Mental Health in the industry. 

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Mental Health in the music industry is something that tends to often be brushed under the carpet and ignored, this is why I believe it is an important topic for me to research and focus on in this essay. In this essay I will be covering- stories from three musicians that have been open about their pasts when it comes to mental illness, an analysis on my primary research when it comes to how performers feel before going on stage and what artists do to prepare for a show as well as avoiding going back to old habits. 

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Billie Eilish. 

Billie Eilish, age twenty-three rose to fame in 2017 when her song ‘Ocean eyes’ went viral when she was just fifteen years old. As you can imagine achieving the amount of fame Eilish did at such a rapid pace at her age would eventually take a toll on her. When it comes to mental health and the struggles, this is a topic Eilish has always been open about when it comes to interviews. Billie often translates her struggles and pain into lyrics, and example of this would be her album ‘When we all fall asleep, where do we go?’ The album won four Grammys, record of the year and song of the year for her hit single ‘bad guy’ and best pop vocal album as well as album of the year. In a Rolling Stone article Billie is honest when admitting her mental battles that come with the career she has, Eilish says “I’m afraid, For a good reason. I’m afraid of people, I’m afraid of the world. It’s just scary for somebody like me, and even if it’s not scary, it means being on and being vulnerable and being seen and being filmed and whatever. But with that all in mind, I have been choosing to do the thing that scares me more. I am biting the bullet and existing in the world for once.” Eilish explains in this phrase that truly being herself and vulnerable to the world is a terrifying thing for her to do and face reality of the world. Depression is something Billie had dealt with since she was thirteen years old, when she experienced an injury which meant she could no longer dance anymore, this lead Eilish to resort to self-harm and stated that “I felt like I deserved the pain.” As Billie rose to fame her levels of anxiety increased especially when she started touring, Eilish recalls “I had a week where I cried and had a panic attack for two hours every night,” referring to the feeling as “bursting misery.” Since then, Billie started therapy as well as working in a stable, in exchange for horse riding lessons saying, “It’s more for my mental health, than like a hobby.” After these experiences Eilish pushes the importance of being nice to yourself and others, because she’s been there and knows how difficult it can be. Eilish also stresses the importance of listening to others and being present for others as it can save someone’s life, even if it's just a hug or a text message to make them smile. 

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Robbie Williams. 

Robbie Williams, Take That star was thrown in at the deep end in the music industry joining the band when he was just sixteen years old. Performing in nightclubs for the band to gain popularity, Robbie was introduced to a different side of the world. Unfortunately, consuming drugs and alcohol at such a young age is not uncommon in the industry so many actors, musicians, tv personalities lose their lives from addiction. After leaving Take That in 1995, Robbie was left to his own devices, living alone making poor choices as well as being diagnosed with depression it was the beginning of a very difficult time for him. He started gaining weighting, using drugs daily but was so lost in himself when reflecting on the situation he said “I did have a sense of what I was doing to myself, I didn’t care” as well as “It would be best if I passed away, for me to change I’ve got to be dying.” The statements show he had no sense of value in his life and wasn’t going to change unless he was close to death. Robbie Williams met his now Wife (Ayda Feild Williams) in 2006 when his battle with addiction and mental health was at its worst, instead of leaving, Ayda stayed with him and supported him the best she could, creating a relationship with him, which later ended in 2007 when Robbie went to rehab, he left Ayda heartbroken after explaining “ I can’t be in a relationship, I have to get better and I can’t be with you. I have to break up with you.” Even though that may have seemed like the end the couple reconnected and got married in 2010, showing that prioritising yourself does work out in the long run. 

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Elton John. 

Elton John born Reginald Dwight, rose to fame in 1969 at twenty-two years old, after being scouted by Ray Williams, who is A&R for Dick James. John was partnered with Bernie Taupin to write songs when the pair where twenty and seventeen, it wasn’t until they wrote ‘Your song’ that finally met Dick James’ standard for release. Elton John’s debut at the Troubadour in West Hollywood was in the August of 1970, which is when joined gained a lot of publicity and attention. When it comes to drug consumption, Elton was naive to the likes of cocaine, and it wasn’t until his manager brought it into the studio that he first tried it, and then his addiction progressed gradually not just with drugs but also alcohol. Elton claimed that at the time he thought cocaine is what helped his become less shy as he was when a child growing up, that it allowed him to be open in conversations with others. John Reid ex Queen manager, also managed Elton in the 70s as well as having an affair with him, creating a toxic environment in so many ways for John pushing him away from friends, family, those who were closest to him worsening his addictions. Just two days before one of Elton John's most iconic performances in the Dodgers Stadium in the October of 1975, he attempted to commit suicide at a gathering at his own house, stood on the diving board of his pool he announced “I have taken 85 Valium's. I shall die within the hour.” John proceeded to fall into the pool until rescued, and had his stomach pumped. He had faced substance abuse for twenty years before going to rehab in 1990. His road to recovery stemmed from his friend Ryan White who contracted HIV from a blood transfusion in 1985, Ryan passed away five years later in 1990. This motivated Elton to become sober and to start taking care of himself. Elton also set up a foundation for AIDS as he wanted to help others starting the ‘Elton John AIDS Foundation’ in 1992 raising over 400 million dollars in the last thirty years. 

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Primary Research. 

For my primary research I created questions for my peers and friends to answer regarding how they feel towards performing and what they do to prepare before a performance. From the results of my research, I have cane to the conclusion that majority of performers feel anxious before performing, however having plenty of practice in preparation prevents some of that anxiety replacing it with confidence. 

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Preparation for a gig. 

I then investigated what each of the three artists do to prepare for a gig and they all have separate ways of doing so. Starting with Billie Eilish, she shows the importance of looking and feeling your best before a gig which is something I usually do and plan to continue doing. Getting ready before a gig is like preparing your alter ego as a performer and becoming them before going onto the stage. On her first tour she would prepare her voice by singing Sabrina Claudio on her first tour the song was called ‘Unravel me’ however now she just does regular vocal warmups such as scales. Moving onto Robbie Williams, he has a series of videos on his YouTube channel of him warming up before a gig one being scales another being mouth bubbles, he also mentions he has a video that he warmups up to, he also sings ignition in a different genre, to the one he normally sings in to help him warm up. Finally, Elton John’s career progressed so did the demands on his voice, his voice started straining in the late 70s early 80s, due to constantly using his voice with no rest, his lifestyle choices also contributed to this factor. In 1986 he had vocal surgery therefore it was harder for him to reach notes meaning he had to adapt to his voice. He worked with vocal coaches, worked on new techniques to protect his voice and avoiding going back to his old habits. To prepare for my performance I plan on using the Robbie Williams warmup up videos to prepare my voice as well as other warmup exercises, I have learnt myself from my singing lessons. When it comes to preparing myself and how I look for a performance I will be looking at my favourite artist on stage and what they do to make their appearance stand out as well as how I can change to make myself stand out. 

 

Conclusion. 

In conclusion, mental health is something that needs to be spoke about more in the industry, from each artist I have researched from different eras of music mental health struggles are still so common due to social pressure. There are so many people who have passed away in the industry from the likes of addiction, depression and influences from people with negative intentions, examples of this would be Amy Winehouse, Liam Payne, Cory Monteith, Heath Ledger and so many more. Additionally, I have also concluded that pressure when performing is extremely common no matter how long or little you have been in the industry for.  

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