In recent years, many people — including musicians — have been silently battling mental health issues. May is Mental Health Awareness Month and Sound Mind is back with a new installment of its signature series, Unmasked.
On the latest episode, Halestorm’s lead singer Lzzy Hale details her experience with anxiety and impostor syndrome.
Since co-founding the band in her teens, Hale has quietly cemented herself as a powerhouse vocalist, deft and dynamic guitarist, and influential force at the forefront of a faithful fanbase. To date, the group has logged two back-to-back Top 10 debuts on the Billboard Top 200, namely Into The Wild Life (2015) and Vicious (2018).
In addition to selling out headlining shows worldwide, they’ve shared stages with the likes of Eric Church, Joan Jett, and Alice Cooper. Over the last few years, Lzzy’s reach has expanded to television personality and advocate for women and mental health. In fact, Hale is a member of the GRAMMY® Mental Health Panel.
“Even though we’ve come a long way in the past few generations to break the stigma that has long shadowed mental health, there are still so many of us having a hard time finding a safe space,” she said. “Personally, I have suffered from depression — feeling like I’m trapped at the bottom of a well watching the world above go by without me — as well as paralyzing anxiety and impostor syndrome. These are battles I still fight daily, and by being honest and vulnerable about my own struggles, I want to give others hope. You are not alone.”
Unmasked offers a series of short-form video portraits exploring mental health issues through the lens of music’s biggest stars, spanning genres like hip-hop, rock, and pop. Each artist opens up about their personal experiences with a diverse array of mental health issues such as substance abuse, depression, bipolar disorder, anxiety, and more.
This series is particularly important because it reminds music fans that life isn’t perfect for their favorite artist. If we all work together, we can foster a community that removes stigmas, while promoting empathy and understanding around mental health.
Check out the Lzzy Hale in the latest episode of Unmasked and stay tuned for more from Billboard.
