Idris Elba Wants To Focus On His Music And 'Lean Away' From Acting

Idris Elba is choosing to make music over acting. The "Sonic the Hedgehog 2" star, 49, hopes to "lean away from the acting work" to focus entirely on making music in the coming years, Vanity Fair reported.

The critically acclaimed actor, who has always had a flair for music, was the deejay at Meghan Markle and Prince Harry's wedding reception, and first performed at Coachella in 2019, per People. The actor also played a deejay on Netflix's "Turn Up Charlie" series.

Talking about pursuing his passion, Elba said his decision might not be accepted by all, but he is okay with that since music is what he really wants to do.

"Some may think, 'Well, it will be the death of your acting if your music's s**t.' I've dealt with the internal struggle of that over the years. So now I'm at peace and I've chosen: This is what I'm doing, and I'm going to do it. Some will love it and some will hate it," Elba said of pursuing music.

Shedding light on his decision to put his acting career on hold to explore his interest in music, Elba continued, "The thing about making music is it's a very consuming process. It's very difficult to shoot a movie and then go off into the studio or make a song. It's like trying to build a soufflé while making a brick wall."

The British actor's flourishing career is peppered with numerous awards and accolades over the last two decades. Nominated four times for Best Actor at the Golden Globes, Elba bagged the award for his portrayal of John Luther in the British psychological drama, "Luther." He is also a five-time Emmy nominee and boasts of an acting career that's been highly acclaimed by critics as well as in the mainstream.

At the same time, however, Elba has also had a passion for music since he was just 4 years old when he was first "mesmerized by the turntable going around and around," according to People.

The actor was over the moon when he finally found out he was going to play at the coveted Coachella festival. "I've worked my whole life to play at Coachella. I made it at 46! I nearly passed out when I found out," he said at the time.

This is not the first time Elba has shared his desire to explore a career in music. Back in 2013, the actor had revealed he was planning on taking a break from acting to pursue his interest in music, according to Evening Standard.

"This year, I'm not going to work as an actor and I'm going to put my mind into music. It's a progression thing with me. I want to make music but I don't want to shove it down people's throats. People are just barely getting to know me as an actor. But I do it from the heart, I'm not doing it for money — I just enjoy doing it," he said.