On Monday (Jan. 29), Billboard News published an interview with 6LACK, who earned a Best Progressive R&B Album Grammy nomination for the critically acclaimed Since I Have A Lover.

“For this one, it feels really good because it’s an album not really rooted in things people see as cool, which is like growing up, trial and error, maturity and being in healthier relationships with yourself and the people around you,” 6LACK said to the publication about the achievement. “To get the [nomination] for it is the icing on the cake.”

The Atlanta talent also opened up about his mental health and the importance of practicing self-care — something he began doing after 2018’s East Atlanta Love Letter.

“Working on those last two albums and doing those tours, I think I got into a motion of creating from a specific place and not healing up whatever those stories were,” he admitted. “So I would make something, promote it, perform it, live through it and move on to whatever the next thing was. The next time I finished both of those tours, it felt like I had a lot of baggage and extra stress that I didn’t even need to have anymore.”

6LACK continued, “So if we’re performing FREE 6LACK, we don’t need to be stressed about anything from that era. If we’re performing East Atlanta Love Letter, we don’t need to have anything with us from those eras. So, when I stopped touring and was looking around at everything, it just felt like I was in a room full of clutter — just mentally. That was the main thing that made me feel like I needed some time off.”

Since I Have A Lover was released in March 2023 with 19 songs and assists from Wale, Don Toliver and more. The LP peaked at No. 24 on the Billboard 200 and No. 7 on the Top R&B/Hip Hop Albums charts.