Earlier this week, Rapper Kid Cudi announced that he's entering rehab due to depression and suicidal urges.
"Yesterday I checked myself into rehab for depression and suicidal urges. I am not at peace. I haven’t been since you’ve known me," he wrote in a Facebook post. He's the latest performer who has spoken publicly about their battles with mental illness and anxiety. A lot of music lovers like myself can agree that music can be an important coping mechanism when going through tough times. We all can point to a certain song, a specific lyric or an essential album that has gotten us through trying times. But, rarely do we ever think about the creators of our favorite music and what they're going through. Often times we never know the battles they're fighting until the news reports tell us they've committed suicide or have died from an overdose.
Newly solo artist Zayn Malik garnered a lot of public support by his peers when he opened up about his anxiety surrounding live performances. Before opening up about his performance anxiety, he often left fans confused and was labeled lazy by the general public when he repeatedly canceled public appearances and live performances. When Malik went public with his anxiety many of his peers, like singer Ellie Goulding, offered supported saying, "Anxiety is a real feeling," she said.
While others were less sympathetic, believing anxiety is something one can simply get over, and criticizing Zayn for wanting a solo career but being 'too scared' to perform. Many were apathetic calling him unprofessional for canceling at the last minute and harshly stating that he's in the wrong profession. People seem to believe that there's an element of anxiety that can be controlled and that the people who have it can simply 'suck it up' and go on about their job. To even imply that he should change careers is implying that he should never attempt at achieving his dreams and doing something that makes him happy.
People have a hard time grasping the fact that someone with crippling stage anxiety, like him, could want a solo career. The documentary, "This is Us," done at the peak of One Direction's success, gives an insight look as to why Zayn took a step into the spotlight. There's a scene in the film which showcases an emotional phone conversation between Zayn and his mother. As she steps into the home that Zayn bought for the family, she is immediately brought to tears. She gives him an emotional thank you as he humbly tells her "Not to worry about it. This is why I did it all." He's referencing the reason why he joined the talent reality show "X-Factor," which landed him in the biggest (and overworked) boyband in mainstream music of the past couple of years.
In that small interaction between mother and son lies the very reason why someone with severe performance anxiety took his chance at a music career. It was a chance to provide income to his working class family in hopes of making a better circumstance for them. It's no surprise that a young boy from a working class family would see an opportunity at a boy band backed by Simon Cowell and not think twice about joining it.
Adele's latest album "25" has sold 8 million copies to date, she's one of the most highly respected artists out to date and she's selling out arenas all around the world. But she also has been very public about how overwhelming it is being the top-selling artist of the past 4 years and how the pressure has caused her to have severe performance anxiety.
In interviews, she's spoken how difficult touring was after the release of her highly successful album, "21." There have been multiple instances where she has run off right before a show or has even puked before hitting the stage. Her severe stage fright has compromised her ability to headline music festivals with huge audiences, at once point, she even deemed herself unable to even try to perform at festivals.
She avoided large crowds for years until recently she took the stage of England's legendary Glastonbury Festival. Adele overcame her fear and performed to a crowd of 150,000 fans. As she walked off stage she wiped away tears while shouting, "I did it!"
Artist's like Adele, Zayn Malik and Kid Cudi are public figures in the media that are forcing us to change how we think and discuss mental illness. There aren't simple blanket solutions to depression or performance anxiety like "Suck it up or change careers." They take time, to cope with and a personal pace to learn to overcome them. Adele is now headlining festivals, Zayn is doing more public appearances, Kid Cudi is receiving help, etc. It's time we recognize that awareness for mental illness is important and public figures undergo human problems as well.
