Trey Songz tests positive for COVID-19: ‘Don’t be like the president’

R&B singer Trey Songz took to Instagram to tell fans that he has tested positive for COVID-19.

“Here with a very important message to let you know I tested positive for COVID-19,” he shared. “I’ve taken many tests as I’ve been out protesting, food drives, of course; I have a very young son at home, so I get tested periodically, and this time it, unfortunately, came back positive.”

The 35-year-old singer, born Tremaine Neverson, told fans he would treat his diagnosis mindfully.

“If you come in contact with COVID, please do the same,” he pleaded. “Please do the same. Don’t be like the president.”

“7.5 million Americans have contracted COVID. One out of a thousand black people have died from it,” he said. “I will be taking this seriously. I will be self-quarantining, I will be in my house until I see a negative sign.”

He noted that his grandfather died earlier this year, and while his cause of death was not listed as COVID-19, the singer shared that he believed the deadly virus contributed to his death.

In the caption of the video, Songz said that he was “down but not out.” He urged his fans to stay safe. “Wear your mask. Wash your hands.”

The Grammy Award-nominated musician has spent much of 2020 on the front lines in his native Virginia fighting against police brutality and systemic racism. He released a single in June called “Riots 2020: How Many Times,” an anthem for the national protests.

During an Instagram Live session with DJ D-Nice, the singer said that he wanted to “acknowledge the pain and anguish everyone is going through right now. I know this ain’t usually my message, and you’re not used to hearing this from me, but this is the person I’ve always been.”

On the song, he sings, “How many mothers have to cry? How many brothers gotta die? How many more times?”

The official video features Trey Songz participating in Black Lives Matter protests in his native state. His latest project is aptly titled Back Home.

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