Leo
Leo said money, alcohol and even “navigating the industry” can put pressure on a musician’s mental health.
It used to be taboo to talk publicly about one’s mental health or addiction issues.
But today, in an industry where these issues are rampant, musicians like Billie Eilish, Demi Lovato and Lewis Capaldi are digging deep into and sharing their most personal experiences to make their legions of fans feel understood.
Following their lead, more artists are speaking out to send the message that it’s okay to talk.
Ileo, who makes music she calls “bipolar pop”, said the response from fans has been “amazing” since she started singing about her experiences with mental illness.
The singer, from Cheltenham, who suffers from bipolar disorder herself, said: “People reach out and say, ‘This song helps me so much’.”
Swindon-born singer-songwriter Athena Aperta, 26, also hopes her “honest lyrics” will give listeners “hope”.
She has been sober for two years but says her struggles with mental health, alcohol and drugs intensified after she became involved in London’s music world, where substance abuse is “very common”.
She said finding a job closer to her hometown in 2022 was actually a “blessing” that helped her overcome her addiction.
“Drugs are still around, people still drink alcohol,” she said, but added that she now has “a lot more control over myself” if she’s in that environment.
Gideon Lydiard
“For a long time, I dimmed my light. I was afraid to be myself,” Athena Aperta said.
Athena recently received funding from the Youth Music: Next Generation Award and released two singles, including “Facing the Sun,” a song about living with anxiety, depression and CPTSD. [Complex post-traumatic stress disorder] And I’m recovering from being a people pleaser.”
“There’s a lack of hope in the world right now and I just want to give people hope,” she said.
The 2023 census by Help Musicians found that almost a third of musicians had experienced poor mental health.
Grace Meadows, chief executive of Music Minds Matter, Help Musicians’ specialist mental health sister charity, said: “Not knowing whether help is available or who to turn to for support can lead to behaviours such as substance abuse that exacerbate rather than alleviate mental health problems.”
She explained that the “normalisation of drugs and alcohol throughout the industry” can make this situation even worse.
Leo
Leo said her music is “basically bangers that encapsulate the best of times and the worst of times.”
“It’s really hard to be a musician,” said Ileo, who has dealt with serious mental health issues for several years.
“There were many times when I thought, ‘I wish I could do something else.'”
But the artist said he “needs an outlet and music is the way to do it.”
Following the release of her song “meds,” in which she speaks candidly about the medication for bipolar disorder that, in her words, “really messed me up,” she said the response has been “really overwhelming and amazing,” with fans reaching out to share similar stories.
“It’s really weird that people are willing to reveal such private things,” she said.
“I was very moved.”
Josephine Slade Photography
Athena Alperta said that while she was in London, she got “sucked up into city life” and lost parts of herself.
Athena, who has performed at festivals such as Boomtown Fair and London Pride, began suffering from anxiety and depression from the age of 13, and later developed problems with alcohol and drugs.
She said her symptoms worsened while working late-night venues and performing around London.
“There were days when I was offered medication at 1pm on a Tuesday,” she said.
“At that moment, I thought, ‘Wow, I really do live in this world.'”
She explained that she suddenly found herself “in relationships” with people who were “probably quite dangerous.”
“A form of escape”
She said the pressure musicians put on themselves as creatives is often combined with a “lack of self-esteem” which can increase feelings of depression and anxiety, leading many to turn to alcohol or drugs as a “form of escape”.
Music Minds Matter said causes of mental health issues for people in the music industry could also include “job insecurity, role pressure, performance anxiety and unstable working patterns”.
Meadows said this, combined with recent Brexit restrictions, the pandemic and the cost of living crisis, has “put enormous pressure on everyone working in the music industry”.
Lewis Capaldi has been praised for being very open about his mental health struggles, including in his song lyrics.
“More needs to be done to support musicians’ mental health,” said Ileo, whose BBC Radio 1 supports music.
She added that she especially wants to hear more men speak out about it in music.
Nonetheless, Ileo said music was her “most important tool” for communicating her feelings, helping artists express things that were “too painful, too uncomfortable” to say out loud, even to her parents.
Meadows advised anyone in the industry who may be struggling with mental health or substance issues to get in touch via Music Minds Matter’s website or their free and confidential support line, which is available 24/7.
If you’re affected by any of the issues mentioned in this article, you can get further help from the BBC’s Action Line.
