FEATURE:
Content/Content
IN THIS PHOTO: Florence Welch (Florence + The Machine)/PHOTO CREDIT: Autumn de Wilde
Artist Burnout, Industry Expectation, and the Misnomer of the ‘Return’
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IT is not a new thing…
IN THIS PHOTO: Sam Fender is an artist who has spoken about his mental health struggles through the years
and in fact has been an issue in music for many decades. That idea of artists, especially those in the mainstream, producing a lot of content. Putting out music, doing interviews, touring, and generally not being out of the public eye for a second. The idea being that, if they are not visible or active for longer than a few months or so, then they are seen as dormant or, even worse, irrelevant. It is miserable that the industry thinks like that! Though maybe unavoidable. It is something that is present to this day. Social media perhaps puts pressure on artists that means they need to be putting content out all of the time. Some artists do like that, as it means they can engage with fans. However, I still think that there is this sense of expectation that means, unless you are releasing music regularly, touring, and also active online constantly, then you will be overtaken or seen as inactive. I wrote about the subject before, but I am coming back to that idea of the artist ‘returning’. Not to rant, it is relevant that the music industry – especially radio and music websites – stops using that word. ‘Return’. I mention this because, not only is it used constantly when any artist releases music after daring to be quiet for a few weeks. Two massive artists have had that label attached to them. Wet Leg released their eponymous debut album in 2022. Since then, they have been releasing singles and touring. They have not announced they are stepping away from music or they are going on hiatus.
Their new album, moisturizer, was released on 11th July. Three years between albums is seen as an artist stopping. The fact that Wet Leg were ‘returning’ is not only incorrect, but it also puts pressure on artists and is not good for their mental health. That they have to keep releasing music or else they are seen as faded or retreating. The same word was applied to Florence + The Machine. They released Dance Fever in 2022. Another three-year gap, Everybody Scream is out on 31st October. Like Wet Leg, Florence + The Machine have been touring and putting out music. It is something that drives me insane! It is not celebratory or right to say an artist is returning or ‘back’. It has this subtext. That you need to put out an album every year and never seemingly step away for a second. These artists are not taking a break. In the eyes of radio and the music press, they have gone away and are coming back. That must put this pressure on them that they need to up their game and never stop. We do need to recontextualise and actually think how we view artists. I know there is a lot of music out there so, to some degree, artists do need to put out new albums within a certain timeframe. However, the more people expect and the more we mislabel or hail this ‘return’ for an act who has left a three-year gap between albums, that then creates this push. They tour more, release more music and that has a big impact on their mental and physical health. It also means that we are going to lose artists. The prospect of burnout is very real. Streaming and physical sales do not make artists as much money as they would like – especially the former. Touring is a way of making money but, even then, artists sometimes lose money at gigs. It is an impossible situation.
I face the issue myself when it comes to content. The more I put out the more, I hope, it brings people in and attracts new followers. The long-term goal for me is being able to sustain my blog but also become more ambitious and have larger artists interested in interviews. Being able to expand my horizons. I do find that artists have this burden on them. A normal album cycle means so much work before a song is released. Teaser, trailer video, filmed pieces where artists talk about albums before the first of perhaps four or five singles is released. You then have all the promotional interviews before an album is released. Then there is as much touring as they can afford so they can make some money and be able to record again. A reason artists leave gaps between singles and albums is partly financial. Studios are very expensive and recording an album can cost thousands. If you want to sustain a career in music and do it full-time, then you either have to tour relentlessly or take another job. I know music fans can appreciate this. However, I have been annoyed by stations and the music press unconsciously adding weight onto the shoulders of artists. Digital burnout and the pressures of social media are also real. In 2022, this article reacted to Charli xcx leaving social media because of unkindness from fans. She has since come back, yet the pitfalls of always having to be online is being exposed to criticism, abuse and pressure from fans. Tegan and Sara were also affected by it:
“In January, Tegan and Sara launched a Substack newsletter offering in-depth insight into their creative process, which has more than 6,000 subscribers and a paid-for tier priced at $6 (£4.40) a month. “Substack is us unselfconsciously saying, ‘We like our words and our ideas and our stories have value’,” says Quin. “So much of what social media feels like is that we work for those companies, like Spotify, Instagram and Facebook, and don’t necessarily feel any benefit. It feels like I’m always just supplying more content for the food chain.”
