EVAN Reveals Childhood Cancer Battle for First Time: "I Wanted to Live So Badly"

EVAN has repeatedly emphasized the importance of remaining true to himself as an artist. A deeply personal story he has now shared for the first time offers new context for the person behind that music and the experiences that shaped him long before his debut.

In an interview with Weverse Magazine published on September 4th, EVAN revealed that he was diagnosed with malignant lymphoma in fourth grade, opening up about undergoing treatment, watching fellow young patients pass away and struggling to readjust to ordinary life afterward.

The revelation came while EVAN was discussing how he remains "true to" himself through his music. Asked about who he had been as a child, the singer initially described himself as scatterbrained, constantly running around and something of a troublemaker before deciding to share a story he had kept private throughout his career.

"I think it's time I talked about this," EVAN said. "I haven't brought this up since I became a singer, but in fourth grade, I was diagnosed with malignant lymphoma."

According to EVAN, he initially dismissed a persistent cough as a cold but it was only while playing soccer, when he suddenly found himself unable to breathe after taking four or five steps. It was then when he went to the hospital and learned that he had cancer.

Treatment was difficult, but EVAN recalled trying to remain strong after watching his mother care for him continuously. Music was already present in his life even then as he recounted how at hospital events such as talent shows for patients, he would play guitar and even take on hosting duties.

EVAN had dreamed of becoming a singer since he was six years old. However, those thoughts and dreams would constantly be overshadowed by a much more immediate desire to survive.

"I'd watch my friends pass away and kept thinking, ‘I want to live so badly, I want to go home,'" he recalled.

Although EVAN eventually completed treatment, returning to his previous life proved difficult. He described having less energy, and with his hair still growing back following chemotherapy, he became the target of teasing. EVAN said he endured the comments because he wanted to fit in.

The experience ultimately changed more than his physical health as the energetic and mischievous child he described at the beginning of the interview became considerably quieter afterward. By middle school, EVAN said, he was no longer as outgoing and had become "more of an introvert."

That change offers another layer to EVAN's emphasis on authenticity today. His comments suggest that figuring out who he is has not simply been an artistic concern, but something complicated by an experience that altered his personality at an unusually young age. His decision to finally disclose that period of his life also marks a new degree of openness from an artist who has increasingly placed his own identity at the center of his music.

That context is particularly striking as EVAN moves into his next musical chapter with DEATH OF ME.

The revelation also casts new light on the animated content EVAN has been sharing ahead of the album. One recent chapter follows what is described as an ordinary 10-year-old boy whose life is suddenly overtaken by illness "like dark storm clouds." Previously presented without the context of EVAN’s own history, the character could be understood simply as part of the album’s fictional storytelling. His disclosure, however, reveals parallels that make the story appear considerably more personal than it first seemed.

His childhood experience, the personality it helped reshape and his present-day insistence on remaining true to himself together provide a clearer picture of how EVAN has arrived at this point in his career.

"I haven't thought about that in a long time," EVAN said after recounting his childhood. "It hurts to bring it back up."