Who Is Juliana Nalú? Meet the Model Photographed With Kanye West

Although Kanye West is in the midst of backlash over his "White Lives Matter" stunt and antisemitic comments on social media, a spotlight has landed on his love life, after he was photographed apparently on a date.

The rapper and fashion designer, 45, sparked controversy after he appeared at his Yeezy brand fashion show in Paris wearing a shirt emblazoned with the words, "White Lives Matter," a common inversion employed by white supremacists as well as general opponents of the Black Lives Matter movement.

He went on to share a flurry of since-deleted Instagram posts in reaction to the backlash he faced over comments on various matters, leading to his account being restricted. An Instagram spokesperson confirmed to NBC News that it had restricted West's account and deleted content after he was accused of sharing an antisemitic post on Friday.

West, who has legally changed his name to Ye, was locked out of his Twitter account after he posted a tweet targeting Jewish people that "violated the service's policies against hate speech," a spokesperson for the platform told Newsweek.

Amid the storm, West has been seen enjoying the company of a woman identified by multiple outlets as Brazilian model Juliana Nalú. TMZ published photos of the pair taking a Sunday night trip to a Hollywood movie theater. The website also reported that the pair visited a Beverly Hills hotel on Thursday, and had dinner in Santa Monica, California, on Saturday night.

Who is Juliana Nalú?

Nalú, 24, is a model who hails from Complexo do Chapadao, north of Rio de Janeiro, according to a profile published by Latina magazine earlier in 2022. Complexo do Chapadao is a favela, a slum or shantytown located within or on the outskirts of Brazil's large cities.

While Nalú told the publication that she had a happy life in her humble surroundings, she also began to have big dreams from an early age, announcing to her mother when she was just six that she planned to become a world-renowned model.

"I wanted to do big things outside of Brazil, but I had no idea how to… the dream sounded too far for me, but I knew that I could try to reach [it]," Nalú said.

When she was 18, Nalú was selected to participate in L'Oreal Paris' Brazil campaign. She was signed to a modeling agency soon afterward, following more than five years of traveling across Brazil with her mom in pursuit of work in the field.

"My mom was helping me follow my dreams, traveling to agencies with me, and making brand connections," she recalled. "I lived in the favelas with my family until I was 18. It was hard to deal with the violence, and I didn't have access to many privileges in Brazil, compared to others. However, my mom had so much love for [me and my siblings] and gave us everything we needed to be a good person."

At the age of 19, she traveled to Los Angeles, where she signed to Elite Model Management. Per her Instagram profile, Nalú is also signed to MGM Models and Mix Models.

Crossing Paths With Kanye West

While it is not known when Nalú and West first met, they were in the French capital at the same time during Paris Fashion Week.

Between September 30 and October 4, Nalú shared images of herself posing in an array of eye-catching ensembles on Instagram while in Paris. Two of those posts had West's tracks serving as the soundtrack—"Devil In a New Dress" and "I Wonder," the latter of which she captioned: "I've been waiting for this my whole life!"

On Monday, her sartorial allegiance to West was further solidified when she shared photographs of herself posing in a pair of futuristic Yeezy sunglasses.

Should West make another bid to become president, it would appear that Nalú is on board, as she shared Instagram and Twitter posts of herself sporting his "2024" cap—the musician's strongest hint yet that he may vie for the White House again.

Early Tuesday, Nalú shared a series of paparazzi shots of herself on her outing with West on her Instagram Story. West, who has four children with ex-wife Kim Kardashian, counts himself among Nalú's more than 540,000 Instagram followers.

Love Is In the Air?

While neither have commented on rumors that they're dating, Nalú's likes on Twitter appear to give away her feelings on the matter.

Nalú responded with a black heart to a photo of herself with West that was shared on Twitter. She also appears to have been reading the plethora of comments that the post has generated.

The model liked one, written in Portuguese, in which a Twitter user said: "The U.S. may have a first lady created by the CHAPADÃO COMPLEX. Just the possibility of that happening makes me smile." This refers to the possibility of West running for office again after his an ill-fated bid for the White House in 2020.

Another tweet that caught Nalú's eye and currently sits in her archives of likes appears to have a more personal touch to it.

The person wrote that they "lived to see Nalú dating again. Finally found a guy who treats her like the princess she is and still treats everyone around her so well. You have no idea how kind-hearted and thoughtful this guy is."

Whatever the status of her relationship with West, Nalú appears keen to use her platform to break down barriers in an industry that has largely embraced Brazilian women hailing from a different background to her own.

"The visibility I have now is a privilege," Nalú told Latina. "I want the world to see a Brazilian from Rio, the favelas. Good things exist there. So, for the next girls who come after me, the [industry] will be more open."

Newsweek has reached out to representatives of West and Nalú for comment.