Music and Mental Health

So I have known about this fact with artists for a long time and it is a little confusing to me as to why it is not talked about. Many artists across all mediums both past and present suffer from some form of mental illness. Ludwig Van Beethoven was reported to have suffered from major depressive disorder. It has been speculated that Vincent Van Goh may have had bipolar disorder, in addition to, some comorbid conditions. Artists in today’s society are no exception to this. It is a shame that mental illness is so stigmatized because I am pretty sure more artists would be open about it.

In a very surprising and brave move, Nicky Romero posted this on his Facebook page.

Now, as I said earlier I do believe this is incredibly brave of Nicky Romero because of the stigma that comes with mental illness. He also makes some very good points in his post. He states, “Having anxiety its really hard to produce music, as it creates unreality and unease. I felt guilty to my fans, and more pressure was added by expectations.” Nicky Romero is a very accomplished artist in his genre and he is only 26 years old. He is the head of his own label, Protocol Recordings, and he headlines major shows and festivals. He said he feels uneasy about the music he is producing even though clearly quite a lot of people enjoy it. He also said he feels that he needs to meet some sort of standard either placed on him by fans, the industry or himself. The thing is he is not the first EDM artist to say he has issues with mental illness.

In an article posted by Billboard.com in March 2014, Porter Robinson opens up about having anxiety attacks.

This is very similar to Nicky Romero’s thoughts. Porter Robinson’s own feelings about his music effected his ability to perform. It was only once he realized he does not need to apply this pressure on himself that he was able to experience some relief.

Nicky Romero and Porter Robinson are outliers. Most people who suffer from mental illness, including artists, suffer in silence. Although, I have seen an artist admit on his twitter to having bipolar disorder. However, he did not stop there. He actually went on to say that he would commit suicide after finishing his second album. Now, I understand it is strange to say all of this and not state the artist or link to the tweets. The artist has since deleted those tweets. Out of respect for this artist and his decision, I do not want to say his name.

Another thing many artists do is drop subtle or not so subtle hints in their songs. It can be hard to recognize these all the time, but they are definitely out there.

Here is where I move from concrete information to inferring based on lyrics. Most people would never suspect a song from Tritonal to be something that would relate to this topic based on their big room style of EDM. However, “Bullet that Saved Me” could very possibly be about suicide. Listen closely to the lyrics.

If you read between the lines it almost seems as if the song is talking about wanting to get shot and die. It seems as if the song is saying that the bullet can fix all of his problems. As I said before this is all inferential, but it is not that far fetched.

With all of this information I have one real conclusion. Be careful what you say. You don’t know who you are saying it to and how it may effect them. I know many people bash artists on the internet, and while many have a “thick skin” or do not read Soundcloud comments, it may cause distress to others. There are even people who have said things that get as harsh as “give up,” or “go kill yourself.” Saying that to the wrong person could have devastating and permanent consequences.

So listen a little closer to your favorite artists from now on they might surprise you. And don’t forget what your kindergarten teachers always told you, “say something nice or don’t say anything at all.”