Music and Mental Health: 10 Musicians Who Have Spoken About Mental Health
- Discovery Journal
- Mar 16
- 5 min read
Music has always felt personal to me. Learning that music and mental health go hand in hand made it an escape, something that made me feel better.
Certain songs have held me together when I felt like I was quietly falling apart. But something shifted when artists themselves began speaking openly about anxiety, depression, burnout, and vulnerability and not only that, writing songs which reflect their pain and my own. It stopped being just lyrics. It became real.
When musicians who speak about mental health share their struggles publicly, it chips away at stigma in a way statistics never could. Hearing someone you admire say, “I struggle too,” has power.
Here are ten musicians who have helped change the conversation.
1. Lewis Capaldi
Lewis Capaldi has been incredibly open about anxiety and Tourette's syndrome, particularly around live performance.
At the height of his career, he spoke publicly about experiencing intense anxiety before shows. Rather than hiding it, he acknowledged it. Eventually, he stepped back from touring to focus on his well-being.
Watching someone successful admit vulnerability matters. It reinforces that anxiety does not disappear with achievement. For many fans, seeing him supported on stage during moments of visible struggle was deeply human.
It reminded me that asking for space does not equal failure.
2. Bowling For Soup
Bowling For Soup is known for humour and high-energy pop punk, but lead singer Jaret Reddick has spoken openly about anxiety.
There is something powerful about combining humour with honesty. It shows that you can live with anxiety without losing your personality.
As someone who often uses humour as a coping mechanism, hearing that from an artist I grew up listening to felt validating. Anxiety does not have to erase joy.
When I saw Bowling for Soup live, and I heard from Jared himself, it inspired me. At that stage, I was already 2 years into the Discovery Journal. I knew what I was creating was helping people, but I felt I needed to broaden what I was doing. Make the system I had created more accessible to all people of all ages, at any stage of life.
Journals are often thought of like children's activity books. I wanted to get rid of that harmful stereotype. I re-designed the journals to reflect more adult themes.
Discovery Journal now has two editions, standard and neurodiverse. There are options for beginners and more committed long-term journalers. All in the hopes of giving everyone who needs it an avenue to find their anxiety triggers, monitor their improvement and ultimately find the root causes, aiding in understanding and recovery.
3. Billie Eilish
Billie Eilish has spoken candidly about depression, body image struggles, and the emotional toll of fame.
Her honesty about seeing therapists and navigating dark periods challenges the assumption that success equals happiness. She has discussed how sudden fame intensified her mental health struggles rather than solved them.
For younger audiences, especially, that transparency normalises seeking help.
4. Sam Fender
Sam Fender has addressed mental health openly in interviews and through his songwriting. His work often explores male vulnerability, social pressure, and emotional repression.
In the United Kingdom, especially, conversations about men and mental health have historically been limited. Seeing male artists speak openly about anxiety encourages emotional literacy.
His openness widens the conversation beyond individual struggle into cultural change.
5. Shawn Mendes
Shawn Mendes has spoken about panic attacks and anxiety connected to touring and constant public scrutiny.
He has openly discussed stepping back to prioritise mental health despite pressure to continue performing.
There is strength in pausing. Hearing someone publicly choose rest over relentless productivity reinforces that well-being matters more than expectation.
6. Adele
Adele has shared experiences of emotional overwhelm and personal struggles that influenced her music.
Her albums often feel like emotional processing in real time. She has spoken about therapy and the importance of understanding her own emotional patterns.
For me, her music feels like proof that vulnerability can create connection rather than weakness.
Emotional processing is so important. I've often opted for writing poems or songs as ways of expressing myself. That's why I created an expansion for the Discovery Journal, concentrating on learning emotional processing and understanding your own thoughts. It's shocking how often we all rely on "stressed" or "tired" to explain our entire spectrum of emotions.
7. Demi Lovato
Demi Lovato has been vocal about mental health struggles, including depression and substance use recovery.
Their openness has sparked important conversations about mental health in the entertainment industry and the pressure placed on young artists.
Public honesty about recovery removes some of the shame around seeking help.
8. Lady Gaga
Lady Gaga has spoken about trauma and mental health extensively. She has discussed living with post traumatic stress and the importance of therapy.
She has also advocated publicly for mental health awareness, using her platform to encourage conversation rather than silence.
Her advocacy demonstrates that vulnerability can coexist with strength and influence.
9. Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran has spoken about grief, anxiety, and the emotional impact of sudden fame.
He has described feeling overwhelmed and isolated during intense touring periods. His willingness to speak about these experiences highlights how even grounded personalities can struggle under pressure.
Fame does not immunise anyone against mental health challenges.
10. Pink
Pink has shared experiences with therapy and emotional growth, often speaking about the importance of understanding oneself.
Her openness about couples therapy and personal reflection challenges the idea that strong people should handle everything alone.
Hearing that from someone perceived as resilient normalises support seeking.
It's so inspiring to hear of other people musicans, celebrities, or actually just anyone, talk so openly about therapy and the deeper life experiences that can lead to or contribute to mental illness. I've always promoted that understanding is the first step to overcoming. Anxiety and mental illness often rely on confusion and chaos. If you understand what is happening inside and outside, you can make meaningful changes to the amount of control it has over you.
If you want to go deeper, challenge your thinking, understand your past, present and future. These cards are a great starting point. Ranging from easy to hard, they make you question yourself and how your mind is really working.
Why this matters
When musicians who speak about mental health share openly, it shifts culture.
It reduces the myth that anxiety and depression only affect certain types of people. It demonstrates that success does not eliminate vulnerability. It encourages conversations in families, friend groups, and workplaces.
For me personally, hearing artists describe panic attacks or depressive episodes reduced the isolation I felt. It made my own experience feel less abnormal. It makes it easier to relate as human ands not as separated by experience.
Mental health in the music industry
The music industry itself is demanding. Touring disrupts sleep. Public scrutiny increases pressure. Performance anxiety is common. Creative work requires emotional exposure.
It is not surprising that many artists experience anxiety and depression, but that's not to say any job, or any person, or any experience doesn't put demands on you. Everyone deserves the chance to improve and even recover.
Final thoughts
Musicians who speak about mental health make vulnerability visible.
From Lewis Capaldi stepping back to prioritise wellbeing, to Bowling For Soup blending humour with honesty, to artists across genres sharing their stories, each act of openness contributes to change.
Music has always helped me process anxiety. Hearing the people behind the songs speak honestly about their own struggles makes that connection even stronger.
You can be talented and anxious. Successful and vulnerable. Creative and still struggling.
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