Role Model Confirms Dakota Johnson Romance Ahead of Aug. 7 Album Release

Q: Why did Dakota Johnson break the golden rule of mixing work and romance for Role Model's new album?

Dakota Johnson did it because the cameo came together naturally in the studio, she volunteered, and Role Model ultimately felt her voice was the perfect fit for the song. Role Model told NYLON he had wanted a woman’s voice for “Love I You,” but had not planned to ask Johnson because he did not want to “mix work and relationships.” According to him, Johnson came to the studio, guitarist-producer Mason Stoops suggested she do the part, and Johnson immediately agreed. He said she “stood right up and got in the booth and knocked it out better than we could have imagined.” That appears to be the practical reason she broke that “golden rule”: the opportunity was there, she was willing, and the result worked artistically. The track is built around a flirtatious spoken exchange between the couple, so her participation also added authenticity to the song’s tone. Role Model framed it less as a calculated collaboration than as an organic moment that became “an amazing cameo” once she was on board. The broader context is that the two are now publicly confirmed to be dating, even though they had kept the relationship relatively low-key. Her appearance on *Chuck Timely & the Hourglass*, out Aug. 7, marks a rare point where their personal relationship crossed into his music because, in his telling, it simply turned out too good to pass up.

Q: Did missing Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce's wedding secretly inspire a specific track on Role Model's upcoming release?

No. There is no evidence that missing Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce’s wedding inspired a specific song on Role Model’s upcoming album. What Role Model has actually said is that he missed the wedding because he was busy with the album rollout, and that it “looked amazing.” In the available interview excerpts, he does not connect that missed event to any track. The strongest track-specific reporting points elsewhere. “Love I You” is the song tied to Dakota Johnson’s spoken-word cameo, and Role Model explained that collaboration came from her visiting the studio and volunteering to record the part. Separately, outside coverage of the album says “The Wedding” reflects his changing view of marriage. He reportedly said that while the idea of a formal wedding once did not appeal to him, attending his first wedding made him cry. So while the album does include a song titled “The Wedding,” the reporting links it to his broader feelings about marriage and weddings, not to missing Swift and Kelce’s ceremony. Based on the published information, any claim that the missed wedding “secretly inspired” a song would be speculation.

3 articles · Updated · Yahoo! Voices · Aug 5

Role Model told NYLON he is dating Dakota Johnson, publicly confirming a relationship that had been rumored since late 2025.
On "Love I You" from his Aug. 7 album Chuck Timely & the Hourglass, Johnson appears in a spoken-word cameo that he said happened only after she volunteered in the studio.
The singer said he initially resisted involving his girlfriend in the project because he did not want to mix work and relationships, but called the result an "amazing cameo."
He also said he missed Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce's wedding in New York last month because he was busy with the album rollout, while Johnson attended without him.