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There has long been a known connection between creativity and depression. So it shouldn’t be a surprise that so many musicians struggle with their mental health.
Musicians like Selena Gomez, Demi Lovato, Billie Eilish, and Halsey have been incredibly open about their mental health issues and have even used them for song inspiration.
Not only have these songs helped normalize the prevalence of mental health disorders, but they also help many fans experiencing the same thing feel less alone.
Below are just a few of the musicians who have spoken publicly about their mental health struggles.
1. Selena Gomez
Selena Gomez has been incredibly vocal about her struggles with bipolar depression and anxiety and has made it her mission to destigmatize the issue. Her makeup line Rare Beauty is dedicated to helping those with mental health struggles and she even recently started the platform Wondermind to help prioritize “mental fitness”.
She’s also poured her feelings into her music with songs like “Anxiety” with Julia Michaels. She also references her depression in songs on her album Rare like “A Sweeter Place.”
2. Julia Michaels
In addition to writing several songs for Selena Gomez, musician Julia Michaels has released her own fair share of songs about her struggles with anxiety and depression including her hit song “Issues.”
In a 2019 essay for Glamour, she wrote,
“I believe I stayed a songwriter for so long because of my anxiety. I was scared I wasn’t good enough. Scared I wouldn’t be accepted. I was scared of not hiding anymore. I was scared of reaching a level of potential I had never reached. I was scared of myself.”
She added,
“But once I’ve made up my mind about something, I go all in. So the day I made the decision to become an artist, there was no going back. I wanted this, and it was time to face my fears.”
3. Billie Eilish
Billie Eilish has been open about her struggles with depression pretty much since she first arrived on the scene. Over the years, she’s talked about her depression, suicidal thoughts, and body dysmorphia, to name a few.
She’s also used her struggles as inspiration and has many songs that discuss her depression such as “Everything I Wanted” and “Listen Before I go.”
4. Halsey
Over the last few years, Halsey has become more and more vocal about their life with bipolar disorder since getting diagnosed as a teen. In an interview with Rolling Stone, they even revealed that she had been committed twice since becoming famous.
Not only has Halsey found inspiration in her bipolar disorder but they ended up writing a whole album about it called “Manic,” which they released in 2020.
5. Demi Lovato
Demi Lovato has become quite the spokesperson for mental health over the years and has opened up about their bipolar disorder and depression on several occasions.
Their mental health struggles have often been intertwined with their issues of sobriety and eating disorders, all of which Demi has sung about over the years.
Some of their most famous songs about their struggles include “Anyone” and “OK Not to Be OK”.
So Many More
There are so many musicians who have poured their emotions and mental health struggles into the songs that this list would be endless if we included them all. These songs have become lifelines for fans and we’re so grateful that folks like Kendrick Lamar and Gerard Zappa have been willing to be so open over the years.
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