How They Lurve: Hey Essay & Princess Francis
Essay Kidane is an actor, events organiser, photographer, DJ (though he will tell you he “just presses buttons”) and all-round creative. He is best known for creating the long-running Neo-soul brand, Got Soul. His partner, Princess Francis, works in higher education, and together with Essay, is the co-founder and host of We Are Happy Feet – a day party brand aiming to bring families together for fun on the dancefloor. Princess and Essay are also mum and dad to two beautiful daughters. For Valentine’s Day they let us into how they lurve…
How long have you been together?
Princess: Six years this April.
Essay: Yep
How did you meet?
Princess: I attended a Got Soul special, that’s the first time I briefly met Essay We then officially connected via Facebook.
Essay: Sounds about right.
Was there any type of attraction when you first met?
Princess: Yes. Physically, I thought Essay was handsome, had a great smile, and displayed a sort of ‘cheeky charm’. Once we started talking more, I loved his sense of humour, cheekiness, and love of music.
Essay: Yeah, I do remember thinking, “She is fiiiine!”
Who made the first move?
Princess: Well technically Essay made the first contact in terms of online interaction. I would say I made the “first move” so to speak. Following some online interaction and what started out as a joke, I gave Essay a music quiz that I’d done. Essay was tasked with taking the quiz home and completing it, then getting back to me with the answers. I left my number at the bottom of the quiz so that he could get in contact with me 😉
Essay: For the record – that “first contact” was in a professional capacity. I was always a well-behaved promoter/DJ 😎
What did you do for your first date?
Princess: We went to see a show at the theatre. Following the show, we had drinks and chatted.
Essay: I tried to take her to Wimpy, but she wasn’t having it.
How did you decide to become exclusive?
Princess: After 5 months of dating and spending a lot of time together, I asked Essay, “What are we?” (Laughs) We then had a conversation about the future and what we both wanted, and from there we decided that we wanted to officially be a couple.
Essay: Hmmm… What she left out is the fact that she chose to ask that question whilst on a long motorway journey to London. Smart move, as I had no way of escaping or avoiding the question! I’m glad she did though 😏
What would you consider to be an important factor in keeping your relationship alive?
Princess: For me, it’s the ability to have fun together whilst being our authentic selves.
Essay: Communication, patience and compromise. Princess is great with 2 out of 3 of those, and I think I’m quite good with 1 of the 3.
