Talking Heads frontman David Byrne revealed he is engaged to his much younger girlfriend Mala Gaonkar.
The 73-year-old musician and Gaonkar, 55, have been dating for nearly a decade, after first meeting in 2016 while working on a production for The Makers series at Stanford Arts Institute.
Byrne confirmed the happy engagement news in an interview with The Times, published on Saturday.
While discussing his upcoming album, Who Is The Sky?, and the origin of its ninth track, ‘Moisturizing Thing,’ he referred to Gaonkar — whose ex-husband, 57, is currently dating Reese Witherspoon, 49 — as his ‘fiancée.’
‘My fiancée will sometimes come at me with greasy hands, ready to smear my face. And at one point I thought, “What if I wake up and really looked younger?”‘ he told the publication.
‘But there’s a message, too. About how people judge us by the way we look. You learn a lesson you didn’t expect at the start.’
Talking Heads frontman David Byrne, 73, revealed he is engaged to his much younger girlfriend Mala Gaonkar, 55, after nearly a decade of dating; They are seen at the Oscars in 2023
While discussing his upcoming album ‘Who Is The Sky?’ with The Times, he referred to Gaonkar as his ‘fiancée’; Byrne is pictured performing in 2002
Byrne and Gaonkar live together in New York.
The glamorous pair have attended several events together over the years, including a special screening for My Mother’s Wedding in August 2025, the Dune: Part Two premiere in 2024, and the 2023 Oscars.
The singer was previously married to Adelle Lutz from 1987 to 2004.
The former couple share daughter Malu.
Meanwhile Gaonkar was previously married to financier Oliver Haarmann, who is now dating Witherspoon.
Gaonkar and Haarmann divorced after welcoming two sons together.
Gaonkar is a successful financier like her ex-husband, and earned a Master’s degree from Harvard. She founded her own hedge fund in 2022, called SurgoCap Partners.
SurgoCap Partners made its launch with an estimated $1.8 billion in assets under its management – making it the largest financial launch ever, that was led by a woman.
The entrepreneur has also signed the Giving Pledge, which is only open to billionaires.
The Giving Pledge, started by Bill Gates and Warren Buffett, is a public promise that is made to give away the majority of one’s wealth to help aid philanthropic causes.
Last month, her German financier ex and his new girlfriend Reese looked totally loved-up as the pair passionately kissed during a holiday in Saint-Tropez.
Byrne and Gaonkar — who first met in 2016 — live together in New York; The pair seen in 2024 at the Dune 2 premiere
The glamorous pair have attended several events together over the years; Seen in 2022 at The Moth Ball 25th Anniversary Gala
Gaonkar is a successful financier, and earned a Master’s degree from Harvard. She founded her own hedge fund in 2022, called SurgoCap Partners; Pictured August 5 in New York
Gaonkar’s ex-husband, German financier Oliver Haarmann, 57, is currently dating Oscar winner Reese Witherspoon, 48; (L) Haarmann seen in 2016, (R) Witherspoon seen 2024
Haarmann is a founding partner of Searchlight Capital Partners, a private equity investment firm.
The Oscar-winner began dating the hunky billionaire last year following her shock split in 2023 from Jim Toth, 55, her husband of 12 years.
Legendary US rock band Talking Heads – consisting of front man Byrne, bassist Tina Weymouth, drummer Chris Fantz and guitarist Jerri Harrison – shot to stardom after forming in 1975.
During a 16-year period together the band achieved commercial and critical success thanks to much-loved tracks such as Once in a Lifetime and Road to Nowhere before they split in 1991.
In the same interview that subtly announced his engagement, Byrne also dismissed the idea of a Talking Heads reunion, calling it a ‘fool’s errand.’
‘On a practical level, trying to recreate the feeling that people had when they were in their early 20s? The time that they first heard that music? That’s a fool’s errand. And besides, I’m really enjoying what I’m doing,’ he shared.
Fans had hopes for a reunion after the band teased a major announcement in June.
The news, however, was simply the premiere of the first music video for their iconic song, Psycho Killer, featuring Saoirse Ronan.
Talking Heads announced their split in December 1991, with the bandmembers excluding David briefly and continuing touring as Shrunken Heads.
The band have not performed together since 1984, aside from a brief reunion in 2023.
When the group split, Chris said their breakup had been caused by David and that he had learned his bandmate was leaving from a Los Angeles Times article.
Meanwhile Byrne was previously married to Adelle Lutz from 1987 to 2004; They are pictured in 1997
The former couple share daughter Malu; Seen with their daughter in 1991 in New York City
After much critical and commercial success, Talking Heads split in 1991 with fans longing for their return since; Jerry Harrison, Byrne, Chris Frantz and Tina Weymouth pictured 1980
He said at the time: ‘As far as we’re concerned, the band never really broke up. David just decided to leave.’
‘We were never too pleased about the way David handled the situation.’
They have four albums named in the 2003 Rolling Stone’s 500 Greatest Albums of All Time list.
The group reportedly turned down a whopping $80million offered to them by Live Nation last December for a reunion tour consisting of six to eight festival and concert gigs, Billboard reported.
Byrne’s first new solo album in seven years, Who Is The Sky?, is set for release on September 5.