Key Takeaways

• DeKaylin “DK” Metcalf realized Normani was “the one” after their families bonded and their relationship reached a year and a half.
• He orchestrated a surprise proposal after pretending he wasn’t ready for marriage, catching Normani completely off guard.
• The couple first met at a party hosted by Ciara and Russell Wilson, who introduced them and sparked their connection.

Earlier this year, Normani got the surprise of a lifetime when her superstar NFL boyfriend, DeKaylin “DK” Metcalf, proposed. The lovebirds announced their engagement in March, two years after they hard-launched their relationship on social media.

During a recent interview for the “Mani Petty” podcast, the Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver opened up about the moment he knew he found “the one.” The first clue was that they reached the year-and-a-half mark. “I had never been in a relationship longer than a year,” admitted Metcalf. Next up, their bonds with each other’s family began to take root. He explained, “I started to have a gravitational pull towards her mom and father, and my sisters were, you know, having conversations with her. So, I was like, ‘Alright, this is good.’”

With their relationship and families in sync, the only thing left to do was find a ring and get down on bended knee. But unlike rom-com depictions of love stories, Metcalf did not drop subtle hints about the impending proposal. In fact, he did the complete opposite, including skipping out on ring hunting with his lady. He confessed that he never even inquired about the type of ring she would like. “I didn’t ask her any of that … She had no idea. I even told her I didn’t want to get married. That’s how thrown off she was,” he said with a chuckle.

At an NFL press conference in March, the gridiron titan joyfully divulged details of how he asked for Normani’s hand in marriage. His face lit up with a smile as he shared, “My family and her family [were] in Houston, and it was my sister’s Spring Break. [I] just thought about getting the whole family together, just for a big kumbaya and, you know, joining our families, you know, with a ring.”

How Ciara and Russell Wilson introduced Normani to DK Metcalf

The “Wild Side” entertainer has CiCi and her husband to thank for playing cupid. The “Level Up” singer and Wilson brought the athlete and Normani together at a party. The vibrant R&B sensation recalled sensing that the Princess of Crunk had an ulterior motive. In a June 2024 Apple Music interview, Normani said, “I just knew it was something else because she was very adamant, and when I was on the way, she was like, ‘Oh yeah, your boy’s gonna be there.’”

The blind date worked, though! The couple’s romance would go on to inspire songs like “Lights On” from Normani’s debut album, Dopamine, released in 2024. The songstress beamed as she told Jennifer Hudson, this past April, that he initially planned to propose during a vacation to Turks and Caicos in 2024. “He waited because my album was coming up, so he didn’t want to overshadow that special, monumental moment for me,” she said. Just like their first meeting, the engagement happened in divine timing.