As he gears up to release his new album Austin Friday (July 28), Post Malone wants to set the record straight. In his Wednesday (July 26) interview with Apple Music 1’s Zane Lowe, the 28-year-old singer-rapper opened up about his drug and alcohol usage, emphasizing that — while he may have gone a little wild in the earlier days of his career — it’s definitely not what it used to be.
“I mean, first off, I shouldn’t have to really justify anything to anyone, but I appreciate the concerns,” he began, sitting casually on a couch with Lowe. “But then the rumor starts that I’m doing hard drugs, which I’ve never done in my entire life.”
“Yeah, I take shrooms … I like shrooms,” explained the musician, confirming he made his last album, Twelve Carat Toothache, while taking the psychedelics. “I like shrooms. Not as much as I used to. It’s really affected my short-term memory. … Maybe it was just a stint of habitual overuse. Daily.”
“But now I take a little bar of chocolate with my buddies, a little square chocolate and just laugh and laugh and laugh,” he added. “It’s interesting because it’s improved. It has improved my view on things. Making the last record, I was so, so, so … Well, writing it, I was so, so sad. But now I’m so happy and it’s definitely improved my viewpoint on life.”
The “White Iverson” artist also gave an update on his current relationship to alcohol, which he noted is “very much” a weakness for him. “It’s very frustrating,” Post admitted. “I have a very hard time expressing myself via recording if I’m not a little f–ked up. It’s a good spot now because if I’m not recording or I’m not talking to people or if I’m not doing shows, I really do drink just to have fun. It’s having a beer with my dad or with my bud.”
Posty also acknowledged that family life with his fiancée, with whom he welcomed a daughter last year, has helped to keep him grounded. “I really love hanging out with my baby, hanging out with the lady, playing video games, and in my garage working on projects,” he told Lowe. “That’s what I love to do. And so it hasn’t been that hard, but there’s times to where you have … It’s that one drink that sets you over.”
The interview comes just a couple months after the “Circles” singer took to Instagram to deny he was using drugs, which fans speculated was the reason behind his recent weight loss. “I’m having a lot of fun performing, and have never felt healthier,” he said at the time. “i guess dad life kicked in and i decided to kick soda, and start eating better so i can be around for a long time for this little angel.”
“The difference is I don’t rage in social settings,” Post told Lowe. “It’s usually me and a buddy. And we just stay up super late until the sunrise and we’re just drinking and sitting out on the car and just hanging out listening to music. I used to go nuts, and this is significantly better. There used to be a time, especially at the beginning of our relationship, that I would just disappear and just go for a week. And I was like, oh man, that’s so sh–ty.”
Watch Post Malone’s interview with Zane Lowe above.