Sam Fender has described fame as "mind-boggling" and admitted he had to take a break because his life had become "unrecognisable".
The 30-year-old singer quit his US tour in September 2022 declaring he was struggling with his mental health and found it "exhausting feigning happiness and wellness for the sake of business" - and now Sam has revealed he was unable to cope with his new-found stardom.
He told The Sunday Times newspaper: "I just needed a break. I woke up one morning and everything in my life was unrecognisable.
"I always thought I’d get to this point and it would all be great, but fame is mind-boggling and some deal with it better. Though I don’t know why anyone would want it."
However, his break didn't last for long and he resumed his tour less than a month later and Sam says he needed to get back on stage because he was worried the work would dry up.
He added: "Three weeks later we were in Australia. There’s a fear I’ve had my whole life that if I don’t keep going it’ll just disappear."
Explaining his reason for taking time off back in 2022, Sam told fans: "It seems completely hypocritical of me to advocate discussion on mental health and write songs about it if I don’t take the time to look after my own mental health.
"I’ve neglected myself for over a year now and haven’t dealt with things that have deeply affected me.
"It’s impossible to do this work on myself while on the road, and it’s exhausting feigning happiness and wellness for the sake of business."
He added that he was “eternally overwhelmed by the love and support of our fans” and said he hated to let them down.
However, “the state of my wellbeing is starting to affect everything I do, including my performances (and) I refuse to go out there and not give it my all EVERY time, as you all deserve nothing less."
