Macklemore opens up about his return to music and sobriety. Image Source: American Songwriter
Macklemore opens up about his return to music and sobriety.
Musician Macklemore, real name Ben Haggarty, recently sat down with the Rolling Stones to talk about his near-fatal drug overdose, his return to music with the recently released single "Chant" and sobriety.
With the Australian singer-songwriter Tones and I, he wrote the song "Chant," which touches on some of his life events, including his relapse in 2020. After years of abusing drugs and alcohol, Macklemore's father assisted him in entering treatment in 2008, beginning his path to rehabilitation and sobriety.
Macklemore shared during the interview, the most crucial lesson he has learned along the way to recovery is that he has no control over drugs. He also said that the condition is sneaky and that its symptoms include lying to oneself about why being high is the best course of action. According to the artist, his sneaky sickness keeps pushing him to use drugs even though he is aware that doing so will bring his death. He stated that this is because the illness has damaged his sense of reason.
Macklemore opened In the summer of 2020 about his relapse and said that it was terrible for him and his loved ones and he knows how much they had to go through because he relapsed. He also revealed that he stopped working at the time. Ben Haggarty said that he doesn't need to pretend that he is someone flawless in recovery and he stated that he is not and there is no shame. He just has to remain still and reside inside of his skull, where his condition lives.
Macklemore, who shares three kids with his wife Tricia Davis, mentioned that his eldest daughter Sloane, who is seven years old, is aware of his challenges and struggles without knowing the details since she was three or four years old. The singer said that it’s a part of who he is and that he has nothing to hide and mentioned that she knows that he goes to sober meetings. The singer had mentioned that when his wife was pregnant with Sloane, he thought to himself that it was a relief that he could stay clean for someone.
But at the same time, he mentioned that the disease does not work like that and added that he knows that his kids cannot fix him up or keep him clean, but it’s him who has to do the work. Macklemore shared in January 2022 during one of his interviews that although maintaining sobriety may not need constant effort, it does and said that he has to approach his rehabilitation proactively. The singer added that he has had a spiritual release when he talks about it and shared that he will soon forget how horrible it gets if he is not helping others, giving back, attending meetings, and working the steps. Macklemore added that he will eventually come to believe that using drugs is the greatest way to relieve whatever temporary discomfort that he is experiencing.
The musician said that he had three relapses in the previous six years and that although addiction is a disease that can be treated, he will never be cured and is perfectly happy with it. Macklemore acknowledged that if he had not been able to access therapy, he would have died and that the realm to which rehabilitation has brought him is beyond anything he could have ever dreamed. Ben clarified that these aren't lofty ideas or intended to shock but are just the facts, noting that while his dad could afford a treatment facility, many Americans either can't or can't afford to take the time off.
Talking about the new music ‘Chant’, Macklemore shared with Rolling Stones that the new single serves as a bit of a rebirth for him and explained that he wanted to challenge himself to get through the moments of writer’s block, capture the spirit of what it is like to overcome something, push through it and get up the next day to do it again.
Following his Gemini album, which was released in 2017 and was his first album without Ryan Lewis, Macklemore said that the song is a preview of the album he worked on throughout the pandemic. However, he has withheld the album from the audience until he was able to share it with them. He claimed that once songs are out into the public, they belong to everyone and that the greatest way to experience music with others is to hear them perform in front of you. He concluded that he did not want to release an album that would prevent him from performing live.
According to Macklemore regarding Ryan Lewis, said that both of them needed a break and added that they had worked together for ten years, and they were together pretty much every day. Macklemore said that was a lot for both of them. He said that things might be intimidating since they are so at ease and open with one another and because of it the two of them required some alone. He said that Ryan Lewis made the first move and Macklemore was like what would he do next. The rapper, who started working on his third solo album before the pandemic and is now currently getting ready to release it shared that Ryan Lewis produced one of the album's songs, but he wouldn't go into greater detail.
Macklemore took to social media to share a note in which he stated that he has been working on the song for three years and that it still feels brand new to him. He added that he can’t remember a time he was excited about putting his new music out into the world and shared that at the start of the pandemic, his team and he was just about to go to LA to finish what they thought was the end of the album, but God had other plans. Macklemore wrote that in the last three years, there has been so much uncertainty in the industry that there were times when he questioned himself, asking whether he was done or if he would be able to tour again, etc.
Macklemore further wrote that he found himself completely disconnected and mentioned that during dinners they talked about algorithms, how to make content, consistency, likes, views, and plays. He added that the pressure is immense on the artists and they are currently treading water in a sea of fear. Macklemore mentioned that he believes that there is still an appetite for art and purpose behind albums; the arch, the sequence, and the story.
Chant is a start and he added that he hopes that everyone loves it too and shared that it intends to remind him and the rest of the world why he was put on Earth. He concluded the note by stating that he loved and appreciated everyone for listening and added that people would always be more powerful than the algorithm.
'Chant' is streaming now on all platforms.
