More than 25 years on stage and in the studio have left their mark: rapper Sido (43) suffers from hearing loss. He now made this public in an episode of the podcast “The Germans”.
Asked by hosts Nizar and Shayan Garcia in which situations it was worth listening, Sido said: “Do you know how lucky I am? I’m currently losing my left ear. I can only hear a little in my ear.” The hearing loss is already noticeable in everyday life, as the rapper explains: “I can lie on my ear at night and there’s something on TV – I can’t hear it anymore.”
But the hearing problems also have an advantage, the 43-year-old jokes: “Fate, or whoever is up there, is giving me the gift that I no longer have to hear everything.”
Hearing problems in music are by no means uncommon. Most recently, the German rapper RAF Camora (39) made it public in January that he had hearing problems and therefore had to postpone his tour. He has had problems with severe tinnitus and recurring sudden hearing loss since October 2023, he wrote in an Instagram post. This is particularly “scary” for a musician.
However, musicians are also particularly susceptible to tinnitus, sudden hearing loss or hearing loss: constant loud music, headphones on the ears and the high volume during live performances can cause long-term damage to hearing. Tote Hosen frontman Campino (61) was diagnosed with sudden hearing loss in 2018 after a concert, rocker Ozzy Osbourne (75) has suffered from tinnitus for years and even wears hearing aids. Phil Collins (73) only has muffled hearing in one ear, Eric Clapton (78) announced in 2021 that he was losing his hearing, suffering from tinnitus and wearing hearing aids.
Coldplay frontman Chris Martin (47) has also suffered from tinnitus for years and wears special hearing aids that are supposed to help him predict the beeping in his ears. Former One Direction star Louis Tomlinson (32) also announced at the age of 20 that he was losing the hearing in his right ear. One of the most prominent musicians with hearing problems is probably Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827), who was affected by hearing loss at the age of 27 and was completely deaf at the age of 48 – he didn’t let this stop him from composing.
