DJ and producer Skrillex reflected upon 2022 as “the toughest year of my life” in a series of tweets early Monday.
“I literally found myself with no drive and purpose for the first time in my life,” he shared, one day after celebrating his 35th birthday.
“My mother passed away a few years back 2Nd day of Lalapalooza (sic) tour in [South America]. I never ever coped with it … I drank the pain away and kept going.”
Skrillex’s adoptive mother Francis Moore died in March 2015.
“People ask why ‘I’ve been gone’ or ‘fell off,’ rightfully so,” he continued. “Like I said, 22 was sort of my tipping point, I had to put everything on ice especially my projects/career.”
Last May, Skrillex announced on social media that he was pulling out of the Sunset Music Festival in Tampa and Detroit's Movement Festival because he was working on his albums “and haven’t had enough time to prepare.”
He admitted on Monday “the truth is I didn’t cancel sunset and movement festival because of my albums. It we (sic) because I was working on myself.”
Skrillex released collaborations with artists like J Balvin, Swae Lee and Justin Bieber and Don Toliver last year but hasn’t released a collection of new music since 2019’s EP Tracks.
“For the first time in 4-5 years I’ve found a new sense of peace,” he tweeted. “It took so much work and sacrifice to get here.
“There’s my bday tweet to you all.. Turing (sic) 35 for me was realizing the (sic) are certain f**ks you should not give, you’ll be more free for that. Here’s to 35 laps around the sun and to the f**ks I will no longer give.”
Skrillex also thanked his fans for their loyalty. “Does mean the world and I’ll continue to work on myself and not get into a situation where I have to cancel shows / go into hiding.”