Still, these alternatives aren’t wholesale replacements for social media. “I want to find people where they are,” says Quin. “I’m not trying to siphon them all into one place, but I’m never going to lie and tell you that I like social media. I hate it but I will do it because I don’t want people to miss out.”
Welsh agrees: “Sleeps Society and social media are complementary for us. Our social channels are there for casual fans who want to engage on and off but the community is for those who would consider us ‘their’ band.”
Despite the emerging alternatives available, the catch-22 remains for artists trying to have a healthier relationship to the internet while also promoting their work in an ever-more competitive field.
“Fans are intelligent people who can immediately see through artists spending time trying to do it all or having an impact just because they feel they need to be,” says Sophie Kennard, manager of Chase & Status. “The moment that it feels a bit disingenuous, it’s game over anyway. So they might as well utilise their time elsewhere.”
Ultimately, despite all the pitfalls of social media, there may be no going back. “Sometimes I wish the electrical grid would go down so I wouldn’t have to do it any more,” says Quin. “But we’re in the maze and I don’t know how to get out”.
PHOTO CREDIT: Thirdman/Pexels
Last month, Rolling Stone India ran a feature that asked what would happen to artists that didn’t want to feed the feed. That idea of constantly feeding the beast. Not only reserved to Indian artists, the industry is not talking enough about this expectation of always being visible. If, as I have repeated, you are not constantly on and out there, any new music after a brief spell is seen as a return. From where?! It is something that needs to change:
“In a 2025 study led by researchers at Goldsmiths and University College London (UCL), musicians described social media as a “content factory”—an environment that made them feel emotionally disconnected, anxious, and compulsively engaged, often at the cost of creativity. The paper, published in Frontiers in Psychology, featured interviews with 12 UK-based artists, who admitted that social media often made them feel “inferior,” triggered unhealthy comparisons, and took time away from songwriting and rest. One participant said, “I come off stage and the first thing I do is check my phone to see what people said online. It’s no longer about how the show felt—it’s about how it looks.”
This aligns with broader mental health data. A separate December 2024 study from UCL, involving over 15,000 UK adults from different nationalities, found that posting on social media—not browsing, not lurking—was linked to increased psychological distress one year later. Participants who posted daily reported significant declines in well-being, even after accounting for pre-existing mental health conditions. In contrast, those who consumed content passively showed no such decline. The lead researcher noted that the pressure to share publicly may fuel anxiety and identity stress, particularly among people whose careers depend on performing for an audience. Furthermore, a global study across 29 countries also found that excessive social media use is associated with lower well-being and higher psychological distress, especially in places where it’s widely used.
And it’s not just emerging artists feeling this strain. Addison Rae, one of the most recognizable faces of TikTok-era pop culture, has spoken openly about stepping back from the internet after feeling “so misunderstood” online. She described how the constant push to stay relevant made her feel disconnected from her real self. Actor Taron Egerton, while promoting his new show She Rides Shotgun, told the press that being back online after a hiatus made him feel “worse,” and that he intended to leave again soon. Their honesty speaks to something deeper—that even those who seemingly benefit most from social media can find it emotionally draining and creatively suffocating.
The music industry hasn’t made stepping back easy either. Let’s be honest: visibility is as close to currency as it gets. Algorithms reward frequency, not quality. Artists often feel like they’re being penalized for not posting enough—losing playlist spots, falling off festival shortlists, or being passed over for campaigns. Even artist managers and PR teams now factor in engagement rates before pitching for gigs. The assumption is: if you’re not online, you’re not working.
The current system incentivizes performance over process, packaging over patience, and audience growth over artistic exploration. Social media is framed as a solution, but for many artists, it’s another arena in which they must constantly compete, adapt, and sacrifice peace of mind.
It’s worth asking: why has an industry built around creativity become so tethered to platforms built around performance metrics? Why are artists expected to maintain a digital persona to validate their real-world output? And why does choosing rest or privacy still feel professionally risky?
If music is to remain a space for truth-telling, experimentation, and emotional honesty, then the systems that support it must also evolve. That means expanding definitions of success beyond visibility. It means supporting models where artistry doesn’t rely on feed frequency. And it means respecting an artist’s right to log off without disappearing because not every musician wants to be an influencer. And they shouldn’t have to be”.
