Drake assured fans this week a recent change to his appearance wasn’t deliberate, but rather the result of having had COVID-19.
The “Hotline Bling” rapper and singer on Tuesday confirmed, after the fan account Aubrey’s Interlude posted two images that showed his apparently receding hairline, that he’d tested positive for the coronavirus.
“That heart is stressed,” the account’s owner wrote, referencing a small heart that Drake shaved into his head last summer, presumably as part of the rollout for his forthcoming album, “Certified Lover Boy.”
The heart was clearly visible in the first photo, which was taken last year, and then appeared to have faded considerably in the more-recent studio image.
“I had Covid that shit grew in weird I had to start again,” Drake wrote in the comments section, along with a laughing emoji. “It’s coming back don’t diss.”
Hair loss has been one of many symptoms reported by those who have contracted COVID-19. Appearing on “The Dr. Oz Show” last year, Alyssa Milano said she experienced “extreme loss” of her hair as well as a “brain fog” after testing positive for the coronavirus.
Some medical experts, however, believe that hair loss is a reaction to the physiological and emotional stress brought on by the illness rather than a result of the virus itself.
As of Wednesday afternoon, Drake had not publicly specified when he’d been diagnosed with COVID-19.
In March of last year, he shared the results of his first COVID-19 test in an Instagram Live — at that point, he’d tested negative. That same month, he was photographed hanging out with Brooklyn Nets player Kevin Durant in Los Angeles. The athlete tested positive eight days after their visit.
Of COVID tests, Drake quipped at the time: “They put that Q-tip all the way in your thoughts and shit.”