With over 180,000 cases of the novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) now detected worldwide, it was inevitable that prominent members of the music business would start to become personally affected.
The weekend brought the news that Sir Lucian Grainge, CEO & Chairman of Universal Music Group, had tested positive for the virus and is being treated at the UCLA Medical Center. Since that news, the likes of actor Idris Elba have also publicly confirmed that they too have tested positive.
Today (March 17), Andrew Watt – the Grammy-winning, L.A-based songwriter/producer who has in the past worked with the likes of Camila Cabello, Justin Bieber, Selena Gomez and Post Malone – announced that he too has been diagnosed with COVID-19.
In an Instagram post, Watt, who won a Grammy in 2019 for his work on Cardi B’s album Invasion Of Privacy, said: “Yesterday I was given the results that I am positive for COVID-19. I wanted to tell you all about my journey getting here in an effort to bring awareness to the severity of what’s happening in the world…”
He added: “12 days ago, early morning of March 6th, I started feeling like I was hit by a bus. I couldn’t move out of my bed for days and started to run a fever. I was seen by a doctor at my house who told me I am positive for the regular flu and there’s no way I could have COVID-19 as I haven’t left the country and all I do is go to the studio and go straight home. I told all my friends I had been working with and anyone close to me that I’m laid out with the flu and quarantined myself… none of them even had a sniffle.”
“I can’t stress this enough… This is not a joke. Stay inside, stay sanitized.”
Continued Watt: “I was put on Tamiflu and constant Tylenol to fight the fever… but the chills, sweats, and fevers did not stop. I started to become delusional and then began the dry cough… I immediately rushed to the emergency room and begged to be tested for COVID-19 as this ‘flu’ was not subsiding. I was turned down for the test because of federal regulations. I begged and pleaded to be evaluated and finally was given a chest x-ray… the results of which were Viral Pneumonia… but still… No Test.
“A private doctor was finally able to test me himself and yesterday afternoon it came back Positive for COVID-19.”
Kobalt-signed Watt revealed that his condition is now improving, but that he is currently finding it “very hard to breathe” due to the pneumonia, and is using an “oxygen machine to give my lungs as much relief as possible”.
In an impassioned plea to those reading his post, he said: “I am 29 years old. I am a healthy young man and I am going to get through this no matter what. I am going to make a full recovery. But… there are so many people in my life and in the world that could possibly not get through this due to their age and/or a compromised immune system… this is why I am writing this post.
“To have the mentality, ‘I’m young, this can’t affect me’ is just straight up stupid and dangerous to everyone around you.”
“I can’t stress this enough… This is not a joke. Stay inside, stay sanitized. Please stop everything and take care of yourselves [and] the people you love around you, until we are all through this.
“To have the mentality, ‘I’m young, this can’t affect me’ is just straight up stupid and dangerous to everyone around you. Social distancing is to protect someone’s mom and dad, someone’s grandmother… it’s not about you. It’s about everyone together fighting this as a team. Stay safe. Now more than ever… Okay, I’m going back to Men In Black III.”
Watt (pictured) – born Andrew Wotman – co-wrote and produced two tracks on the US market’s biggest streaming album of last year, Hollywood’s Bleeding by Post Malone (Die For Me and Take What You Want).
He also co-wrote the majority of tracks on Ozzy Osbourne’s latest solo album, Ordinary Man, which was released last month.Music Business Worldwide
