Music

In May 2023, the Spanish superstar shared on social media how he was grappling with mental health issues at the time. “I am not okay. I don’t know if saying this is helpful, but I want to express it. I am sad and tired. In case anyone else thinks that you need to always be a sea breeze or a firework on a summer night,” he wrote on X (formerly Twitter).

While he prepared for his tour Sanz en Vivo, the singer attempted to share his emotions to support others who might be experiencing similar challenges. “I am working to get past this,” he continued. “I will get on stage and something inside will tell me what to do. But sometimes I don’t even want to be there. Literally. Just being honest. To avoid the pointless noise. I know there are people who feel this way. If it helps, I feel the same.”

On a September 2023 episode of the On Purpose with Jay Shetty podcast, the Inglewood star expressed how life on the road and other moments in her career had taken a toll on her. “It was very easy for me to let other people make decisions for me and then when it wouldn’t work, I [would be like], ‘I should’ve said something.’ I spent some key pivotal moments in my career feeling like I was being far more reactive to what was happening than proactive,” she said. “I didn’t know [panic attacks] was my body’s way of physically telling me ‘Something’s wrong. You’re not okay but because you’re scared to let other people down, you push through anyways.’”

In a candid interview with Spanish TV show Lo de Évole, C. Tangana opened up about the consequences of fame, and reflected on his personal struggles and the lowest emotional moments of his career. “Yes, during the Tiny Desk concert,” he recalled of one such low. “Emotionally, it was one of the hardest times of my life. I was anxious, took sleeping pills, had unresolved issues, pending conversations. And it often happened that I did not enjoy what was happening to me.”

About whether public adulation can cloud personal judgment, the Spanish rapper admitted, “It makes me believe I am above others, which leads to behaviors I dislike. I’ve been arrogant, overbearing, very insecure. I’ve been scared. No one should think they need to treat you carefully. Then, people don’t treat you carefully and you think they are offending you, but they are behaving normally. It’s you who has the problem. The worst thing is hurting people you love.”

In discussing his challenges in personal relationships, especially as a musician, C. Tangana expressed the difficulties posed by constant attention and exposure. “Getting so much attention is the worst part of it all because it corrupts you a lot, it spoils you, like a child who gets away with everything and then one day goes to daycare and is unbearable there,” he said. “This happens and it makes relationships with your partner, close relations like your mother, father, sister, and friends, difficult, especially for the partner.”

The Mexican singer-songwriter faced severe mental health challenges due to the harsh criticisms and public backlash she endured as a public figure, prompting her to withdraw from the limelight in 2018. She has publicly mentioned that these experiences led to feelings of unhappiness and unwantedness, along with suicidal thoughts.

Seeking a fresh start, Morrison moved to Paris on a student visa to study music, finding solace in anonymity and a slower pace of life. This break from her career allowed her to focus on her mental health and ultimately shaped the themes of her music when she resumed songwriting, focusing on addressing and expressing her struggles with anxiety and other mental health concerns.

In 2022, Morrison released her latest album El Renacimiento, symbolizing her renewal and continuing healing process. She even started her own platform to engage with her fans about mental health through initiatives like “Martes de Ansiedad” (Anxiety Tuesday) on Instagram Live.

“Mental health has become a big priority in my life,” she told Billboard. “When it comes to wellness, I feel that it’s a place you create to check in with yourself and have goals. Like, ‘OK, what’s going to make me happy? What’s going to really give me that space?’ And to think every day what’s going to lead me to take care of myself — whether it be eating healthier, doing a hobby or going running.”

The Puerto Rican musician believes in the power of gratitude as a transformative force. Reflecting on his grueling journey through rejection, drug addiction and two battles against cancer, Draco Rosa noted, “The more gratitude you have, the more powerful you will feel because you will eliminate fear.”

Embracing a renewed chance at life, the New York-born artist has channeled his tough experiences into advocacy for mental health in various occasions. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Draco took to Instagram to promote awareness around challenges to improve well-being. Understanding the mental and emotional toll of lockdowns, he encouraged his followers to participate in a Push Up Challenge to foster solidarity and strength among those facing distress in these trying times.

In interviews, he has also demonstrated how personal adversities have shaped his dedication to helping others navigate their darkest moments. “I do it for the love of humanity, for the opportunity to be alive. To be in solidarity — solidarity with the family, the brothers and sisters who are having a hard time,” he said. “We are all energy. So support and through other friends [invite them to join].”

A few years ago, an acute allergy previously unbeknownst to Bunbury almost led him to retire from the stage. “I started having a convulsive, nocturnal cough that made me unable to sleep at night. I felt sand in my lungs… I lost my voice and couldn’t sing. I accepted that it was the end of my career on stage,” he told Billboard Español. “The hardest and most traumatic part was at the beginning of 2022.”

Because of it, he identified with the Greta Garbo syndrome — also the name of his latest album — which was written in a point of great uncertainty. The syndrome takes its name from the 1930s Swedish actress who became a severe recluse in her 30s, preferring extreme solitude.

“Almost all the songs on the album [Greta Garbo] were composed in this period. It’s something that flitted through my life,” said the Zaragoza rocker. “What was going to happen to me? To what extent was it going to be a total farewell? To what extent was it going to isolate me from not having that ceremonial contact with the fans?”

