Diddy Explains ‘Love’ Moniker and Says David Bowie Inspired His Name Changes

"David Bowie ... was always able to give you different artistic personas. But for me, my real life is my art, and so there’s been different eras,” Diddy said

Sean "Diddy" Combs is in his “love” era.

The 54-year-old rapper revealed on The Graham Norton Show that he has entered a new period in his life and career inspired by his middle name change two years ago from "John" to "Love" — and credited David Bowie for the idea.

When asked by host Graham Norton where “Love” fits into his new name, Combs said: “... David Bowie. I was always a fan of his, and he was always able to give you different artistic personas. But for me, my real life is my art, and so there’s been different eras.”

“So there’s been the ‘Puff Daddy’ era, the ‘P. Diddy’ era, but I dropped the P. Then it was the ‘Diddy’ era and now, this is the ultimate goal,” he explained. “I have become Love.”

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Norton then asked if he should call Diddy “Love,” to which the “I’ll Be Missing You” singer admitted that it can get “confusing.”

“Y’all call me Diddy. Call me Diddy, but when I’m being ‘Love,’ and I’m in that mood because I have to always remind myself that we live in a toxic world and it’s love vs. hate. That’s what’s going on right now. And I choose love,” he clarified.

“That’s my new name, and love wins. Love wins, let's go y’all!,” he added to the audience.

Related: Diddy Celebrates Daughter Love's First Birthday with Pink-Themed Party: 'Love You with All My Heart'

Combs announced in May 2021 that he had changed his middle name by showing a photo of his updated driver's license on Instagram. "Look what I just got in the mail today... 🖤💫✨⚡️," he captioned the photo of the Florida ID. "IT'S OFFICIAL!!! WELCOME TO THE LOVE ERA."

Along with the photo of the ID, Combs also added a snap of himself writing "Love" inside of a heart, with different iterations of his signature above it.

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The name change also inspired his new EP The Love Album: Off the Grid, which he released in September. The project marked Diddy's first solo album since 2006's Press Play, which included the hits "Come to Me" featuring Nicole Scherzinger and "Last Night" featuring Keyshia Cole.

"The thing about it is the game that goes with it. It's The Love Album but you have to go off the grid. That means you have to get with your significant other and turn off your Wi-Fi, lock the door, put on a red light, put on this album and then just go with the flow," he described the album on Jimmy Kimmel Live!.

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