Apparently, Ciara and Russell Wilson are the ultimate matchmakers. Their no.1 success story: bringing Normani and NFL wide receiver DK Metcalf together. A few years after being set up by the Wilsons, Normani and Metcalf announced their engagement on March 13. Their relationship started out pretty old-school, with them having been introduced to each other at a party hosted by Ciara. Several tracks on Normani’s June 2024 album, Dopamine, were inspired by Metcalf, and now, they’re engaged to be married, which he revealed at a March 13 press conference while marking his trade from the Seattle Seahawks to the Pittsburgh Steelers.
The two have kept their relationship relatively quiet over the years, but the joy on Metcalf’s face as he called Normani his finacée and showed off her ring was so pure. Now that they’re preparing to tie the knot, here’s a recap of their relationship from that first party sometime in 2022 to their Houston engagement.
2022: CIARA’S SETUP
Singer Ciara knew that Normani and Metcalf were meant to be before they did. In a 2024 interview with Ebro at Apple music, Normani recalled, “[Ciara] was serious. Multiple occasions, she was like, ‘Hey, but this guy, though!’” Ciara insisted that the “Candy Paint” singer come to a party where she and Metcalf hit it off. “I knew it was something else, because she was just very adamant,” Normani explained. “And when I was on the way, she was like, ‘Oh, yeah, your boy’s gon be there.’” He was, and the rest is history.
After the Wilsons finally managed to introduce Normani and Metcalf, paparazzi spotted the couple together for the first time, having a dinner date at Giorgio Baldi in Santa Monica, California. The pics sparked dating rumors, but nothing was immediately confirmed.
JULY 2023: INSTAGRAM OFFICIAL
A year after the initial pap shots, The “1:59” singer announced her relationship with Metcalf on her Instagram Story. Normani shared a snapshot of the athlete kissing her cheek at a teammate’s wedding.
MAY AND JUNE 2024: INTERVIEWS LEADING UP TO DOPAMINE
While participating in Elle‘s Phoning it in, Normani prank-called Metcal using only the lyrics to her single “Wild Side.” She also revealed that Ciara was the one who had set them up.
A month later, while promoting her debut album, Normani praised the impact of her relationship with Metcalf during her interview with Rolling Stone. “I’m happy. I am very happy. Definitely an answered prayer.” She elaborated, “I’ve experienced a lot with relationships. I’m a real lover girl. I wear my heart on my sleeve, and finding space where that’s reciprocated feels good. I like to see myself happy. I really do.”
MARCH 2025: ENGAGEMENT
During his introductory press conference on March 13, Metcalf explained that he wanted to propose to the “Wild Side” singer as early as 2024, but that was also the year Normani released her long-awaited debut album, Dopamine. “She’s a singer and her work conflicted with the schedule,” Metcalf explained, so he wasn’t able to pull it off as early as he wanted to. Even so, the athlete trusted the timing.
On March 9, it was announced that Metcalf would be traded from Seattle, where he was teammates with Russell Wilson, to Pittsburgh. The day before he was in Pittsburgh for his introductory press conference with his new team, Metcalf met up with the “Motivation” singer in Houston, Texas, which happened to be where both of their families were and where he popped the question.
“It was my sister’s spring break, and just thought about getting the whole family together for a big kumbaya and joining our families with the ring,” he said. And how exactly Metcalf pop the question? Flowers and notes. “I started sending her flowers with a story and then the last letter on the flower was ‘Will you marry?’ And she said yes,” he explained.
The matchmaker herself, Ciara, reacted to the engagement on TikTok with a screenshot of a Facetime conversation between her, Wilson, and the newly engaged couple. “@Russell Wilson and I knew when we introduced yall 3yrs ago,” her caption read, “love was truly in the air! Now yall gon be booed up forever!! This was the best news! We love yall so much!”
Congratulations to the happy couple!