Bring Me The Horizon 's lead singer , Oli Sykes , commented in a new interview with Kerrang! about the time he spent at a Hare Krishna Buddhist retreat in Brazil, in a community a few kilometers outside of São Paulo.
The singer revealed that, during the pandemic, he was confronted with "old problems that resurfaced" due to BMTH's lack of activity, leading him to internal questions such as "Who am I without the band or when I'm not writing music and working on projects?".
“I kind of realized there was a lot I hadn’t worked on,” he said. “When I went to rehab [for substance abuse] eight years ago, I came out feeling like I was healed. I thought, ‘I’m okay now,’ and that’s when we did Sempiternal . When everything stopped [with the pandemic], I realized I was so busy and things were going so well that I was more distracted than healed.”
“I didn’t like myself very much,” he admitted. “I don’t have much self-confidence. I had many moments when I didn’t like it when people said my name. I felt embarrassed. I could barely talk to people – things like going to a store, I felt embarrassed and scared. I never wanted to show myself, I just wanted to remain hidden all the time.”
Regarding his experience with Hare Krishna, Oli Sykes said that, despite not being a member, he participated intensely in the group's routine during his time at the retreat. “I would get up at five in the morning and chant with them and pray to all their gods and gurus. We listened to their gurus and readings from the Bhagavad Gita. I learned a lot. For them, the worst thing in the world is envy and ego and things like that. Basically, it's all about being content with what you have.”
READ ALSO: Bring Me The Horizon takes a bloodbath in the music video for their new song “DiE4u”
