R&B singer August Alsina and artist Zu have sent fans into a giddy yet speculative state over their latest Instagram update. The joint post featured the two of them shirtless and driving a boat in the sea. In one of the slides, August and Zu grooved to PartyNextDoor’s 2015 track Dreamin'.
August, 31, initially created a stir about his sexual orientation back in November 2022, when he spoke about finding an unconventional love. During the finale of VH1's The Surreal Life, August told viewers about love knocking on his door "in a new way".
Referring to the person who taught him a great deal about "love and healing", reciprocated his feelings, and brought that change in his life, the singer expressed, that he wanted to honor them. He said:
"I want to do that in front of the world because it defies the constructs that one would say love is supposed to be or love should look like."
Right after that, August gestured to the person, who appeared in front of the camera and sat next to him. The two shared an embrace but neither addressed the exact nature of their relationship. Soon after the clip was out, fans went into a frenzy with many speculating if it was August Alsina’s coming out moment.
Netizens eventually discovered that the mystery man who appeared on the show was Zaza, a musician, who goes by the name Zu. The two seemingly share a close relationship, as it appears from Zu's frequent presence on August's social media feed.
They even collaborated for the single 2am. However, neither have officially revealed the nature of their relationship.
Zu appeared on August Alsina’s Instagram feed way before The Surreal Life finale
August Alsina previously made headlines in 2020 over his romantic "entanglement" with Jada Pinkett Smith. The singer never explicitly mentioned his romantic preferences or inclinations. However, fans were surprised when he brought out Zu on The Surreal Life after speaking about a new kind of love.
After the show's finale, fans noticed that Zu already made his debut on the Myself singer's Instagram feed months ago. One of Zu’s earliest appearances on August Alsina’s feed was from June 2022 where they posed for the latter’s skincare brand Encino Wellness.
Zu was featured on Encino's promos several times after that. However, without August Alsina's confirmation of a romantic relationship with Zu, fans believed them to be friends. They also pointed out one of August's posts from July 2022 where both he and Zu addressed the singer's mother as 'mama' while wishing her a happy birthday.
The speculations over August Alsina and Zu's relationship didn't stop after that either. Fans are still uncertain whether the two are romantically involved or share some familial bond. A few people also said Zu was August's nephew. However, none of the speculations have been confirmed by the artists yet.
Zaza, whose stage name is Zu or LA Zu is also an aspiring musician, having collaborated with August on the 2022 single 2am. They later released the music video for the song in January 2023.
August Alsina and Zu also performed at a concert together according to a September 2022 Instagram post. The caption read:
"ZaZa first performance last night. DC popped the cherry...it was loveeeeee. Thank y’all so much"
Over the years, both artists have had a close relationship as it appears from their social media updates and interactions. While nothing has been confirmed by the duo, nonetheless, some fans keep hyping up their bond as something wholesome.