A source told PEOPLE on August 29, “She and Akala are not dating. She is friends with him and his partner, Chanelle, who was also there.”

At the time, another insider mentioned that Jolie and Akala had been friends for “several years” and bonded over their shared commitment to social and humanitarian causes.

Beyond his career in music—having dropped five albums and multiple EPs since launching his recording career in the early 2000s—Akala is also a published author. His nonfiction book, Natives: Race & Class in the Ruins of Empire, was released in 2019.

“They did several collabs over the years that focus on global issues like human rights,” the second source noted. “Angie speaks very highly of him.”

Jolie recently made an appearance in London for the premiere of her highly praised film Maria at the London Film Festival. In the movie, she takes on the role of legendary 20th-century opera singer Maria Callas.

Maria will have a limited theatrical release starting November 27 before becoming available on Netflix on December 11.