Mariah Carey and Anderson .Paak were seen sparking romance rumors after being photographed enjoying dinner together at Catch Steak in Aspen. In the images, .Paak, 38, sweetly held Carey’s hand as they entered the restaurant on Sunday evening. He also wrapped his hand around her waist and held the door open for her, adding to the speculation about their relationship.
However, despite the intimate gestures, sources close to the stars have clarified that they are not romantically involved. The two are reportedly collaborating on music projects in Carey’s studio, and their public appearances together are related to their professional work, not a romantic connection.
While their hand-holding and close gestures sparked rumors of a romance, sources told TMZ that Mariah Carey and Anderson .Paak are not dating. The two musicians were spotted leaving the restaurant separately after their dinner at Catch Steak in Aspen.
Mariah, 55, and Anderson, 38, are reportedly collaborating on a new music project and have been spending time together in a recording studio in Aspen. Their dinner at Catch was simply a break from their hard work on the project.
Anderson .Paak has been giving fans a glimpse into his musical collaboration with Mariah Carey, sharing a video over the summer from the iconic Electric Lady music studios in New York. In the video, Anderson expressed his excitement, saying, “Oh my God, Mariah Carey. Listen, you ever be star-struck, like when a star strikes you? That’s what it was. But I couldn’t just freeze up. We had to get into the studio and just make something.”
The two musicians were also spotted together around Halloween, with Anderson sharing a photo of himself dressed as a member of Daft Punk while celebrating the holiday with Mariah.
Mariah, who recently ended her long-term relationship with backup dancer Bryan Tanaka, and Anderson, who filed for divorce from his wife Jae Lin in January after more than 10 years of marriage, have been working together musically in recent months. Anderson has two sons, Soul and Shine, with Jae.
In addition to his music career, Anderson recently made his directorial debut with the film K-Pops!, which stars himself and his eldest son, Soul. The film draws inspiration from Anderson’s experiences growing up biracial and explores the humor in those experiences. He spoke to Hypebeast about casting Soul in the film, highlighting the personal connection to the project.
Anderson .Paak shared that his directorial debut, K-Pops!, allowed him to explore the dynamic of familial relationships, while also spending quality time with his son, Soul, during the shoot. He explained, “I wanted to write a movie that would explore that dynamic and those familial relationships. And also, I get to sneak in quality time with my son while shooting.”
Meanwhile, Mariah Carey, the “Queen of Christmas,” has been enjoying her time in snowy Aspen after wrapping up her Christmas Time Tour. The tour, which was announced in August, celebrated the 30th anniversary of her iconic holiday hit “All I Want For Christmas Is You.” It kicked off on November 6 in Highland, California, and concluded with a performance in Brooklyn on December 17.
