Singer Caleb Shomo came out as gay in a statement he shared on Instagram.
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The frontman for the rock and metalcore band Beartooth said it has been "difficult to navigate" his feelings and "figure out what to do" with them.
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"This is something I've been unpacking and reckoning with in my life for quite some time now," the Ohio-based musician wrote.
Singer Caleb Shomo has come out as gay.
The frontman for the rock and metalcore band Beartooth shared alengthy statement on Instagramon Saturday reflecting on his sexuality.
"There's been a lot of speculation surrounding my personal life as of late, and I feel compelled to set the record straight before it affects those I love any further," Shomo wrote. "I am a proudly gay man. This is something I've been unpacking and reckoning with in my life for quite some time now. It's been difficult to navigate the feelings surrounding the subject and figure out what to do with this fact."
Shomo, the only member of Beartooth who has remained in the lineup since he founded it in 2013, went on to explain how his sexuality has impacted his artistic voice. "I have always strived to chase who I am in the deepest part of my soul from album to album," he wrote. "As you could gather if you've followed the band at all in the earlier years, there are four very self-deprecating albums about exploring my religious upbringing, depression, self-hatred, self-loathing, and hopelessness."
The singer said he doesn't regret his early work, but he also doesn't think the music was a completely honest reflection of his true self. "I am grateful for all these albums," he wrote, "yet feel embarrassed at times that I wouldn't allow myself to really dig up the roots for so long."
Shomo explained that his journey to embracing his sexuality was a long one. "I spent a decade burying feelings with alcohol, and honestly when I decided to put it down and focus on exploring why I felt this way for so long, it's been a direct path to me reconciling with my sexuality in hopes that it will eventually lead to me experiencing self-love," he wrote.
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Beartooth's sixth studio album,Pure Ecstasy, will be different from the Ohio-based group's previous output. "One thing I decided before I wrote a single note or lyric of the upcoming album is that whatever happens, I will express myself wholeheartedly and fully," the singer said. "Wherever it takes me, I will follow, and I refuse to water any part of it down, from the music, to the lyrical content, and way I portray myself. I will only do what makes me happy at the deepest level and what is the most honest depiction of who I am."
Shomo said he thinks it's "impossible to love every part" of yourself if you don't first "face every part of you head-on," adding, "I am trying to finally be proud of who I am, and I think this is a massive part of that journey."
The singer also shared his gratitude for everyone who has helped him along the way: "To those who have shown me love — empowerment through living life freely and openly in my presence, supporting the queer community, or simply telling me you love me whoever I am — I am forever in your debt, and I hope you know what you mean to me."
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Shomo concluded his remarks with words of advice for others on the road to self-discovery. "I encourage anyone who's struggling with who they are to give yourself grace," he said. "Give yourself patience. Be honest with yourself. Do the hard work instead of burying it down as deep as you physically can, thinking it will change like I did. Holding these things in only hurts you and those around you. Love you all, and hopefully this is a step in the right direction to loving myself one day."
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