FEATURE:
Shape of You
IN THIS PHOTO: Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran on Addiction and the Early Pressure of Fame: The Expectations Artists Face
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A few things have occurred in the music world…
that have compelled me to write a feature. I will explore the legacy of Denise Johnson this weekend, but I was caught by a story that appeared online concerning Ed Sheeran. I can’t count myself as one of his fans and, when it comes to his music, I have been unkind in the past. Whilst I am not a lover of his music, I have always respected him as a person, as it seems like he had a pretty long road to acknowledgment and, when his music did get out there and started to become popular, the pressure would have been immense. Now, he seems to have a comfortable life with his wife Cherry Seaborn, and he is able to be more selective regarding the gigging he does, as he has amassed quite a fortune. He has worked hard for it and, whatever you think of his music, one has to feel sympathy towards him, as we do not really think about these artists that are capitulated to fame. I think back to the 1990s when artists like Britney Spears burst through, and what things were like behind the scenes. One assumes that stardom and success would be nothing but a blessing for an artist like Ed Sheeran but, when you consider all the touring and exposure, it would have been a real struggle. Sheeran has talked about his issues with addiction and binge eating. This BBC article explains more:
“Ed Sheeran has revealed how his "very addictive personality" led him to binge on food and alcohol during the early days of his success.
Speaking at an online summit on anxiety and wellbeing, the star said he had suffered panic attacks and hated the way he looked after becoming famous.
He hit a particularly rough patch during his 2014-15 world tour.
"I felt, 'What was the point?' In a dark way, like, 'Why am I around? What is the point?'" he said.
The star said credited his wife, Cherry, and a more healthy lifestyle for helping him turn his life around.
"She exercises a lot, so I started going on runs with her. She eats quite healthily so I started eating quite healthily. She doesn't drink that much so I wasn't drinking," he said. "I think that all changed things."
Sheeran said the 180-date world tour to promote his 2014 album X, was his lowest point.
"I would stay up and drink all night and then sleep on the bus," he said. "The buses would park underneath the arenas and I'd sleep on the bus all day, then wake up and then come out, do the show, drink, get back on the bus and I didn't see sunlight for maybe four months.
"It's all fun and games at the start. it's all rock and roll, and then like it starts getting sad. That was probably like the lowest that I've been and I kind of ballooned in weight."
Sheeran was signed to Elton John's management company at the start of his career - and he said that reading his mentor's autobiography had prompted a few realisations about his own lifestyle.
"There are so many things that he did that I do," the star explained.
"He would be like, 'I would just go on an ice cream binge and eat four desserts until I threw up', and I was like, 'I've done that before'.
"Or his martini binges, where he sees how many martinis he can drink. And I'm like, 'I've done that before too'.
"With addiction, its very hard to moderate but moderation is the key".
I am glad that he is more stable now, and things could have been very different considering the levels of his addiction and the fact that he would have been touring and making music at the same time – the energy this would have taken out of Sheeran is startling! Hearing about Sheeran’s experiences has made me look at modern music now and how there are so many upcoming and promising artists who might be in the same position. Not all will have addictive personalities like Sheeran but, as I have written about mental-health in music before, I think there are going to be a lot of artists out there who can identify with Sheeran and his struggle. I am not placing the blame on any one area of the music industry but I think, at a time when social media and streaming figures are as important as gigs and radio play, there is an awful lot for artists to take in and deal with. I think streaming figures and numbers is one huge reason why a lot of artists suffer from mental-health issues and do, like Sheeran, turn to some form of excess and addiction. This interesting article argues why numbers don’t reflect the value of musicians:
“Listeners often look to the numbers to choose which music to listen to and to measure an artist’s success. “If a song has a lot of streams, it must be good”, conventional thinking says. But when musicians put too much stock into the numbers associated with their own music, it can limit their creativity, usher negativity into their careers, and distract from their music.
PHOTO CREDIT: @morningbrew/Unsplash
Because numbers in music can easily be interpreted as indicators of status, many musicians get wrapped up in endless quests to boost their streaming and social media standings. This is where an earnest desire to share music with people can morph into an unsatisfying game of points where the definition of creative success is narrowed down to whether your numbers go up or not. It’s the opposite of creating authentic, meaningful music, which is what your focus should be as a musician.
Streams, album sales, and Instagram likes can’t tell you your value and potential as a musician, (or a person in general for that matter). You absolutely should strive to reach as many people as you can through your music if that’s your goal as a musician. But believing a song has value because it’s streamed a lot (or that another has less because it isn’t) misses the point. Myriad human-related factors like your unique fanbase and the way you promote your music as well as things out of your control like algorithms and trends typically determine whether audiences latch on to new music or not”.
