Jessica Mauboy opens up about living with boyfriend
“I’m on a high!” exclaimed Jessica Mauboy, 27, as she arrived at the WHO Sexiest People Party in Sydney on Wednesday night.
Mauboy has been with her formerly Darwin-based boyfriend, Themeli Magripilis, for the past eight years. Though they made the long-distance relationship work, Mauboy can’t hide her excitement at his upcoming relocation to Sydney. “He’s here tonight, hiding away,” said Mauboy, who performed three of her hits at the party. “He’s going to watch it all unfold.”
As for their new life under the same roof, “I’m in disbelief it actually happened,” said Mauboy. “The life I live is so go-go-go… so when we’re by ourselves, it’s calm. It’s comforting to have him around.”
Earlier this month, Mauboy made her small screen debut as Billie, the lead in new Australian drama series, The Secret Daughter. The production was written specifically with Mauboy in mind and is the first time an Indigenous person has fronted the lead role in a commercial network drama series.
Adding to her success, on Monday, Mauboy’s accompanying soundtrack to The Secret Daughter debuted at number one on the ARIA Albums Chart – the first indigenous solo artist to have ever accomplished the feat.
“It’s crazy,” Mauboy said. “I’ve never really had a number 1, to be honest. It’s phenomenal. The most important thing is to know the music and series are resonating with people.”