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Terius Nash, better known as The-Dream, is the man behind so many hits, including “Rockin’ That” and “Falsetto.” He’s also one of the industry’s most sought-after writers and has written tracks for everyone, including Beyoncé and Justin Bieber. He may be a pro at writing romantic love songs, but his real-life romances have been anything but perfect.
Here’s the truth about The-Dream’s dating history.
Meeting Nivea
His first high-profile relationship began in 2003 when he met R&B singer Nivea. After less than a year of dating, they got married. Nivea told BET that her label found it difficult to promote her as a married woman in the industry. So their marriage caused some strain on her career.
In 2005, they welcomed their daughter, and in 2006, she gave birth to twins. Their marriage fell apart soon after. In December 2007, Nivea filed for separation. In a statement published by TheGrapeJuice.Net, she called the separation a mutual decision. She added: “His happiness is all I want, for I could never repay him for what he has endured by being my friend, partner, and husband.”
Around that same time, a gossip blog reported The-Dream had been spending a lot of time with Canadian model Kris Jacobs, who had also appeared in his “Falsetto” music video. Dramaaaa.
Nivea didn’t match his status
Even though Nivea was the one to file for separation, The-Dream made the decision to file for divorce. After their divorce was finalized, he told radio host Angela Yee that at some point during their marriage, things changed. As his popularity grew, he admitted he became bitter that his wife’s career wasn’t matching his status. When they weren’t able to have fun anymore as a couple, he decided it was time to end things. Dang. Cold-blooded!
He admitted he and Nivea were very much in love at one point. And he didn’t have any regrets about how things turned out. However, he said that his upbringing may have contributed to the demise of his marriage.
He was raised by his mom up until she passed away when he was 15. With no father to take care of him, The-Dream was raised by his grandfather. He told Angela Yee that if he had both of his parents around, he would’ve received better guidance and probably wouldn’t have rushed into getting married in the first place. But his quickie marriage to Nivea wouldn’t be the first of many times he made a mad dash to the altar.
A collab turns into a new love
Their divorce was finalized in 2008, and by that time, his career was kicking off with the success of his debut album, Love/Hate. He headed back to the studio and worked on his highly anticipated follow-up album Love vs. Money, which was released in 2009. That same year, he had a new woman in his life.
He was looking for someone to sing and appear in the music video for the “Rockin’ That” remix. The-Dream had a few different singers in mind, including Christina Milian. The-Dream told Angela Yee, he decided to go with the “underdog.” And Christina was chosen to lend her vocals to the track.
At the time of his interview with Angela Yee, The-Dream insisted that things were strictly business between him and Christina. But within a few months of meeting, she was rocking a huge engagement ring at music executive Billy Clark’s birthday celebration in July 2009, according to Rap-Up.
In September 2009, they got married in Las Vegas, and one month later, the “Dip It Low” singer announced she was 19 weeks pregnant. Christina told People magazine they were excited for the arrival of their bundle of joy.
Stepping out on Christina Milian
She gave birth to their daughter Violet Nash in February 2010, and five months later, The-Dream was spotted frolicking on the beach in the Caribbean with another woman… and without his wedding ring. You can scope out the photos here.
The woman was later identified as his assistant, Melissa Santiago. The-Dream released a statement saying he and Christina’s marriage had been over for months. Apparently, they had decided to end things in late-2009, just months after they had gotten married.
TMZ exposes the truth about The-Dream
After doing some more digging, TMZ found out The-Dream had filed for divorce back in February 2010… nine days before she gave birth to their daughter and five months before he was spotted on the beach with his assistant. In the divorce documents, The-Dream said their marriage was irretrievably broken. He added that there was absolutely no hope for reconciliation.
Days after confirming their split, Dream wrote a letter to his fans on his official website (via Billboard), explaining that his marriage didn’t end because of an affair. He also wrote that he was so distressed about his marital problems, he considered taking his own life at one point. He took full responsibility for misleading his fans into thinking everything was fine when in fact, his marriage had been full of problems from the start.
In the end, he said he cried about his decision to end things. Considering they weren’t even married for a full year, a lot of people weren’t buying his explanation. Either way, their divorce was finalized in October 2011.
The-Dream and Lydia Nam’s rocky relationship
Next, The-Dream began dating a mystery woman, but according to The Dirty, he allegedly cheated on her in 2012 with a Canadian woman named Lydia Nam. The Toronto native reportedly announced that she and the R&B singer were engaged, but their relationship was far from being a fairy-tale.
Lydia gave birth to his child in 2012, making him a father of five. That same year, Christina Milian put him on blast for being an absentee father. She told Houston’s 97.7 radio station (via Vibe) that she carries all the weight and has to be a “150 to 200 percent mom” for their daughter. She added: “I really would like for her to have a father in her life.”
Nivea expressed a similar sentiment during an interview with BET. After having a fourth child with Lil Wayne, she said her load is heavy because Lil Wayne and The-Dream aren’t able to step in and help. Nivea also said the lack of help has forced her to put her singing career on the backburner. She has asked both Wayne and The-Dream to step in and help her out. However, she said neither of them has provided her any assistance.
In June 2013, The-Dream was locked up in California for allegedly putting his hands on Lydia. Lydia declined to press charges, so The-Dream was free to go. Their relationship came to an end as well, but Lydia wasn’t quite done with him.
Lydia Nam was out for blood
In November 2013, Lydia Nam went back to the authorities to report an incident that allegedly occurred in April 2013 at New York’s Plaza Hotel. Lydia accused The-Dream of getting physical with her and putting his hands around her neck and squeezing. She said she waited so long to report the incident because she was afraid.
After a six-month investigation, The-Dream found himself behind bars. In a statement, he claimed Lydia was lying about the incident as a way to extend her Visa in the U.S. When he showed up to his hearing in September 2014, people were shocked to see another woman on his arm.
The-Dream now has a perfect marriage
She was identified as LaLonne Martinez, and The-Dream told Madame Noire he met her in passing at his friend’s office and they hit it off. They got engaged in May 2014 and secretly married in July 2014 at San Francisco City Hall.
The-Dream was eventually cleared of the charges against his ex Lydia, and he and LaLonne went on to have four children. As of this video, he’s now a father of nine.
He told Madame Noire his third marriage to LaLonne is different from his previous ones because there’s no drama. He has a tendency to not call his wife to see what she’s up to, but it doesn’t bother her at all. That’s why they work together so perfectly.
On their fifth wedding anniversary in July 2019, LaLonne shared a picture of the two of them, along with a caption that said they broke away from the traditional notions of marriage and created a lifestyle that works for them. Alrighty then…
The-Dream said he loves being married and he always wanted to settle down. It just took him some time to find the right person. He and his third wife appear to be happy and more in love than ever. We wish them the best.
Let us know if you’re surprised by The-Dream’s dating history. Or, you can chat with our subscribers in our YouTube comments section.