Beartooth vocalist Caleb Shomo is speaking candidly about the backlash he says followed his decision to come out as gay in May.
During an appearance on The Break Down with Nath & Johnny podcast, the frontman said he encountered “homophobia” earlier this year after publicly sharing his sexuality and later ending his 14-year marriage.
“I had already decided, like, I’m not gonna water myself down at all. I’m going to just do what I wanna do. I’m gonna wear what I wanna wear. I’m gonna sing how I wanna sing,” Shomo, 33, said, reflecting on the period after his announcement.
He continued, “I’m gonna look how I wanna look and just enjoy being an artist that’s allowed to do that, and that has the freedom to do that.” But that freedom, he explained, came with a harsh response from some corners. “That was met with a lot of opposition and a lot of… I mean, really, just a lot of homophobia, and a lot of people who really were not okay with me presenting that way at all, with what I was doing, any of it.”
Shomo first addressed his sexuality publicly on Instagram earlier this year, responding to what he described as “a lot of speculation surrounding [his] personal life” and telling fans he is a “proudly gay man.”
In July, he and wife Fleur Shomo (née Terry) jointly filed for divorce in Los Angeles Superior Court. The exes, who married in 2012, do not share any children.
Beartooth frontman Caleb Shomo is opening up about the homophobia he faced after coming out as gay this past May
In July, he and wife Fleur Shomo (née Terry) jointly filed for divorce in Los Angeles Superior Court
Shortly after Caleb came out, Fleur expressed support for him while also acknowledging the ‘disorientating and hurtful’ split.
Amid the adverse reaction to his sexuality, the singer said he was ‘going through so much’ and subsequently chose to ‘get off the internet for a while.’
While his band performed on Bad Omen’s Do You Feel Love? tour, he noted that he needed to be on point during each performance, but it was ‘tough.’
‘I mean, a lot of the day I’d be spent in a really, really bad place and just trying to find enough energy and enough will to get myself warmed up and get on that stage and do my f**king job,’ he shared.
Caleb said he is still met with homophobia.
READ MORE: Hydro One Outage Map Sparks Outrage Over Lake America
‘It didn’t really change as we kept releasing more songs, and the very vocal opposition continued and still continues to,’ he told listeners.
‘And, yeah, me coming out didn’t help that. And just being honest with people about who I am and what’s been going on.’
The music artist said that as he prepares his next project, there is ‘a lot that I need to say’ and ‘work through.’
Caleb and Fleur were married 14 years before filing for divorce two months after he came out as gay
Caleb is the lead vocalist of Beartooth, which he founded in 2012; pictured in July 2014 from left to right: bassist Oshie Bichar, drummer Brandon Mullins, guitarist Taylor Lumley, Caleb, guitarist Kamron Bradbury
Caleb penned a lengthy message to his 213,000 Instagram followers in the spring, addressing ‘something I’ve been unpacking and reckoning with in my life for quite some time now.’
‘I feel compelled to set the record straight before it affects those I love any further,’ he wrote. ‘I am a proudly gay man.’
He then admitted it has been ‘difficult’ for him ‘to navigate the feelings surrounding the subject and figure out what to do with this fact.’
In his statement, he explained that he ‘always’ put ‘the deepest part of my soul’ in his art and music.
Then, he reflected on four ‘very self-deprecating [Beartooth] albums’ that he created before coming out.
Caleb noted his past music explored ‘his religious upbringing, depression, self hatred, self loathing, and hopelessness.’
He said he ‘will express [himself] whole heartedly and fully’ in the music from his upcoming album.