mental health
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Corey Taylor has cancelled his previously announced North American solo tour. The Slipknot frontman took to Instagram on Friday (Jan. 5) to reveal the news, citing struggles with his mental and physical health. “For the past several months my mental and physical health have been breaking down, and I reached a place that was unhealthy […]
Billie Eilish knows that great art sometimes comes from the darkest places. And on Thursday night (Jan. 4) at the Palm Springs Film Awards, the 22-year-old singer accepted the Chairman’s Award in honor of her Golden Globe and Grammy-nominated Barbie soundtrack hit “What Was I Made For?” with an emotional speech dedicated to anyone struggling with thoughts of despair she knows all too well.
“I would really like to say that this award and any recognition that this song gets, I just want to dedicate to anyone who experiences hopelessness, the feeling of existential dread and feeling like, what’s the point, why am I here and why am I doing this?,” Eilish said while accepting the award alongside her brother/producer, Finneas, at the Palm Springs Convention Center, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
The pair picked up the honor — marking the first time it’s been given to a musician — after a tribute from Barbie director Greta Gerwig. “I think we all feel like that occasionally, but I think if somebody like me, with the amount of privilege that I have and the incredible things that I get to do and be and how I have really not wanted to be here… sorry to be dark, damn, but I’ve spent a lot of time feeling that way,” Eilish continued.
The singer — who has openly and frequently discussed her mental health struggles — also shared a message of hope for others who have felt similar despair. “I just want to say to anyone that feels that way, be patient with yourself and know that it is, I think, worth it all,” Eilish said, adding that “it’s good to be alive now” after not feeling that way for “a very long time.”
Eilish shared that Gerwig approached the siblings about contributing to the hit movie’s soundtrack at a point when the singer was “in a dark episode and things didn’t make sense in life. I just didn’t understand what the point was and why you would keep going. Just questioning everything in the world.”
But after she and Finneas sat in a theater and screened around 35 minutes of footage, Eilish said she was overcome with emotion watching Margot Robbie’s Barbie saying and feeling things “that I really, really, really resonated with and felt so close to. I felt so seen, and I did not expect that.” The result was the hushed, emotional ballad whose spare, thoughtful lyrics plumb existential questions in a most elegant way. “I don’t know how to feel/ But I wanna try/ I don’t know how to feel/ But someday I might/ Someday I might,” she sings on the track.
“I think that this movie is the most incredible, most empowering and beautiful and funny and just unbelievable piece of art in the world, and I’m so, so honored to be a part of it,” Eilish added before turning the mic over to her brother, who used his time to pay tribute to their parents, Maggie Baird and Patrick O’Connell.
“Our parents were theater people before they were our parents. They met on a flight to Alaska to do regional theater in 1984, and in the ‘90s they got married to each other and decided to start a family,” he said. “They decided that it might be a good idea to move from New York where they were doing plays to Los Angeles to maybe do some things that would make some residual income like film and television. That didn’t work out at all, and I think it underscored as children that it was okay to have dreams that didn’t pan out the way that you thought they might. And it also underscored that the entertainment industry, like all industries, is fairly unfair.”
Despite their struggle, though, Finneas said the siblings were not raised by “bitter people who hadn’t gotten to achieve their dreams. We were raised by people who did nothing but encourage us to believe in ourselves and pursue the dreams and passions that we had. I don’t particularly know how they were able to do both of those things, but they were, and we’d be nothing and nowhere without our parents, and I love them so much.”
“What Was I Made For?” is nominated for best original song at Sunday night’s (Jan. 7) 81st annual Golden Globe Awards, as well as record of the year, song of the year, best pop solo performance, best song written for visual media and best music video at the upcoming (Feb. 4) Grammy Awards.
Watch footage of Eilish’s speech below.
While accepting Chairman’s Award during Palm Springs Film Awards, Billie Eilish opens up on “dark episode” and feeling like she didn’t want to be here anymore prior to writing hit Barbie song. #PSIFF2024 pic.twitter.com/DnvZy0bJ1l— Chris Gardner (@chrissgardner) January 5, 2024
If you or someone you know needs mental health help, text “STRENGTH” to the Crisis Text Line at 741-741 to be connected to a certified crisis counselor.
Shawn Mendes has grown immensely throughout 2023. The “In My Blood” singer took to Instagram on Tuesday (Jan. 2) to reflect on the past year, alongside a video of himself freely singing along to a harmonium. “Over the last year i spent a lot of time singing like this.. I found that in moments of […]
K-pop superstar Rosé said Friday (Nov. 17) at a mental health awareness event hosted by first lady Jill Biden that it’s important for the world to understand that famous people grapple with emotional struggles, too.
