Paul Simon is keeping his spirits high amid his struggles with hearing loss.
Simon's current condition has been affecting his shows over the past months, though he clarified that his voice is still strong. The singer previously revealed that he started losing his hearing about two-and-a-half years ago, only having around 8 percent hearing in his left ear.
Paul Simon Not Giving Up
On Sunday, September 10, Simon appeared at a Q&A session at the Toronto Film Festival, during which he opened up that he has not accepted his hearing loss. Although it has affected him and left him struggling to perform live like he used to, he said he has not given up on finding a solution to deal with his impairment.
"I haven't accepted it entirely, but I'm beginning to," he said, per The Hollywood Reporter. "Usually, when I finished an album I went out and toured with it, and then I have the opportunity to really investigate the piece. And then it evolves to another standard, and goes further."
The 81-year-old "You Can Call Me Al" singer said that he would try working with two guitarists to see if he can sing "Seven Palms" without a mistake amid his hearing issues since he is reportedly not sure how to integrate his voice with the guitars.
Simon shared he keeps his hopes up by playing his guitar every day, calling it his "solace."
His comment came after he told an outlet in July that his attempts to rehearse with his touring band somewhat failed because he still has not figured out how to perform while dealing with hearing loss.
After trying it, he realized that he could not manage it so far.
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Paul Simon's Hearing Loss Affects Live Performances
In an interview with The Times, the "Diamonds on the Soles of Her Shoes" crooner looked back at the time the hearing loss happened.
He revealed to the outlet that the health issue began while he was working on the music for his album, "Seven Psalms," but thought it would pass on its own.
However, his hearing has not come back since then, leading him to question his ability to perform live.
"It's upsetting. I can still hear well enough to play guitar and write," he said, per CBS News. "But I can't hear well enough to play with five or six musicians. Maybe that's fine. Maybe there's something to be learned from that?"
Aside from that, Simon's previous COVID-19 battle also left him physically frail over the last couple of years.
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