The Kids Arenât Alright: Depressionâs Dangerous Presence in Popular Music
by Dana Behling
(trigger warning: depression mention, suicide-related imagery)
(image credit: Universal Music AB)
Clinical depression has been labeled a 21st century epidemic, with Forbes reporting in May that rates of diagnoses for the disease rose 33% overall between 2013 and 2016, and a staggering 47% among the Millennial generation during the same timespan. No matter what the cause is for this drastic increase, one thing is clear to those of us born after 1990 - the music we listen to is riddled with themes of depression across all genres, and it isnât always with the intention of promoting positive outreach concerning the disease.
Lana Del Rey, one of the most prominent faces in alternative pop, uses suicidal thoughts and depression as major themes in the inspiration for her music, with her breakout album titled Born to Die being one of her most popular. In a 2014 interview with The Guardian, Del Rey even stated that there was something âglamorousâ in dying young, even sporting a tattoo on her finger that inspires the idea.
(image credit: Cosmopolitan)
To be clear, artists using depression as inspiration for their craft is nothing new, with some of the industryâs most influential and celebrated voices, including Johnny Cash, Kurt Cobain, and Amy Winehouse, all being very open about their struggles with mental illness in the music they produced. The problem arises in the fact that two out of three of these artists died at the age of 27 as a result of their illnesses, and each of them hailed from different time periods of popular music. There are a plethora of artists in modern music that use depression as a means of forming their brand, arguably more than have ever been witnessed in previous decades, and many of them list Cobain and Winehouse as being direct influences on their own careers.
For many suffering from mental illnesses like depression and anxiety, the music of artists like Lana Del Rey, Halsey, and Lorde, to name a few, serves as an escape from their own problems living with disease. The fan bases of these artists also foster a community of individuals who understand what itâs like to struggle with poor mental health. In the cases of some artists, such as Del Rey, however, depression is glamorized and romanticized to the point that itâs seen as trendy to be diagnosed with - nothing more than an accessory to fit an aesthetic.
The album cover featured at the head of this article is that of Swedish artist Ăngie, accompanying her 2018 record Suicidal Since 1995. The image looks as if itâs been ripped from the pages of Vogue, presenting the subject of suicide as one that is sleek, fashionable, and not nearly as devastating as it truly is. As for the album itself, its seven tracks explore habits of substance abuse in order to escape from thoughts of depression, unhealthy coping mechanisms that have the power to destroy the lives of those afflicted with them.
(image credit: NME)
Themes such as those found in Suicidal Since 1995 have appeared increasingly in music since the start of the decade, with Tove Loâs âHabits (Stay High)â becoming a chart-topping single in 2014. While it can be argued that songs and artists such as these serve a purpose of bringing up the topic of depression in mainstream conversation, they also do little but give listeners suffering from the disease an agent to wade in unhealthy thoughts.
(image credit: Odyssey)
There is a silver lining about the topic, however. Many artists who use depression as a means of creation also express emotion over their recovery, providing an example for those also struggling with mental illness. Lordeâs 2017 album Melodrama, for example, explores depression after a breakup and learning to love oneself through the pain. And while depression-heavy in their themes, two Marina and the Diamondsâ albums, Electra Heart and FROOT, ultimately express the peace found in recovery with the songs âHappyâ and âFear & Loathing,â the former of which actually opens the album with a positive message. Demi Lovato is perhaps the most popular artist who speaks up about mental health issues, working as an advocate for those experiencing trouble with depression and other disorders to seek help and recovery.
For those struggling with depression (myself included), musicians who share our experiences and write about them can create havens for us to feel less alone in our illnesses. Thereâs a huge difference, however, between fostering solidarity through identification and honesty concerning difficult issues, and using sadness as a means to sell a brand. We as consumers must be conscious of the artists we support when it comes to their stances on mental illness. If they use it as a device to seem more artful, they arenât doing much to help themselves or anyone else to create understanding for an extremely serious and misunderstood problem.
If youâre struggling with your mental health, we at The Setlist encourage you to speak up and reach out. The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline offers 24/7 support, as well as other resources, some of them located on the University of Delaware campus.
