On the Road to Awareness

          We have all heard the stories.  A musician/band or celebrity become famous, then they become an addict.  It happens so frequently that we have become desensitized to it.  We almost expect it.  The thing is, we never stop to ask ourselves why this is happening.  Or what we could do to change it.

          When our icon first starts out, they are not famous.  They have a routine, practice, audition, perform, and repeat.  They may have a job to maintain a certain lifestyle, and a fairly normal home life.  All in all, they live for the routine, just hoping that one day they will be paid to do what they love, whether that is acting or making music.  The monotony of it all is something that they live for.  It is when they have gained their star status that things start to go awry.

          

          It is extremely difficult for anyone to go from a high level of adrenaline and happiness to a low level, one containing sadness or depression.  We typically would call this a bipolar disorder, yet this is exactly what we ask of our celebrities.  On stage performing adrenaline is coursing through their bodies.  They are on an extreme high, usually not requiring any type of extra stimulation (i.e. drugs or alcohol).  Yet when they are done performing, they get onto a bus or plane and head to their next destination.  They crash.  They have nothing routine to do, no requirements of them except to get to the next show and do it all over again.  In his article Insomnia, anxiety, break-ups...musicians on the dark side of touring, Luke Britton says that, "For many, the contrast between the highs of a successful show and the anti-climactic low that often follows can be hard to adjust to, a phenomenon that has been termed 'post-performance depression', or PPD" (Britton, 2015).  According to Kate Nash, "When you're on tour, you know exactly what you're doing and what's required of you.  There's a routing.  It's tangible what you stand for because it's right in front of you.  You come off tour and you're like, 'Fucking hell, what is the point?  What am I doing with my life" (Britton, 2015)?

          

          In an article for the Guardian, Grammy-nominated producer Mat Zo (Matan Zohar) states that, "Ninety-nine percent of touring is the airports, the hotels, sitting in a metal tube for up to 16 hours at a time, it's easy to let your mind and body slip into decay, even for a person with a healthy emotional state.  For those with anxiety, hotel rooms are like prison cells" (Britton, 2015).  He also says that "Relationships are compromised, partly because it becomes difficult to relate to people with a more stable lifestyle.  Your problems and cares become radically different to the other people in your life."

          

          In a study of the music industry done by Help Musicians UK (Hamilton, 2015), they found that:

• 67% said they had on occasion suffered depression or other psychological problems
• 75% said they had experienced performance anxiety
• 68% said they had experienced loneliness or separation from family and friends
• 62% said they had experienced relationship difficulties

          With so many people suffering in some form, what can we do to help?  Not only the public, but also the industry.  It is the music manager that should have the best relationship with its artists.  "A good modern music manager will protect their client's emotional, mental and physical state just as passionately as their business interests.  It's a role that can make all the difference for artist who may be struggling with the demands of stardom, along with any other mental health challenges they harbor," says Fiona McGugan in her article for the Guardian (2016).

          

          It is the responsibility of the industry to recognize when someone is struggling.  To get them help should they need it, and most importantly to listen.  Listen to what they are saying, but more importantly to what they are not.  Look at their body language.  How they act.  You can usually tell when someone has something on their minds, if they are having difficulties and struggling.

          

          As representatives for not only the label, but also the artist, me need to make sure that the artist is healthy.  Singer-songwriter Rumor Shirakbari said it best, "Maintaining an artist's health is in the best interest of everyone - label and the management as well as the artists themselves.  For that reason, there needs to be more investment in acts' wellbeing: making sure the schedule is reasonable, hiring a good PA, getting the best doctors, making sure they have access to counseling even on the road.  We talk a lot about sustainability; remember that an artist's health is at the core of that" (McGugan, 2016).

          The industry should not be shaming people for mental health disorders, or doing drugs to keep their minds either active or inactive.  We need to stick together and get them the help they need.  More artists would be willing to come forward and admit they have a problem if they knew that people would listen and not judge.  This should be what we strive for (Monroe, 2015).

          

          The movie Amy, a documentary about Amy Winehouse, has helped to do just that.  We are bringing the desired attention to the issue at hand, while not judging others.  Her struggle with depression, drugs, and an eating disorder has helped others in her situation.  It has also helped the industry to realize that there are other ways to handle problems with an artist.  That we should not just turn our attention to something else and ignore what is right in front of our eyes.

          

         

          There are different groups available to assist the artist, others that are struggling mentally, as well as the management.  Here are a few:

• MusicSupport.org
• Music Managers Forum
• Help Musicians UK
• British Phonographic Industry
• Samaritans

          The more that we bring an awareness to this issue, the better chance that we give to the individual struggling to survive another day.  We can help to bring recognition to this issues yearly during Mental Health Awareness Week, which takes place May 16-22.  We can also do this by just talking about the issue more.