggest shows on television today, The Bear (2022-present).

We can’t deny that this couple kinda came out of left field, you wouldn’t normally expect a Spanish popstar to cosy up with an American Golden Globe-winning actor, but no one can say that love is a predictable force. Rosalía and White were first spotted together in October 2023 and have since been seen spending Beso-filled time together on the streets of LA and New York numerous times. White is currently going through a divorce with his estranged wife, while Rosalía broke off her engagement with Puerto Rican singer-songwriter Rauw Alejandro last July. One thing about celebrities — they move on fast.

6. Bonus: Harry Styles and Taylor Russell

Okay, so this pairing isn’t between a main pop girl and an actor boyfriend, but we would be remiss to exclude it just because of gender technicalities. Main pop boy and actor Harry Styles is arguably the biggest male popstar out right now, his solo career having taken off after the indefinite hiatus of iconic boyband, One Direction. Styles now has three Grammy Awards to his name, including the coveted Album of the Year for his critically acclaimed third LP, Harry’s House (2022). His girlfriend, Taylor Russell, is an actress on-the-rise who hails from Canada and starred as a cannibal opposite Timothée Chalamet in Luca Guadagnino’s Bones and All (2022).

A rumoured couple since June 2023, Styles and Russell have yet to publicly acknowledge their relationship. Not that that matters considering the pair have not only been spotted out on dates but were also seen supporting each other’s work endeavours. Russell attended multiple stops of Styles’ Love On Tour, while Styles returned the favour by gracing the opening night gala of Russell’s play in London, The Effect. A few days ago, the pair were spotted out in New York looking glamorous in The Row and Loewe. Thank God Styles is also known for being fashion forward, allowing him to keep up with a Loewe muse like Russell. There’s a fine line between slaying together and flopping together.

Did we miss the 411 on any other main pop girls with their actor boyfriends? Let us know and make sure to follow Glitz on Facebook and Instagram for all the latest updates.