Damon Albarn opens up about past drug use, says heroin made him 'incredibly productive'

While promoting his upcoming solo debut, Everyday Robots, Damon Albarn has opened up about his past drug use. Although most musicians look back on their past excesses with regret, Albarn told Q Magazine (via The Independent) that using heroin made him "incredibly productive."

He detailed how he would regulate his heroin intake to "five days on and two days off" in order to heighten his creativity. "[Heroin] freed me up," he told them. "I hate talking about this because of my daughter, my family. But, for me, it was incredibly creative. A combination of [heroin] and playing really simple, beautiful, repetitive sh*t in Africa changed me completely as a musician. I found a scene of rhythm. I somehow managed to break out of something with my voice."

Albarn, who began using drugs "at the height of Britpop," has been clean for several years now and stressed in the interview that drugs are "cruel, cruel thing," adding, "[Heroin does turn you into a very isolated person and ultimately anything that you are truly dependent on is not good."

He also addressed his drug use in the song "You and Me." The lyrics say, "Tin foil and a lighter / the ship across / Five days on / Two days off."

Everyday Robots is due out April 28. Read the full interview here, and let us know what you think in the comments section below!

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Damon Albarn