I did not want to make this a huge feature that focuses on every possible stress and pressure on young artists, but I have been thinking about life post-COVID-19 when artists get back to touring and full-on promotion. At any other time, promotion and touring is quite exhausting, but that will become worse when we are all seeing live gigs again, as there is a sense of catching up on lost time and trying to regain momentum.
IN THIS PHOTO: James Blake/PHOTO CREDIT: The1point8
Not only do a lot of artists have to face financial loss and anaemia right now, but they are not able to get out there and play. That being said, the touring life can be a big weight, as artists are carried from pillar to post and undergo gruelling schedules. Last year, James Blake spoke to NME and shared his experiences of touring and how it has impacted his mental-health:
“As he subsequently opened up on his mental health battles, the Mercury Prize-winning producer admitted that it’s often harboured by long periods of time on the road.
“There are a lot of musicians just starting out now who might not be aware of the pitfalls of touring, and the pitfalls of a musician’s life. Mental health on the road is something which has generally been left until this generation to really deal with”, he explained.
“I think we’ve seen the effects of the artist’s life laid out for us in previous generations, and I think we’re just starting to go, ‘Maybe I shouldn’t use these methods to cope with it, maybe I should talk to somebody.’”
But while Blake believes that the stigma on mental health is lessening, he think that musicians have never been under more pressure.
“Coming up at a time when the internet destroyed any chance of selling lots and lots of records meant there was a lot of pressure to tour, and you couldn’t really stop without taking a huge financial hit,” Blake said”.
IN THIS PHOTO: Kehlani
Ed Sheeran also remarked how he has stepped away from social media because, though it is a great tool to market music and connect with fans, there is that downside. So many musicians live with mental illnesses and, when that is revealed online, sometimes the reaction is not particularly positive or empathetic:
“When you're working in a field that opens you up to public discussion, or even ridicule, you learn to harden yourself against criticism that comes both from journalists and the sort of people whose only avatars are dogs, cartoons or the gauzy Twitter head-and-shoulders icon (RIP the egg). But it's important to note the line between criticism and vitriol. Artists like Kehlani, Fifth Harmony's Normani Kordei and most recently Arcade Fire's Win Butler have stepped away from Twitter, often citing hateful language as the reason why. Kanye West and Sinead O'Connor have had their struggles with mental illness mocked. None of this counts as productive criticism. It's being a prick, and doing so when your comments can be carried around on a screen in someone's back pocket.
"Social media allows fans to feel an authentic connection to artists, which creates more of a psychological bond and sense of relationship," says Dr Pamela Rutledge, a media psychologist based in California. "It feels close. But that closeness also makes negative remarks and harassment seem all the more hurtful." Anyone who's waited for their crush's name to pop up on the list of people who watched their latest shaky Instagram Story will already know how craving validation on social media can lead to dependence. If that validation disappears, it can trigger unfounded feelings of isolation or inadequacy”.
IN THIS PHOTO: Normani Kordei
At the moment, artists need to be protected regarding streaming income, and many are facing a very lean 2020 and an extremely packed and frantic 2021 ahead. Even if you are a very small artist starting out, that polar extreme is going to take its toll. I do hope that live music can restart properly soon enough, but I am concerned that underground and mainstream artists alike will face their toughest challenge yet regarding maintaining a work-life balance and ensuring that they take some time out and rest. I am not predicting a load of artists will speak out like Ed Sheeran and go through the same struggles, but there will be additional pressures and problems on the shoulders of artists everywhere. There are great charities and resources that are there for musicians during this very challenging time. In a more long-term sense, I do wonder whether there needs to be a shake-up regarding the life of an artist and how many hours they spend on the road and online. One might say this is all part of being a musician, but so many do not take time off, and the uncensored and vast pit of social media means that artists are exposed to all sorts of comments and criticisms – making them less likely to be open about their problems or want to speak out at all. I do hope that the industry and labels put something in place when things get back to normal, as it will be a very tough transition, and Ed Sheeran’s revelations will open quite a few eyes. Whilst we all want to hear as much new music as possible and get back into venues and see artists climb back onto the stage, I hope that, when that is possible, we all take a bit of time out to consider the wellbeing and happiness of…
PHOTO CREDIT: @ricardonunes_fotografo/Unsplash
THE people behind the music.