What to Know About Charli XCX’s Husband, The 1975's George Daniel

Pop music has never been short of rivalries, real or imagined, and few have captured as much attention this year as the supposed tension between Charli XCX and Taylor Swift. When Charli released Sympathy Is a Knife on her chart-dominating Brat album, listeners speculated that its razor-sharp lyrics hinted at unease in Swift’s orbit. Swift’s own track Actually Romantic, released this week, was then rumoured to be a snap back at the British singer.

Against that backdrop of speculation and fan theories, Charli has been quietly building a different kind of narrative: her partnership with George Daniel, drummer and producer of The 1975. This summer, the couple married — twice — marking a new chapter for an artist who has always blurred the lines between the personal and the performative.

Who is George Daniel?

George Daniel is not the kind of rock star who thrives on spectacle. As The 1975’s drummer and a key force behind the band’s polished yet experimental sound, he has long preferred to work behind the kit, behind the production desk, or simply behind the scenes.

Daniel has increasingly become part of Charli’s sonic landscape, lending his production instincts to her recent records. Their relationship is one of those rare intersections in music where romance and collaboration seem to heighten, rather than complicate, one another.

A Relationship in Stages

The couple first met in 2021 while working on Spinning, a collaboration between No Rome, The 1975 and Charli XCX. By early 2022, they were no longer just studio partners. In November 2023, Charli announced their engagement with characteristic irreverence — an Instagram post declaring they were “for life.”

Two years later, they made it official in London with a registry ceremony at Hackney Town Hall, followed by a larger celebration in Sicily, where sun-drenched cliffs and Mediterranean glamour served as the backdrop to their vows. It was a distinctly Charli move: understated and chic in London, then cinematic and sprawling in Italy.

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The Questions Everyone’s Asking

How long have they been together? Since 2021 — over four years.

Are they still engaged? No longer. They are officially husband and wife.

Is George Daniel still in The 1975? Yes. He continues as drummer and co-producer, balancing the band’s global touring with Charli’s projects.

Why wasn’t Matty Healy at the wedding? He wasn’t seen at the intimate London ceremony, though he reportedly joined the Sicilian festivities with fiancée Gabbriette Bechtel.

Which songs are about George? Charli has never been shy about drawing from her life. Talk Talk recalls a moment at the 2020 NME Awards when she and Daniel were circling one another but not yet together. On Welcome to My Island (Remix) she sings about wanting a countryside house, a white dress, and children — a lyric that feels almost prophetic in hindsight. And while not every track is autobiographical, George’s influence as both muse and collaborator is scattered across Crash and Brat.