Following Naya Rivera's tragic death, Big Sean reflected on a past song that many felt was aimed at her.
Speaking to Vulture about his upcoming album Detroit 2, the singer got candid about his previous relationship with the Glee alum. When asked if he felt any "regret" in regards to his 2015 single, "IDFWU," he answered honestly.
"That's a tough question to answer because I'm still processing a lot of that," Big Sean admitted to the publication. "I don't feel comfortable talking about it because I want to respect her. She's made such an impact on people, and she's done so many great things in her life and her career that it was hurtful to even have that [song] be associated with her."
The 32-year-old musician made it clear that the track "wasn't a diss to her."
"I truly made the song and played it for her. She knew about it, and she liked it," he shared. "We had a breakup that was very public, and we were young and we forgave each other and moved on from that."
Knowing now what happened to the late actress, Big Sean explained that he would've approached things differently. "If I would have known something this tragic would have happened, I would have never made the song," he said.
Naya and Big Sean started dating in 2013 and got engaged the following year. However, six months after making the announcement, the two decided to call it quits.
Back in July, authorities confirmed the actress was dead five days after she went missing on a California lake. On Wednesday, July 8, Naya disappeared while she and her 4-year-old son, Josey, were boating on Lake Piru.
In light of her death, Naya's former Glee co-stars, family and close circle of friends shared heartfelt tributes in her honor. Big Sean was among those to break his silence on her passing.
"Rest In Peace Naya, God Bless your Soul! Thank you for blessing us all with your talent and presence. You are a hero! Not just because of how you saved your son, also because of the barriers you knocked down for so many people to make them feel confident in themselves and to stand tall and be proud when they couldn't achieve that on their own," he wrote on Instagram at the time.
"I appreciate and cherish everything that ever happened between us for making me wiser and a better person," he continued. "I'm still grieving and in shock, I can't believe this is real. I'm praying for you and your family and I know your [sic] watching over them and protecting them. Rest In Peace Naya."
Big Sean told Vulture that he's recently struggled with creativity issues due to having "so much anxiety."
"It was destroying me, too. That type of mindset was destroying me, and I didn't even know," he expressed, adding, "Once the anxiety starts overflowing, it turns into depression and then you just... that ain't no way to be when you're trying to make something. How are you going to attract something you're not putting out there? You're trying to listen to 92.3, but your station is on 105. You got to get on that frequency."
He also referenced his tweet on July 21, in which he posted, "DONT PRETEND TO BE OKAY WHEN YOU'RE NOT!"
"Growing up, you had to be a man. You couldn't be emotional all the time. That's looked down on. My granddad was dry. He was an amazing granddad, but he just didn't show that much emotion. He was a stone-cold military man. I don't know what he was going through. He never talked about it," Big Sean explained. "My dad was a little bit more expressive, but he has gone through a lot he never talked about."
He added, "So it was a new thing for me to approach my life like, 'Let me sit down and talk with somebody.'"
Because of his outlook, Big Sean said he inspired his dad to open up and "pursue therapy." As the musician summed it up, "It's something that I'm very proud of."
Read the star's full interview on Vulture.