These days, when someone attempts to judge just how popular an artist is, they immediately take a look at their social media pages. A singer, rapper, producer, etc. could have low sales numbers, but if they have a thriving Instagram page, labels and music executives will be keen on turning them into the next big star. However, we have seen in recent years ongoing reports about the potential dangers that arise with social media addiction, and a few of these concerns are exactly why Stormzy decided to wipe his slate clean back in 2020.The award-winning British rapper mysteriously deleted his social media pages over two years ago, and during his recent appearance on Leading Vibe Radio, he explained why he felt it was necessary in order to return to a “normal” life.

In February of that year, Stormzy removed himself from social media—a huge move for a chart-topping, world-touring artist. The following month, he embarked on a tour and recalled having an intense desire to share his movements with online followers that no longer existed.

“We done the show and I came off stage and I remember one of my first feelings was getting the clip of us to put on social media but I didn’t have social media. I remember it being a weird feeling because that’s what I would normally do anytime I’ve done something great, I’m gonna show everyone. And I remember thinking in that moment, ‘That’s ego, that’s ego. That’s probably validation.'”

“You gotta kill the ego,” he added. “I think that was probably my biggest moment of it. Because what is it that I’m trying to gain? Because that happened in real life… It was a big turning point for me in understanding that there is an ego in man I need to kill because look how blessed we are.”

Stormzy believes it is imperative for people to remember that before he is an artist, he is a man.

“Whether that be noise on the internet, whether that be noise in reality, whether that be noise in events.

“I’ll just make active decisions to not be around noise. Because I feel that noise doesn’t allow me to be normal,” he said. “Because if I consume noise and energy all the time there’s something that’s not normal about that. So, I think there’s a degree of separation that’s needed.”

You can listen to his full episode on Leading Vibe Radio on Apple Music 1.