“I think that would be very great, for everybody who works under the public eye,” she said, perched on a slate gray couch at the Apple Park campus in Cupertino, Calif., after hugging the first lady, who thanked her for coming.
Rosé, a part of the supergroup BLACKPINK, said having a large social media following makes her feel vulnerable, particularly when people are critical.
“I do feel like some of the things I do is just never enough, and no matter how hard I work on something, there’s always gonna be somebody who has their own opinion or who enjoy taking control of the narrative,” she said. “And so, that comes to me as a sense of loneliness.”
She said it was important to talk about such things, however difficult it may be.
“Just as we feed ourselves for better health and fitness, mental health can only be maintained equally — if not more intentionally — as our physical well being.”
The discussion was part of several events hosted by Jill Biden for the spouses of Asia-Pacific leaders in California this week for the annual Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum.
“People who are older — we never, ever spoke about mental health,” Biden said. “There was shame attached to it. But what I find as a teacher — and having my own younger grandchildren in their twenties — I think they’re much more open to talking to one another, I think there’s far less shame.”
The event was moderated by Surgeon General Vivek Murthy. Apple CEO Tim Cook opened the event but blanked briefly when the teleprompter went out.
“Don’t you hate that. I hate that,” Biden said. Cook recovered, telling the crowd he’d “go ahead and ad lib,” then thanked everyone for coming and introduced the first lady.
Cook later defended his tech company’s privacy standards when Wan Azizah binti Wan Ismail of Malaysia mentioned how artificial intelligence and manipulation can affect mental health, asking the CEO about protections on technology to protect people’s private information.
“If you’ve ever had an Apple watch, you are being watched all the time,” she said.
“Absolutely not actually,” Cook responded. “We believe that privacy is a fundamental human right.”
Kim Keon Hee, the first lady of South Korea, Rachael Marape, the spouse of the prime minister of Papua New Guinea, and Louise Araneta-Marcos, the first lady of the Philippines, also attended.
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Source: John Nacion / Getty / Megan Thee Stallion
Megan Thee Stallion’s foundation seeks to spread joy worldwide with help from the Southern Black Girls and Women Consortium (SBGWC) on International Day of the Girl Child.
Spotted on NewsOne, the SBGWC announced its partnership with the Grammy Award-winning Houston rapper’s Pete and Thomas Foundation for a new #BlackGirlJoyChallenge.
The website also reports that Nike will lend support to help maintain the #BlackGirlJoyChallenge movement to inspire youth while promoting mental health through joy.
Per NewsOne:
We are incredibly excited to collaborate with Megan Thee Stallion’s Pete and Thomas Foundation,” Malikah Berry Rogers, executive director of the Southern Black Girls, stated in a press release. “There’s a song that says, ‘I’m a movement by myself, but we’re a force when we’re together.’ That line is true with this special cycle of the #BlackGirlJoyChallenge because together, we are igniting a movement that celebrates mental health and wellness through the simple, yet powerful, act of spreading JOY.”
Megan Thee Stallion Continues To Tackle Mental Health Awareness
Megan Thee Stallion has been very vocal about dealing with mental health issues. In September, she announced on Instagram the creation of her mental health website, Seize The Awkward.
In the caption alongside a video, the rapper wrote, “Y’all, it’s okay to not be okay. Reach out to a friend if you see them going through it.”
Seize The Awkward is a website that gives people the resources to have tough conversations about mental health, allowing them to help a friend or themselves.
If anyone knows about struggling with mental health, it’s Megan Thee Stallion, who had dealt with hate following the Tory Lanez shooting and her hating ass label 1501 Certified Entertainment.
Salute to Thee Stallion and Southern Black Girls and Women Consortium for prioritizing Black girl’s mental health.
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Photo: John Nacion / Getty
Over the years, music has provided an outlet for Latin musicians to address mental health issues through their songs. For example, Puerto Rican rapper Residente released his autobiographical “René” in 2020, where he frankly opened up about depression and the dark moments in his life. Bad Bunny’s 2018 “Estamos Bien,” on the other hand, is […]
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World Mental Health Day is celebrated annually on October 10 and was established to call attention to the need for awareness, education, and support for those contending with issues surrounding mental health. On X, formerly known as Twitter, several people are sharing their journey with mental health along with tips and tools for coping.
“To break the wall here a bit, I am someone who suffers from mental health issues and I am in constant search of tools and expert assistance to push me to a greater version of myself. I fail often, and sometimes to the point of despair. But with the help of great therapists, family, and friends, I’ve found ways to stay afloat even on my hardest days. I hope that all of you reading are doing your best because that’s all we can do. Just know that you’re not alone in climbing the mountain.” – D.L. Chandler, Senior Editor.
