Miguel opened up about his divorce from Nazanin Mandi during a recent appearance on Club Shay Shay, admitting he “wasn’t whole” during their relationship.
The 40-year-old singer-songwriter explained that being focused on his career left him unprepared for marriage. He wasn’t in the right headspace to be with anyone and didn’t know how to communicate that.
“I’m not saying that I’m like, ‘Oh my God, I got all the answers now,’ but even being able to say and admit that I’m not whole … it completely changes the way that I approach things,” Miguel explained.
The relationship timeline shows a pattern of struggles.
Mandi filed for divorce in October 2022, citing irreconcilable differences. This came just eight months after the couple reconciled in February 2022 following their initial separation in September 2021.
Miguel said he made mistakes in how he approached the relationship with Mandi, who’s 39.
“I didn’t just build the trust as just a friendship to protect that later on, the becoming a relationship, the way that I could have.”
If he could do things over, Miguel says he would have been honest from the start.
“I would have really said, ‘Hey, I’m actually not ready right now!’ But when you meet someone and you’re like, ‘Man, I really need something special here,’ I can see where everything happened.”
The musician acknowledged there’s “a lot of things that I did wrong” and that he didn’t “set up” his relationship properly.
Despite their split, Miguel says he and Mandi maintain “a tremendous amount of love” for each other. They’re “working very hard to not make it about what it was.”
Miguel has since moved forward with his life.
He revealed in September that he welcomed a baby last year with partner Margaret Zhang. He’s also processed the divorce through his music, particularly the track “Always Time” from his latest album CAOS.
“It allowed me to kind of look at myself and go, ‘You know, I made a lot of mistakes, man.’ I’m not perfect! Never been perfect. Never said I was perfect. And I’m a much more aware person now. And I hate that I had to learn it the hard way, but we must continue.”
Miguel ended his comments about Mandi on a positive note: “She’s an amazing person and deserves the best.”
The couple’s relationship spanned nearly two decades.
Miguel and Mandi dated for 10 years before getting engaged in 2016. They married at the Hummingbird Nest Ranch in Simi Valley, California, in November 2018.
Court documents obtained by PEOPLE in October 2022 confirmed Mandi’s divorce filing. A representative for the couple had announced their initial 2021 separation after 17 years together.
“After 17 years together, Miguel and Nazanin Mandi have decided to separate and have been for some time now. The couple both wish each other well,” their rep told PEOPLE at the time.
