Grimes explains why she and Elon Musk called their baby X Æ A-12
Elon Musk announced the birth of his son in a tweet on Tuesday, but the boy's given moniker has left many confused.
Wednesday 6 May 2020 21:51, UK
Grimes has attempted to explain the meaning behind the unusual name given to her newborn son, X Æ A-12 Musk.
The Canadian singer and Tesla co-founder Elon Musk prompted almost universal bemusement when they revealed the moniker they had chosen for their first child.
But breaking down the elements, the 32-year-old said "X" represents the "unknown variable", while "Æ" has several interpretations as it is the "elven spelling" of "Ai" - which means love in Chinese, and is also an acronym for artificial intelligence.
The "A-12", meanwhile, is "our favourite aircraft", she said, referring to her partner and son's father.
She pointed out the aircraft was developed from the SR-71, which had "no weapons, no defenses, just speed."
"Great in battle, but non-violent," she added.
Finally, the "A" also refers to the singer's favourite song, "Archangel".
She then completed her tweet by writing "metal rat", which is believed to be a reference to the Chinese zodiac year.
Musk and Grimes - whose real name is Claire Elise Boucher - have been in a relationship for more than two years and made their public debut as a couple at the 2018 Met Gala.
This year's Met Gala should have taken place on Monday night, but was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
South African-born Musk confirmed the birth of X Æ A-12 on Tuesday, although the couple have yet to explain how the name should be pronounced.
In his tweet, the 48-year-old said "Mom & baby all good", although Grimes tweeted later on Wednesday to say she was recovering from surgery and was "barely alive".
She gave no further details.
Musk, who is one of the world's richest men, also has five children with his first wife, Canadian author Justine Wilson.
The 48-year-old recently made headlines after posting a series of tweets that saw $13bn wiped off Tesla's share price, although they jumped back up a few days later.
His criticism of coronavirus lockdown restrictions in the US - despite the high number of deaths - was also the subject of widespread coverage.
However on Wednesday, Musk appeared to be fully focused on fatherhood, tweeting that he felt it was "a time for dad jokes."