World Mental Health Day was first established in 1992 by the World Federation for Mental Health. Around the world, mental health professionals and those suffering from mental health issues come together in support of improving the station of those in flux.
On X, several individuals are sharing parts of themselves with amazing vulnerability and encouraging others to take charge of their mental health using the various avenues available. As some note, the ups and downs of mental illness are not easy to contend with but there are more ways to get help than ever before.
To learn more about the World Federation for Mental Health and the day itself, please follow this link. Keep scrolling to see the reactions from X and do remember to be kind to yourselves during this time,
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Photo: Eva Almqvist / Getty
Selena Gomez doesn’t love giving advice about how to have a good mental health day, but when it comes to seeking it out she knows just where to go. “Spending time with my little sister, Gracie [Teefey],” Gomez told her mental health organization Wondermind about her preferred way to spend a contemplative day. “She’s so innocent and […]
As the most followed woman on Instagram, Selena Gomez knows better than anyone how draining social media can be on a person’s mental health. That goes especially for times of heartbreak, something she experienced firsthand in 2018 following her split from Justin Bieber (who got engaged to his now-wife, Hailey Bieber, that same year).
After the two stars parted ways following a decade of on again, off again dating, Gomez took a break from social media that would last four years. Now back online, the “Calm Down” singer has opened up about that time in a new interview with Fast Company that chronicles the success of her Rare Beauty empire.
“I had just gotten my heart broken,” Gomez recalled. “I didn’t need to see what everyone was doing.”
“Then there were those moments of not feeling positive about how I looked because of what I’d see on Instagram,” she added, remembering how she used to think, “Wow, I wish my body looked like that.”
Gomez was also diagnosed with bipolar disorder around this time, although she didn’t share this publicly until 2020 via an Instagram Live conversation with fellow former Disney Channel star Miley Cyrus out of fear that her public image might suffer. “I grew up being a people pleaser,” she told the publication. “I had a responsibility at a very young age — young people were looking up to me. I didn’t know who I was. Having that responsibility would make me walk on eggshells a lot.”
“I thought maybe it would be damaging to tell people who I am,” she added. “It started to become a threat that freaked me out. Well, if you’re not right, then you can’t work.”
Now, at the age of 30 and the head of a mental health-oriented beauty company expected to clear $300 million in sales this year, Gomez is feeling much more confident about herself, as well as her relationship to her fans. “I’m not unattainable,” she said. “I look at someone like a Beyoncé, and I am amazed. My jaw drops. Every part of her is just impeccable, and it’s just so beautiful. I went to her show and was blown away. But I’m just not that, and that’s okay.”
“I’m me, and I’m a little silly, but I also like being sexy and fun, and I also want to do good with the time I have here,” Gomez continued. “We need goddesses like Beyoncé and Adele. But I’m just happy to be your best friend.”
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Source: Paras Griffin / Getty / Missy Elliott
Missy Elliott has had a very successful music career, but along that journey, she has dealt with mental health issues, and now she is opening up about having to overcome them.
Spotted on HipHopDX, the “Work It” crafter spoke about dealing with depression and anxiety and how it can hit anyone in a very candid conversation as part of her cover story with Essence.
Per HipHopDX’s reporting:
“Now I’m fine with being like, ‘Hey, I got anxiety’ or ‘I went through depression,’” the Grammy Award-winning artist said. “Even the biggest artist, or just the regular everyday working person, we all go through shit. We all do. And it’s okay to say, ‘Hey, I’m not okay today.’ Probably we would keep a lot of people around if we were that open because we would be able to uplift each other.”
“We’d know that I’m not going to look at you crazy if you say, ‘Hey, I’m having a rough day.’ Maybe you’re thinking things that you shouldn’t think, or whatever the case may be.”
Elliott details an encounter with a peer that helped her out.
“I had a peer of mine say, ‘Hey, look, I’ve been through the same thing.’ And he was just like, ‘Next time I see you, I’m going to put a mirror in front of your face, so you can remember who you are and all that you’ve done.’”
This is not the first time Elliott has spoken about her mental health struggles. In a November 2019 interview with Billboard, she touched on them, detailing how her anxiety began during childhood.
Missy Elliott’s Recent Wins
Just recently, Missy Elliott made history by becoming the first female Hip-Hop star to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
In an Instagram post, she said receiving the honor was not just “huge” for her, and it now opens the doors for all of the other women in Hip-Hop.
Shoutout to Missy Elliott for being so open about her mental health struggles.
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Photo: Paras Griffin / Getty
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