Lewis Capaldi has joked that he plans on “retiring from public life” if his new single “flops”.
The singer will release the single “Forget Me” on Friday (9 September). It is the first song to be released from his second album, the follow up to his 2019 hit debut Divinely Uninspired to a Hellish Extent.
To celebrate the song’s release, Capaldi has appeared on a series of billboards wearing underwear and a pair of sunglasses.
In an interview with The Sun, Capaldi was asked if he planned to pivot to a career in comedy, should the song fail to reach the successes of his hit “Someone You Loved”.
“No, I won’t,” Capaldi said. “If it flops I will retire from public life. I’ll be like John Deacon in Queen. No one’s heard of that c*** in ages.”
He continued: “There’s me, a man who, let’s not beat around the bush, has accumulated a wealth already, and now I’m asking you to give me more of that, please, during a cost of living crisis.
“I’m aware of how f***ing mental that is. But unfortunately it’s the game we play.”
Earlier this week, Capaldi opened up for the first time about being diagnosed with Tourette’s syndrome.
The 25-year-old said that he wanted to go public with his diagnosis because he didn’t want his twitching to be misinterpreted.
“I wanted to speak about it because I didn’t want people to think I was taking cocaine or something,” he explained on Instagram Live.
“My shoulder twitches when I am excited, happy, nervous, or stressed. It is something I am living with. It’s not as bad as it looks.”