SOUTH KOREA (CelebrityAccess) With attention suddenly being drawn to Shawn White the snowboarder’s recent domination of the Winter Olympic Games in Seoul, South Korea, the media has turned its spotlight briefly on White’s girlfriend, a member of an New York electronic music duo called Phantogram.
Sarah Barthel, who was seen at the Olympics supporting her boyfriend and his three Gold medals, met White backstage at “Saturday Night Live” when White was house-hunting in the city and Barthel was living in Brooklyn, White told People magazine, saying they “just bumped backstage and became friends, and the over time it kind of turned into something.
That’s my boyfriend and he makes me so proud 💋 https://t.co/xvOK9UWmF4
— Sarah Barthel (@SarahBarthel) February 14, 2018
“We live in two different worlds, so that’s why it’s nice to come together and share stories from the road.”
The couple lives together in Los Angeles.
Barthel, meanwhile, told Billboard, “I think fans connect with [Phantogram] because we’re different. They hear different elements of everything but can’t put their finger on it. That was what we strived for from day one.”
Barthel apparently supported White through his recent accusations of sexual harassment. White fronted a band called Bad Things and, in 2016, drummer Lena Zawaideh claimed he “repeatedly sexually harassed her and forced his authoritarian management style on her for over seven years.” The two reportedly reached an undisclosed settlement in May.
“You get somebody that understands what it’s like to travel and to have to be on the road. And I thought I traveled a lot — man, musicians, it’s rough,” White told People. “And I didn’t really get it until l was in a band myself and we’re on the road and it’s like it’s Groundhog Day.”
Phantogram heads out on tour next month, hitting places like Fresno, Calif.’s Grizzly Festival May 18-19, Red Rock Amphitheater May 21, and the Bottlerock music festival in Napa, Calif., May 25.
