R&B singer Miguel recently offered a candid reflection on the dissolution of his marriage to Nazanin Mandi, highlighting deep personal struggles and communication breakdowns. In a guest appearance on Club Shay Shay, he described a period of feeling “not whole,” acknowledging that his emotional state was a central factor in their split.
A Strained Foundation, He Says
Miguel said that at the time, he “wasn’t in the headspace to be with anyone,” and he “didn’t know how to communicate that.” He admitted he made mistakes in how he built the relationship.
“I didn’t just build the trust as just a friendship … the way that I could have,” he explained, referring to how their bond developed.
He said that early on, he failed to lay a foundation based on honest friendship, which later complicated their dynamic.
Regret and Retrospective Honesty
Looking back, Miguel expressed regret at not being upfront about his emotional unreadiness. He said, “If I was to do it again, I would have really said, ‘Hey, I’m actually not ready right now!’” He added that meeting someone so meaningful made him want to hide his doubts instead of sharing them.
Despite his regrets, he noted that his feelings for Mandi remain profound. He said they still share “a tremendous amount of love,” and that they are “working very hard to not make it about what it was.”
Miguel credited music for helping him process the end of his marriage. He pointed to his track Always Time on the album CAOS, saying it gave him space to reflect. “It allowed me to … look at myself and go, ‘You know, I made a lot of mistakes, man. I’m not perfect!’” he said.
He also acknowledged that he’s become more self-aware. “I’m a much more aware person now,” he said, recognizing that growth often comes from pain.
Miguel ended by offering praise to Mandi: “She’s an amazing person and deserves the best.”
In the same conversation and in other interviews, Miguel addressed rumors about having a child with his current partner, Margaret Zhang. He denied any overlap between his marriage to Mandi and his new relationship.
“I got divorced … that’s not true [that I was still in a marriage and having a baby],” he said, pointing out that he met Zhang only “after we were divorced.”
Miguel and Nazanin Mandi had been together since their late teens, dating for about a decade before marrying in 2018. Their relationship ended publicly in 2022 when Mandi filed for divorce, citing irreconcilable differences.