Sombr has said he has “issues with eating” and that it has been a “lifelong” issue for the singer.
The 21-year-old, who pays Electric Picnic in Co Laois at the end of this month, shot to fame following the release of his 2024 song Back To Friends and is known for his pop-rock look and tracks including Undressed, 12 to 12 and Homewrecker.
The sharp pivot into the spotlight, however, has been challenging for the singer, whose real name is Shane Boose and he has had to learn how to navigate the “weird” side of the internet where “creepy people say creepy things”.
One of which is his body image – something Boose said he has struggled with and sings about in his recent single My Body Isn’t Ready.
It comes after a TikTok went viral last year in which a concertgoer criticised one of Boose’s shows and described him as “Slender Man”, a thin-limbed internet character.
Speaking to Variety, he said: “I have issues with eating.
“Sometimes I do not like eating, and it makes me want to throw up to eat. I can never choose what to eat. I never crave anything.”
“It’s a weird thing I have.”
He added that most of the time before a show he has to eat “against my will” in order to have enough energy to get through the show.
“It’s been my lifelong struggle,” he added.
“I only eat to survive; I don’t eat for pleasure most of the time.”
Speaking about his newly released song, where he sings about loving someone while he is struggling to love himself and his appearance, he said: “I want people who look up to me that might not be happy about their body image to understand that I’m not always happy about my body image
“I saw a comment today that was like, ‘I’m so glad that my favourite artist goes through the same things that I go through’.
“That made me want to cry.”
According to the HSE website, an eating disorder is a type of mental health difficulty in which people try to keep their weight as low as possible. They do this by not eating enough food or exercising too much, or both.
If you have been affected by any of the issues raised in this article, please see RTÉ list of helplines.
Source: Press Association