Korn frontman Jonathan Davis has said that he is “still fatigued like crazy” after contracting COVID-19 last year.
The singer, 51, tested positive for the virus last August, two weeks after Korn embarked on their 2021 US tour. As a result, the band were forced to cancel six of their scheduled concerts.
Davis returned to resume the run of shows after recovering, but performed while sitting on a throne for the majority of the set. He said at the time that he’d been “struggling with COVID after-effects” and was “feeling very weak”.
Elsewhere, Korn guitarist Brian “Head” Welch explained that his bandmate remained “physically weak” and was experiencing “a mental battle”.
During a recent appearance on the Lipps Service With Scott Lipps podcast (via Blabbermouth), Davis said that he thinks he is suffering from “long COVID”, adding: “I’m still fatigued like crazy. I’m doing the best I can. But I’m alive. And hopefully, in time, this will get better.”
Korn are currently out on the road in support of their 14th studio album, ‘Requiem’, which came out in February. Asked about his feelings towards touring during a pandemic, Davis replied: “I’m gonna live my life and get on with it.”
He continued: “I definitely cater my life around not getting sick, though, because if I get sick, there’s no show. COVID or not, that’s been my life my whole career. I’ve got my own bus. I stay away from people on purpose because if I get sick, there’s no one to fill in for me.”
Other members of Korn also contracted the virus over the course of last year’s tour, with rhythm guitarist James ‘Munky’ Shaffer and drummer Ray Luzier both cancelling live appearances after testing positive.
“With the other guys, when they all got sick with COVID, we had people on standby; they flew out instantly, they could fill in and we could do a show,” Davis told Lipps Service.
“But with me, I’ve gotta be careful. I always have been, but it’s now to the point where I’m like… a year ago, that was, like… I was freaking out. [Laughs] I was, like, ‘I don’t wanna get this’. And I go out on tour and I get it. And there you go.”
Back in November 2021, Davis said he was “scared shitless” after testing positive for COVID. “I was freaking out. I was totally wiped out. I couldn’t move – just the body aches,” he explained.
“I didn’t eat for a month, damn near. But thank God it didn’t get into my lungs; that would have freaked me really out.”
Korn will return to the UK this June for a main stage performance at Download Festival 2022. They’ll also participate in a live in-person Q&A and discussion, dubbed ‘An Evening With Korn’, on June 13 in London.