Music

Touring found to be a widespread source of depression

by Jesse Locke

Life on the road as a touring musician can be an invigorating alternative to the 9-5 rat race, but it also brings its own set of physical and psychological strains. And no, we’re not just talking about forcing down Tim Horton’s breakfast sandwiches.

A recent survey from Help Musicians UK offered up the troubling statistics that 60% of musicians have suffered from depression or other mental health issues, with touring listed as a concern for 71% of the 552 artists polled. This study avoided the obvious sampling pool with 54% women and 59% working in the classical realm trailed by pop, rock, and metal. The music may be different, but the issues faced are universal.

Expanding on these findings, a article from The Guardian shared by salty musicians everywhere included parallel anecdotes from sources such as Kate Nash, Zayn Malik of One Direction, and Meredith Graves of Perfect Pussy. From travel fatigue to post-performance depression and the breakdown of relationships (a marriage in the case of lo-fi blues slinger Willis Earl Beal) there are countless sources of brain-bleakness that can occur on a coast-to-coast grind.

“We’re the luckiest people in the world to be able to do this; but that doesn’t mean it’s not hard. It’s psychologically taxing,” says the outspoken Graves. “Being confined to the van for a 10-hour drive… You can’t sleep, you can’t move, you can’t do anything. It’s like a recipe for a breakdown for me.”

“The classic image of a touring musician would seem counterintuitive to all we know about well-being,” agrees Isabella Goldie of the Mental Health Foundation. “Drinking in moderation, avoiding drugs, getting sufficient amounts of sleep, and having a support base of close friends and family nearby. These are the bonds that help keep you grounded… It’s no surprise that some musicians struggle.”

So the next time your favourite artist cancels a show or tour due to health issues, bear in mind that it could be an incredibly necessary break and the only thing allowing them to continue in the future.

“I would like to think that an artist’s mental health is taken into consideration more now,” Nash concludes. “We’ve had enough people die, quite frankly.”