Faith Evans said her relationship with Stevie J began long after they were friends and that a single studio moment changed everything. 

On a recent episode of the “Formula Features” podcast, Evans recounted that she and Stevie had known each other for years. He visited during her separation from The Notorious B.I.G., but it wasn’t until recording her 2017 album “The King & I” that feelings turned romantic. 

“So I camped out in Atlanta for a minute and worked with Stevie. In one of them sessions, Stevie came in the booth and kissed me,” she said.

Evans, who was legally married to Biggie until his 1997 death, said she “never even thought I would ever even be in a place to even get with us, Stevie.” She added that Stevie later told friends he’d loved her for years, joking that he’d spent time “trying to convince everybody that knew us for this long like, 'No I really been loving her.' Like, girl, bye.” The two were married from 2018 until their separation in 2020; their divorce was finalized in 2023. 

The timeline adds texture to a private love story that unfolded in public. Evans has long balanced the legacy of her marriage to Biggie with new chapters in life and music, and “The King & I” sessions, a tribute to her late husband, became the unlikely setting where a friendship quietly shifted into romance. Her recounting to Formula Features offers fans a candid look at a relationship many watched from the outside.