Jeremih is coming back strong after a tumultuous 2021.
Like millions of Americans, the Chicago-bred singer battled COVID-19 in late 2020. His case was very severe, landing him in the ICU and leaving him with long-term side effects. Jeremih spent a good portion of the last year getting himself back to peak health in the wake of the illness
"That was life-changing for me last year. I had never, ever thought in my life I'd be going through that," he said. "Even to have to learn how to walk again."
That said, he thankfully reports that he now feels 'way better, almost a hundred percent back.' And as a bonus, he returned home from the hospital with a major opportunity waiting for his acceptance.
"About a week and a half [after returning home], 50 called, he revealed. Jeremih and Curtis '50 Cent' Jackson have done several collaborations over the years. But the executive producer and co-creator of the Power Universe on Starz clearly had a bigger plan for him than a feature on a new single this time around.
"'I don't know what you're up to, or if you're up to it, but they're filming in Chicago right now for this role. I want to see if you want to do it. And it's not like, no cheesy role you wouldn't want to do, no corny role. I think you'd actually like to do it.'," Jeremih said 50 told him on the call.
50 tapped Jeremih to play a high-ranking member of one of Power Book IV: FORCE's central drug rings, Elijah, who is both street-smart and intimidating. It's an exciting new venture for the singer to have the experience of being on set filming.
"Being a part of that cast and just seeing some of my peers, even from Chicago as well that I was running into, it was just a dope experience, for sure. Knowing that people probably only heard me sing, now they get to hear me speak for once."
The crooner also had the opportunity to get some invaluable acting coaching from the show's star himself, Joseph Sikora.
"Actually, he helped me on set, to learn how to be better," he said. "To get way more comfortable just being next to him and just kind of stealing some of his methods."
More than anything, Jeremih is glad to have the opportunity to further put his city on the map.
"For the show to set be in Chicago and people get to see worldwide, just my city where I'm from and how we come and how we speak, I think it's dope," he said, noting how great it is that Sikora is a native of the Chicaco area as well.
But even beyond what role his character will play, Jeremih is forever enmeshed with the highly-anticipated spinoff by providing vocals for its soon-to-be-iconic theme song.
"Man, as a Power fan, I feel honored," he said of the opportunity. "I got to live up to the hype that Joe [singer of the original Power theme, "Big Rich Town"] left as well, because I feel like that song made me love [the show]."
Power Book IV: FORCE premiered on February 6, and episode 2 airs on February 13.