There is a mental health issue in music that needs addressing, as this recent piece from The British Psychological Society explores. I guess this expectation for artists to perpetually be visible and feeding fans and the industry links to digital and psychological burnout. Artists limiting touring and, as a result, losing money. Which then causes another blow to their mental health. In March, at this year’s BRITs, The Last Dinner Party shared their experiences of burnout with NME:
“Looking back at how they were forced to cancel several live shows at the end of last year due to “emotional, mental, physical burnout”, the group told NME about the realisations they have had going into 2025.
“[It’s about] planning your year with limitations. Not just seizing every single opportunity because it’s great,” bassist Georgia Davies told NME. “You have to value yourself as the greatest thing. If you don’t put that first, everything else will crumble. Setting out your expectations for the year and what your physical and mental limitations are [is vital].
She continued: “We hope other artists learn from that, because we learned a really valuable lesson from having to [cancel shows], and we hope the industry at large absorbs some of it. A lot of other artists have had to do the same thing, and it’s tragic for the fans and everyone involved. I hope it’s something we all learn from going forward.”
Keyboardist Aurora Nishevci agreed, explaining how the band hope to encourage more widespread awareness across the industry: “There is not a lot of discussion. Historically, artists have not had a good time.”
She continued: “When you start a band, you just want to write music and play music. It’s something you love, but you don’t think you’re starting a business. You have to set the safeguarding for yourself, you have to learn how to run it and employ people. So when you enter into making any music from music — which is really hard in the first place — then there is that whole other learning curve that comes”.
IN THIS PHOTO: Billie Marten/PHOTO CREDIT: Frances Carter
I think it is relevant to being in part of an interview that The Independent conducted with Billie Marten around the promotion of her new album, Dog Eared. An artist whose debut album arrived almost a decade ago, Marten is still seen as a ‘rising’ artist. Even though she is one of the hardest-working artists and has toured so much and released five studio albums, there is this perception she is still a teenage artist coming through. She also revealed how most artists are in financial ruin:
“Mostly, artists are in financial ruin no matter how successful they appear to be,” Marten affirms. “I’ve worked the hardest and the longest and I am the most busy I’ve ever been – and I am not doing great.”
Fair compensation has always been tricky to advocate for, considering that most musicians are more passionate about making music than money – “It’s cool to be in music, so why should you also get paid?”, Marten quips. She describes it as a reverse pyramid scheme: the artist is treated like they’re kings and queens at the top, waited on and chauffeured, with everyone else bowing down. But the reality is starkly different. “Everyone that’s hanging onto the artist is buying houses and having families and going on holiday,” says Marten wryly. “And the artists could never dream of doing that. It’s funny.” Though perhaps not “funny ha-ha”.
Rising overheads, inflation and shrinking show fees for touring artists are all major issues. But the biggest problem, financially, is the way we now consume music, which favours the tiny number of players at the top.
“There’s too much music and there are too many famous people,” Marten says frankly. She describes the Spotify royalties’ structure, which rewards those with the most plays with a bigger piece of the financial pie. “Less money is going to mid-level and low-level artists. It’s a capitalist mentality, essentially, and we’re all paying Taylor Swift.”
Though, I must admit, I have no regrets about meeting mine this time around (and not just because I’ve largely managed to avoid humiliating myself). Here is a woman who has, against the odds, managed to hold onto principles and idealism alongside the world-weary ennui. Who, despite her undeniably pretty voice, has done more than make a pretty record. “I just always hope that I’m making work that I believe in, and I’m making work for the right reasons,” she says when I ask whether her dreams have changed. “I hope that people find a home in it. And I hope that it’s an antidote to whatever their poison is – because I’ve seen people go through a lot of pain”.
I do wonder if there is any way to break this miasma and broken system. Most artists not being able to make money and facing burnout. This expectation that they need to put out content all the time. They can never be content and settled. They have to keep pushing and feed the machine. There being this discrepancy between artists at the top level and the rest. Such a massive gulf in terms of earnings and attention. Too much focus put on wealthy artists and not enough on other artists. The media and industry also need to stop expecting artists to keep releasing music! Not saying how they are ‘returning’ and ‘back’, rather than them simply continuing their career and actually not having been anywhere at all. That sort of labelling and misnomer is toxic and insulting! They need to realise the realities of the music industry today and what artists face. How they can’t afford to pump out albums every year and put out content every day. If things stay as they are and issues like burnout and pressure to put out content all the time is not addressed, then artists and the industry as a whole…
IS in real trouble.