October. Seemingly the most frustrating of month of this year, is also a month for opportunity and support. Earlier this week, celebrities and influencers alike marked World Mental Health Day, a day of awareness and celebration. Mental health has always been a hot topic within the music industry, a combination of pressure and fear have made it a taboo subject but in recent years artists have been a lot more forthcoming with their own journeys.
1 in 4 people in the UK experience mental health problems each year and music has always been considered an outlet for many emotions and feelings. The last few years have chipped away at the stigma surrounding mental health leading to more and more artists using poetic justice within their music to share their darkest moments. For many listeners music can be a lifeline, providing reassurance when all hope is lost. Because music isn’t created to be one size fits all, neither is it linear and perfect. It’s an art form for expressing emotions in a creative way with no rules on how one individual is supposed to perceive it.
So, in honour of this year’s World Mental Health Day, here are five songs to provide you a (metaphorical) shoulder to lean on knowing that some of your favourite artists have also been there.
Sia, ‘Breathe Me’
Known, or should I say unknown, for her face covering wigs and high notes, Sia deals with complex PTSD and depression. On the night she wrote, her song ‘Breathe Me,’ she attempted to commit suicide. ‘Breathe Me’ was a result of her “six year bender”and relationship with various narcotics. The haunting song depicts issues such as self harm, and a severe depression leaving her feeling so lost she doesn’t know where she is. Throughout the song she expresses her desperate cry for help, needing someone to hear because she doesn’t know how to ask for it. Her lyrics ‘Lost myself again and I feel unsafe,’ beautifully captures the desperation and loneliness that depression can brand people with. Globally it’s estimated that 5% of adults suffer from depression, which may not sound like a lot but when you think about the mass of bodies on the earth that’s roughly four-hundred- million people, a lot of whom sufferer in silence.
Halsey, ‘Control’
Control. Who is really in control? Halsey communicates the constant battle of the control of her mind through her lyrics. Sometimes we all feel like there’s a fight in our heads, a decision to be made but sometimes it’s a constant battle ground, a never ending war. Many listeners associate ‘control’ with being schizophrenic – a disease that causes hallucinations, delusions and disordered behaviour. In the track, Halsey sings ‘I’m bigger than my body, I’m colder than this home, I’m meaner than my demons, I’m bigger than these bones.’ Lyrics that make it seem like she lives outside of her mind, watching in on a person who isn’t her.
Demi Lovato, ‘I Hate You, Don’t Leave Me‘
Renowned singer songwriter Demi Lovato has been open about their mental health journey and has written many songs to bring comfort to those in similar situations. They are an advocate for mental health, drug and alcohol addiction and eating disorders. Having released a series of documentaries about the most challenging moments of their life, they are an artist who was once controlled by the industry and is now breaking the stigma. Their song ‘I Hate You, Don’t Leave Me’ is filled with raw vulnerability and heartache. It expresses the contradicting thoughts and feelings of loving something or someone and hating it at the same time. Having been diagnosed with bipolar disorder, their song is consistent with those challenges they face and also with many BPD diagnoses. Track 14 on the exclusive version of the DEMI album, this song is incredibly underrated and passed over but Lovato is not shy to songs with deeper meanings. ‘Sober’, ‘Dancing With The Devil’, ‘You Don’t Do It For Me Anymore’, ‘Skyscraper’ and ‘Warrior’ are all well recognised trophies of their journey.
NF, ‘How Could You Leave Us‘
This song is one written not from the perspective of one’s struggles but rather from the other people around them that addiction affects. NF is an American rapper who has dealt with various mental health disorders but this song isn’t about him. It’s about his mother. His mother was addicted to pain medication and drugs, ‘How Could You Leave Us’ recognises the difficult relationship NF had with his mum due to the barrier of drug misuse. The song is written almost like a diary entry, recalling poignant moments of his childhood and the effect of having an addicted mother had on him up until she died of an overdose. His words pierce the skin, voice full of pain and anguish for himself and his family. For as long as mental health has been recognised, the argument around addiction has been a thorn in its side, people claiming it’s a choice and not a disease but the realities of addiction stem from a place darker than it just being a choice. Addiction has devastating consequences and 35 million people worldwide suffer from drug disorders whilst only 1 in 7 receive treatment.
Julia Micheals, ‘Anxiety‘
Whilst Julia Michaels is probably behind 80% of the songs in the charts over the last couple years, she’s also recorded and produced her own. ‘Anxiety’ features Selena Gomez who is also a huge mental health advocate. Signing her first publishing contract at 18, Julia was overcome with anxiety rather than achievement. The song is mellow and acoustic, a contrast to her headspace as she describes: ‘I got all these thoughts, running through my mind / All the damn time and I can’t seem to shut it off.’ In day to day life we all have some anxiety or worry but anxiety disorders isare like someone else has your life by the reigns and is holding your mind hostage. 6 in 100 people in the UK will be diagnosed with an anxiety disorder.
Mental health disorders are manageable and can be treated with the right combination of things. Music has been found to be one thing people can find comforting. There has been a lot of research into mental health and the correlation of music with many studies finding that it helps reduce anxiety and depression so much so we now have music pyschologists who look at the behaviour of our minds and music.
If you’re struggling with your mental health and looking for support, find your local NHS helpline here or check out Mind’s website for more guidance and resources.
LDN 