Sean Kingston sat down with MTV on Tuesday (Aug. 2) for his first televised interview since his May 29 jet-skiing accident. The "Beautiful Girls" singer was visibly slimmer and discussed his recovery, how his lifestyle has changed and, surprisingly, his desire to get back on a jet ski.
Kingston was taken to the Jackson Memorial Hospital after crashing his jet ski into a bridge. He had a shattered wrist, a broken jaw and water in his lung. He says he took nutrients through a feeding tube for the first few days and had his jaw wired.
The "Beautiful Girls" crooner revealed that when he was ready to leave the hospital, he felt a sharp pain in his chest that he told doctors was a "9" on a pain scale of 0-10. The pain was the result of a torn aorta that had filled his lungs with blood and he was immediately given open-heart surgery.
Sean Kingston 'Feeling a Lot Better,' Tweets New Photo
Complications ensued and Kingston was sent for a second open-heart surgery shortly after his first one.
During the early days of his hospitalization, Kingston could only communicate by writing things down. He told MTV this served him well in thinking about future songs and lyrics. Kingston was on the pain medication Percoset but doesn't take it anymore.
Would he give up jet-skiing? Kingston says, "I'm definitely going to be jet-skiing again. I have to overcome my fear. It wasn't the jet ski, it was not knowing the area."
After losing weight during his recovery, the 21 year-old said he's making a concerted effort to lose even more. He has a trainer, is watching what he eats and aims to lose 20 more pounds. Kingston also said he has a renewed faith in God and now attends church every Sunday.
Kingston returned to the stage on July 22 to join pal Nicki Minaj on their collaboration "Nutty Love." It was first time he'd performed publicly since the accident. Kingston says he's "100% better" and "focused on music again." He gave a shout-out to L.A. Reid, the new head of his label, Epic Records.
He's headed to L.A. to start work on new material and will perform "spot dates." He hopes to have a new single out by December.
Kingston plans to be a mogul in 25 years ala Jay-Z or Sean "Puffy" Combs. He says, "Five years from now what I want is more production and writing and give other artists time to shine."
Asked if he could change anything about the day of the crash, Kingston said he'd "keep the tide steady, have the bridge a little bit higher."