After spending decades surrounded by the sound and energy of the world’s biggest dance floors, DJ Pete Tong is now opening up about a vulnerable health setback.
The 65-year-old music veteran spoke to The Daily Mail and shared how the hearing loss has gradually changed how he experiences both his career and everyday life. For someone whose life has long revolved around music, the shift was not easy to accept.
For more than four decades, Tong has been a defining presence in dance music. From helping shape Ibiza’s iconic club scene in the 1990s to becoming a familiar voice on BBC Radio 1, his career has unfolded in some of the loudest and most energetic spaces in entertainment.
About a decade ago, however, Tong began to lose hearing in his right ear. The change forced him to adapt in ways he had never expected. Today, he performs wearing earplugs and relies on hearing aids to help him navigate conversations in busy rooms.
In the candid interview, Tong spoke openly about the emotional adjustment that came with realizing his hearing had permanently changed. Here are the key highlights:
DJ Admits Adjusting to Ear Protection Was a Challenge
GettyTong said adapting to life behind the DJ booth while protecting his hearing did not happen overnight. The change required patience and a new way of thinking about how he performs.
Talking to The Daily Mail, he said: “I have to say it was a really difficult transition to get used to because you’re kind of isolating yourself to a certain extent. You have to get used to it, and you have to find the right balance with the right earplugs with the right filters to still feel that you’re in the room enough.”
He added: “I mean, you’d be amazed how many top top DJs still don’t wear earplugs. It surprises me. People who work way more than I do are still not wearing earplugs.”
Over time, Tong said the conversation around hearing protection has started to shift across the music industry. More DJs and performers are becoming aware of the long-term health effects of constant exposure to loud sound.
Pete Tong on Accepting Hearing Loss
GettyHe also shared that he no longer feels the need to hide the reality of living with hearing loss.
“It’s not something you can scream from the rooftops, but it’s common. Certainly, in the last few years, it seems that more people wear something in their ears. So I think anything stigma related to kind of wearing a hearing device is kind of melted away, certainly for me, yeah.”
For Tong, speaking openly about the experience has become part of accepting it and helping others understand that hearing challenges are more common than many people realize.
Pete Tong Reflects on Early DJ Career and Missed Warnings
GettyLooking back on his early years behind the DJ booth, Tong admitted that hearing protection was simply not part of the conversation when his career began.
Talking to The Daily Mail, he explained his stance, saying: “I guess if I’d been aware in the 90s when I first started, it was never a thing. Everything that was done in the past is purely from ignorance and innocence, you know. I think just coming through the whole evolution and the rise of popularity of DJing, it wasn’t something that we really spoke about in the 90s.”
The experience has since reshaped how Tong approaches both his health and his workload. After decades of late nights and relentless club schedules, he now takes a more measured approach to performing and chooses opportunities that feel right for this stage of his career.
DJ Says His Passion for Music Is Still Strong
GettyDespite the hearing challenges, Tong says his love for music has not faded. He continues to host on BBC Radio 1 and is preparing for another series of performances, including dates on his popular Ibiza Classics tour.
Tong also reflected on how his career has naturally evolved over the years. Speaking to the Daily Mail, the veteran DJ said he has stepped back from the demanding pace that once defined his schedule.
Rather than performing nearly every night as he did earlier in his career, Tong now focuses on projects and appearances that feel right for him at this stage of his life.
He said he remains deeply connected to music and still finds joy in discovering new tracks and sharing them with audiences.
For Tong, the change is not about stepping away from the industry. Instead, it is about working with more balance and choosing opportunities that align with his experience, energy, and long-standing love for music.
Tong said many people do not realize how gradually hearing loss can develop.
He added: “If you have got some kind of hearing loss, then the earlier you find out about it, the better, because the whole thing about hearing loss is people don’t really know what they’re missing, because it’s not like a light switch, it’s a gradual thing. You don’t really know, and I mean, obviously, there are extreme cases of people going completely deaf, you know, from zero to 100, and that’s horrible and tragic. But for 99 percent of the people, it’s gradual and progressive.”
For Tong, the journey has brought a deeper awareness of the importance is protecting one’s hearing.
As he continues to perform and share music with audiences around the world, he hopes his story encourages others to take action earlier and safeguard their hearing for the future.
You can read Pete Tong’s full interview here.
