From constant struggles and painful experiences comes something amazing. The hurt within artists develops some of the most incredible stories to be told that encourages others to do the same.
Over the past decade, mental and emotional health has become a hot topic amongst youth whereas before, it had taken a more taboo stance and was even frowned upon when openly discussed. Through this newfound acceptance, artists have embraced this vulnerable topic, opened up to fans, devoted their social media pages to discuss their experiences, and used their passion, music, as a way to cope. This musical outlet for these artists to express such deep topics has shifted the industry entirely.
Artists, such as Kesha, a pop singer with major hits like "Tik Tok", "Your Love Is My Drug", and featured in songs such as "Right Round" had momentarily strayed away from her previous pop and upbeat style of music to a more personable one. The most notable single "Praying", within her album "Rainbow," was released in 2017 and performed at the 2018 Grammys. This slower more intimate single gained mass appraisal and uproar after her emotional performance detailing her experience of sexualization in the music industry. Her open dialogue for those who had felt the same provided a voice for the voiceless and hope for the hopeless. Following this performance, many others, including artists, have both provided support to Kesha and produced their own music detailing their experiences.
"It talks about me personally going through something very hard - lots of very hard things. Making it through, not giving up, and finding empathy on the other side... I think this record quite literally saved my life... I hope you can hear it and I hope that it helps people." - Kesha on Good Morning America
Other artists have opened up about loss through their music, whether it was personal or in tribute to and artists have taken the emotion and transcribed it into art. Illenium’s song "Brave Soul" featuring Emma Grace, from the album, “Fallen Embers,” describes the feeling of personal loss due to an overdose. Emma's feature was especially impactful since her brother had lost his life due to an overdose. Although his typical musical performance and style revolves around upbeat and feel good EDM, this ode to a close friend with his personal musical expression leaves a lasting impression. His taking of a very traumatic experience provided a way to express these emotions and to find a form of closure.
Throughout 2020, Demi Lovato took the internet by storm through their personal experiences with drug addiction. Demi’s life has been public since youth with struggles being constantly plastered onto headlines. They not only decided to document their life with an ode to mental health but released music that translated these emotions. The song “Dancing with the devil” and “Sober” intimately describe these experiences. These teary expressive releases are extremely impactful for listeners to relate to or sympathize with and have gained mass success with its personal touch and raw feel.
Even one of the newer artists, Maddie Zahm, whose writing and musical style discusses the daily internal pain that we all feel. Her recent release “Fat Funny Friend" describes the impact of others' opinion on our physical appearances and the psychological toll that comes with it. It’s no mystery that societal standards are sky high where we’re scrutinized by how we look and if we fit into the idealized mold created for us. Her personal song from beginning to end describes every emotion she’s had and it’s opened up plenty of discussion on social media for those who can relate.
Although many will beat around the bush regarding the theme of their music and will use a double entendre to get their point across. Other artists, such as Em Beihold, will outright say what’s on their mind. In her single “Numb little bug”, she uses a more upbeat style to detail major topics surrounding relatable depressed emotions. Such feelings described in her lyrics are “like you’re not really happy but you don’t wanna die” and “tired of quick repairs to cope”. The song has gained major traction with over 185 million streams on Spotify alone and the response have been nothing but positive as the mass have felt similarly or shared their experiences. Her music video is seemingly upbeat and full of color, which completely opposes the song's meaning with symbolism throughout the entirety of it.
As the years progress with mental health normalizing into a common topic for discussion, more artists will use their music as a way to express themselves through personable stories by being the voice for those who can’t yet explain it themselves.
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