Entertainment Music André 3000 'Turned into a Panther' During Ayahuasca Trip in Hawaii: 'I Was a Changed Person' The Outkast musician opened up to NPR about how the experience informed one of the tracks on his forthcoming solo album 'New Blue Sun' By Ilana Kaplan Ilana Kaplan Ilana Kaplan is a Senior Digital Writer/Editor at PEOPLE. They have been working at PEOPLE since 2023. Their work has previously appeared in The New York Times, Rolling Stone, Vanity Fair, Vogue and more. People Editorial Guidelines Published on November 15, 2023 12:55PM EST Andre 3000 in Pasadena in January 2020. Photo: Andrew Toth/Getty Images André 3000 had a wild experience during an ayahuasca trip in Hawaii. In an interview with NPR, the Outkast musician, 48, opened up about the song "That Night In Hawaii When I Turned Into A Panther And Started Making These Low Register Purring Tones That I Couldn't Control Sh¥t Was Wild." and how it was informed by a transformative ayahuasca experience. "I was actually in Hawaii and it was my second night of the first time I'd ever taken ayahuasca. We did it like a three-night kind of phase. The first night was inviting and beautiful and the most powerful love and connection with all things I've ever felt in my life," he told the outlet. André explained that "the second night was different." André 3000 Announces Debut Solo Album of Entirely Flute Music, Says He'll 'Maybe' Make a Rap Project 'One Day' "The second night my stomach was hurting, my mouth contorted like a panther and I actually turned into a panther. And I was doing like GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR — like, that kind of thing," he said. The "Roses" singer continued: "I actually turned into a panther. It was doing this thing called toning. Toning is another way of purging. And toning is where you make these vibrational noises that you can't control. It started playing me like an instrument. I started as a panther and then it would make me do these long kind of tones and started changing the notes." André explained that he's "mimicking" the panther on the song. "I was like, Damn, I wish I had my phone so I can record this 'cause, like, it'd be so dope. I'm witnessing it and I'm watching it and it holds you for so long. I'm like, where's this breath coming from? And then you end off and you go and do it again. And I'm like, whoa, what is happening right now? So that's what I'm talking about in that title," he said. Andre 3000 in Atlanta in September 2016. Prince Williams/WireImage When asked if the hip-hop performer found the experience to be "scary," he said "It was kind of intriguing" because he was "digging the sound." "'But at the same time, the shaman is coming over and he's fanning me. And he's saying, "Oh, that's like 20 years of therapy happening right now,'" he said. The Grammy winner concluded: "I guess I had to get through that moment. But yeah, it was just interesting because my mouth actually shaped like a panther." André 3000 Calls Drake and Kanye West's Feud 'Unfortunate' After 'Life of the Party' Leak André 3000 in Pasadena in January 2020. Tommaso Boddi/Getty Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. André announced his debut solo album New Blue Sun on Tuesday — an 8-track project entirely made up of instrumental woodwind music set to drop on Friday. "I've been interested in winds for a long time, so it was just a natural progression for me to go into flutes," André, who previously showed off his woodwind skills on the Outkast's 2003 track "She Lives in My Lap" as well as 2019's "Where's the Catch?" with James Blake, said in a statement.