A few years ago, J Balvin become one of the most visible stars to advocate for mental health, sharing his personal struggles with depression, anxiety and suicidal thoughts on the 2020 documentary The Boy from Medellín. Having openly shared his own struggles for an extended period, the Colombian artist turned the discussion about mental health within the Latin community into a practical platform for action: OYE Wellness, the app that “transforms your emotions into creative actions and helps you feel better,” reads the description.

“Meditation definitely is one of my biggest medications because it really helps me to be better,” said Balvin.

At a fan meet in Fresno, Jay Wheeler was moved by a story of a girl who shared that his music had prevented her from ending her life. This heart-wrenching testimony and others helped inform his seventh studio album. During a conversation on Billboard TalkShopLive, the Puerto Rican star discussed how he wants to provide a safe space for his listeners through his music.

“This therapy is helping me [and my fans] to forget the problems, and just listen to good music,” he said. “That’s why my album is called Good Music for Bad Days [Música Buena Para Días Malos], because that’s all I was trying to focus on, making people feel like they can have a place to escape, or a safe place like music.”

In an in-depth interview with Billboard‘s Leila Cobo, Colombian superstar Juanes discussed the crucial need for taking a break in one’s career. “In 2010, something terrible happened to me: I started to really hate myself. I couldn’t stand myself. I’m a human. I’m not a product and after working for 10 years I got burned out,” he revealed. “It was to the point that I had to make the very drastic decision of saying, ‘I need to stop right now and do a reset of my life. It was one of the most important things I’ve done.”

Last year, Juanes also took to Instagram to discuss the issue of depression. “It has taken many years to be able to write this. It is never too late to understand that mental health is a must for everyone,” he captioned the post. “Depression is a common disorder, more common than you think. I personally have suffered from it for many years. Feeling vulnerable makes me stronger. To be able to openly talk about my problems and insecurities doesn’t make me a coward or weak”.

The Colombian superstar’s Con Cora Foundation announced Rincon de la Calma (Corner of Calm) this month alongside Glasswing International. With the aim of promoting mental health, the new project will “create safe and private spaces in schools where students, teachers, and individuals within the educational community can turn to in moments of despair, crisis, or difficulty”, according to the press release. It will impact countries such as Guatemala, El Salvador, Costa Rica and the Dominican Republic.

“This initiative arises from the need to provide students with tools to manage the impact of stress and trauma on physical health, as well as their ability to manage emotions, behaviors, and learning,” said Valentina Bueno, executive director of Con Cora Foundation. “We are proud to join forces with Glasswing International in creating these spaces that foster an environment of mutual support and personal growth in the educational sphere.”

“We are committed to harnessing that potential through education and mental health programs. This alliance will significantly contribute to improving the quality of life for hundreds of girls and boys in Latin America, working together to achieve a positive and lasting impact on their lives,” echoed Celine de Sola, co-founder and president at Glasswing.

Khea’s battle with mental health helped inform his 2023 album, Serotonina. In a discussion with Billboard, the Argentinian star shared, “Before I fell into depression, I was already writing ultra-deep lyrics. I was releasing songs such as ‘Ayer Me Llamo Mi Ex’ and ‘Wacha’ that made me realize I didn’t want to continue writing songs like that — which from my perspective, were somewhat empty. I was writing other things, and listening to other types of music, like Silvio Rodríguez. I was already distancing myself from this world.”

He continued, “But when this began to happen to me personally — looking down on myself and not being able to go outside because I had anxiety attacks — I really thought that one of the things that caused me to be like this was that I was no longer connecting with what my art said. So this whole process also went beyond a search to grow personally and it was rediscovering my musical self.”

“It’s super important to talk about this,” Nathy Peluso tells Billboard Español on mental health. “I think all human beings have to take care of our little head. It’s our pillar, what anchors us and what makes us better every day. There is a very important message in the [new] album [GRASA] in ‘Aprender a Amarse’, which I think is something we all deserve. In the end you have to be your best friend and you have to be your best partner, and take yourself out of the bad and into the good. For that you have to be brave.”

Residente has mentioned that reconnecting with his past has been therapeutic, since the launch of his introspective 2020 single, “René.” “The thing is that it’s like going to the psychologist,” he told Billboard that year about the songwriting. “Even though [friends and family] don’t know what I had been going through, although they will know tonight, I just started to reconnect with the people from my past. It also helped me do something like this song and tell people about it. It makes me feel like maybe people will know me a little bit more, and knowing that makes me feel better.”

Gomez, who has spoken in the past about her battles with bipolar disorder, told Making Space’s Hoda Kotb that she defines herself as a, “loving, caring… and a person who just genuinely wants to do anything to just help out someone,” she said. “I think life can get distracting, and there’s so much noise, and titles don’t scare me anymore because I claimed my own story. I told my story, and I felt freedom from it.”

“I will always be working on my mental health, and I will always evolve,” Gomez said at the third annual Rare Beauty Mental Health Summit in New York. “I’m not better or worse than anyone. I’m simply just a person living and surviving every day.” 

The trailer for the Argentine pop star’s latest album, Un Mechón de Pelo, features a gut-wrenching scene where she cuts a lock of her hair while reflecting on feelings of “craziness” and “loss of control.” The album marked a significant departure from her polished Disney star image, confronting her struggles with depression and panic attacks. Despite her openness, the response in Argentina was mixed, with some social media commentators criticizing her for seemingly using mental health issues as a promotional tool.

Nonetheless, she remained determined to share her truth through her music. “Going from Disney kid to finding myself took time, because I had a bunch of unconscious chips in my brain and had to remove them little by little,” she told Rolling Stone. “I can’t blame myself either.”