Kriti Mehrotra
It was back in 2010 when Calgary native Jenna Andrews relocated to the US to pursue her dreams of being a creative artist, unaware she’d soon transition to just songwriting. She loves being in the studio more than anything else, so it comes as no surprise that she also found her life partner there. She and Stephen Kirk bonded over their shared passion before falling in love. The latter is an Ohio-born, North Carolina-raised, Tennessee resident who is not only a proud songwriter but also a producer, which is actually evident throughout Netflix’s ‘Hitmakers.’
The Spark Between Jenna and Stephen Was Instantaneous
While it’s true that both Jenna and Stephen had already established themselves in the music industry as rising songwriters by the time 2021 rolled around, they hadn’t met one another. That is, until they were placed together for a writing session for the K-pop band BTS on January 27, 2021. It happened over Zoom owing to the then-ongoing pandemic, yet it didn’t really make a difference. Not only did the duo make “Butter” for the band that very same day, but they also realized they shared an incredible connection, leading them to immediately team up on a professional level.
According to Jenna, she and Stephen subsequently took on every work project together for a year and a half before realizing they shared more than just a platonic bond. They made “Permission to Dance” by BTS as well as several songs for Dixie’s album ‘A Letter to Me’ prior to officially starting to date two years to the day they met — on January 27, 2023. That’s around the same time Jenna relocated to Nashville, Tennessee, for good too, meaning they have fortunately never had to be long-distance in terms of their romantic relationship. As if that’s not enough, they have since bought a beautiful home together on a farmland on the outskirts of the city (2024), where they are now parents to many chickens, goats, and horses.
Jenna and Stephen have had their fair share of issues throughout their time together, some of which even featured in the aforementioned original. Yet, the Canadian artist has always maintained that a lot of the negative aspects they have experienced came from outside comments, owing to people not understanding her boyfriend’s heart. She says he can have a crude sense of humor and can often let his anger or frustrations get the better of him during hard conversations, but she also knows he always has good intentions. Therefore, they both do their best not to let others’ interpretation of their exchanges or romance bother them; they just focus on their own growing love as well as their passion for their work.
Jenna and Stephen Are Still Head Over Heels in Love
Despite the fact that neither Jenna nor Stephen is very public about their long-term, steady relationship on social media as of writing, they also don’t shy away from it in any way, shape, or form. They attend almost every social function hand-in-hand, continue to work together whenever they can, and even support one another on their independent projects, no matter what they may be. Moreover, they still obviously live together at their remodeled home alongside their several pets, which now also includes two adorable dogs – they have George and Stella (both girls), the latter of which was gifted to Jenna this Valentine’s Day (2025).
From what we can tell, two-time Grammy-nominated Jenna of Jennasis Music Publishing as well as Twenty Seven Music Publishing and multi-platinum Grammy-nominated Stephen of Sixteen Sound are also jointly affiliated with the music label/talent management company Casual Media Partners. As if that’s not enough, while she is the host of a web series called ‘The Green Room’ that primarily discusses mental health, he is in a band called Sunset West alongside his brother, which is currently signed to Virgin Records.
Jenna and Stephen did recently reveal to The Tennessean that, like any other couple, they do indeed have fights. However, a majority of them are during their writing sessions together because the whole process is rather intimate as well as intense. Nevertheless, they added, they always manage to come out on top of it because they choose to choose each other every single day. There is mutual care, love, respect, and understanding between them, which is all that matters in the long run.
Read More: Where is Netflix’s Hitmakers Filmed?
