In October of 2022, Steve Lacy was performing his #1 hit “Bad Habit” at a show in New Orleans when a fan threw a disposable camera at him and hit him in the chest. Steve smashed the camera, cut the show short and refused to apologize. He was vilified for it, but he says what’s been happening to other artists lately proves his point.

In recent weeks, artists from Bebe Rexha to Harry Styles to Drake have been hit onstage by objects thrown by fans, which Steve tells Variety makes him feel vindicated. 

“People were pissed at me for it, but now they’re like, ‘He was f*****’ right — y’all shoulda listened to Steve!’”  he laughs. “I didn’t apologize for that s*** because I’m not wrong!”

But he says he sort of understands the motivation behind fans throwing things at artists.

“I had to accept that this is how these kids are,” Steve explains. “I was p***** at first…but I don’t see them being wrong for it anymore. As much as it … annoys me sometimes, they’re just young.”

As he notes, “A lot of these kids — it’s their first concert, so they don’t even know what concert etiquette is. I’m starting to love them, and I couldn’t imagine my shows without them. They don’t give a f*** how uncool they look, and I appreciate that.”

“It’s f****** dope that I get to develop these kids’ musical ears,” he concludes. “I’ve grown to be super-grateful for this rowdy, youthful craziness.”

As for the follow-up to his Grammy-winning project Gemini Rights, which featured “Bad Habit,” Steve tells Variety, “I’m making something completely new … [i]t’s still me, but… it’s way different.”

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.