Idris Elba reveals plans to “lean away” from acting to focus on music
"Some will love it and some will hate it"
Idris Elba has shared that he plans to prioritise making electronic music and spend less time acting.
The actor spoke about his musical ambitions in a new interview with Vanity Fair, revealing that he is hoping to put more energy into music.
Speaking about his hopes for fans to take his secondary gig seriously, Elba said: “Some may think, Well, it will be the death of your acting if your music’s shit.”
“I’ve dealt with the internal struggle of that over the years. So now I’m at peace and I’ve chosen: This is what I’m doing, and I’m going to do it. Some will love it and some will hate it.”
The ‘Luther’ actor also spoke about plans to “lean away from the acting work”.
“The thing about making music is it’s a very consuming process,” he added. “It’s very difficult to shoot a movie and then go off into the studio or make a song. It’s like trying to build a soufflé while making a brick wall.”
Elba has previously collaborated with artists like Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, and also performed at Coachella in 2019.
His latest EP, ‘Cordi Elba’, a collaboration with Australian band Lime Cordiale, came out last month.
The actor will voice Knuckles in ‘Sonic the Hedgehog 2’, out in April. He’s also set to star in survival film ‘Beast’, and will appear opposite Tilda Swinton in fantasy film ‘Three Thousand Years of Longing’.
“Having a year of films that are all very different excites me,” he said of his upcoming projects.
“I don’t want people to be like, ‘Oh, this is an Idris Elba film, so I’m going to expect that,’” he continued. “I feel very privileged to be considered an actor that has a lot of range.”
Elba is scheduled to perform at Creamfields South in Chelmsford on June 4, with Calvin Harris, David Guetta, Becky Hill, Faithless and more on the line-up across the two-day event. Tickets are available to purchase here.