Squnto details his personal battle with depression, spurs dialogue over mental illness
It’s no secret that the music industry is a breeding ground for mental health issues. Not just because music creation is a nicely suited outlet for channeling one’s problems, but because of the astronomical stress levels associated with touring and the pressure to constantly put out hit after hit.
There’s also an intense stigma attached to being a tortured artist, and the double-edged sword that comes along with earning a living off making one’s self so emotionally raw and vulnerable. In 2018, countless electronic artists have come forth detailing their problems with addition, depression, and industry pressure. The growing dialogues surrounding mental health awareness have been the one positive outcome to arise from Avicii’s tragic suicide earlier this year.
Squnto is the latest artist to join the likes of Illenium, RL Grime, Alison Wonderland, and Ekali to speak candidly about their personal mental illness. Taking to Twitter in the hopes of reaching anyone who may be finding it hard to cope, Squnto really lays it all out on the table. “I found it very hard to communicated how I felt with therapists and friends and family.”
“I ended up becoming very depressed and disassociated,” Squnto revealed in a long-winded series of tweets. “Basically it felt like my emotions had turned off or I was experiencing them through a thick glass wall. And everything seemed very dark and sinister.”
Speaking on everything from his struggle with recreational marijuana and stimulants, to dealing with depression and thoughts of suicide, to how his career success became a mask for truly dealing with his inner demons, Squnto’s story traces his time from high school into dropping out of college to pursue music full time. He recounts back to 2016 when things really started to take off for him:
“I feel like I fully displaced my need for personal progress into seeing progress with my career…and then I would come home [from touring] and kind of be back in that darkness I hadn’t faced [with] these mental issues yet.”
At one point, he eventually turned to spirituality and metaphysics to deal with his pain, which he says was helpful in the short term. Ultimately, however, he admits how cathartic talking publicly can be. But equally more commendable is how much dialogue was spurred online around mental and the outpouring of support from his fans and industry colleagues. Two of his regular collaborators, Dirt Monkey and Subtronics, even chimed in on the issue.
Read the full transcript of Squnto’s tweets below:
Fans can interact with Squnto about his personal struggle below. If you’re battling with addiction, depression, hopelessness, or just need someone to talk to, there are resources available to you at the Suicide Prevention Lifeline. Please don’t wait, call 1-800-273-8255 or talk to love ones immediately.
Information seeker. Dog lover. PhD drop out. College professor by day, EDM photographer by night.