REVIEW
SIX ALBUMS ABOUT MENTAL HEALTH AND SELF-REFLECTION
Emma Castillo
This list of these six albums explores the struggle with mental health and self-reflection. This list is an arrangement of what we think are the most talented artists that many students from UDEM high school can relate to; and albums that maybe you grew up with. If you haven't listened to or even heard of these albums, we encourage you to listen to them because they could help you understand yourself a little more. They could be expressing themselves via lyrics and songs, whatever they are not ready to say.
When Facing The Things We Turned Away From By Luke Hemmings (2021)
Luke Hemmings is the vocalist for the Australian band 5 Seconds of Summer. While in quarantine, he decided to make an album as a soloist. This album reflects the person Luke Hemmings was in his youth, who he aspired to be, and whom he became. His feelings and emotions can be perceived sonically. In songs like “Diamonds” track 9, Luke Hemmings shows the struggles he had suffered while in the spotlight. For that reason, he felt as if his feelings were dismissed. He ended up feeling proud of how far he came and the person he turned into. This album defines growth in its pure form.
Happier Than Ever by Billie Eilish (2021)
Happier than Ever is Eilish’s sophomore album. This album feels like a battle with herself in all kinds of fields. Firstly, the album opens with a song that talks about entering adulthood and dealing with the sudden change of perspective from yourself and others. It carries out themes of people making up expectations about themselves, and when it's not what they want they turn their back on you. She also talks about dealing with society's beauty standards, which are unreachable and criticizing when people look real. It finishes with a song directed to people who took advantage of you or did you wrong, and no matter how hard you try, you can't get yourself to hate them.
Fine Line by Harry Styles (2019)
In Fine Line Harry Styles explores freedom for probably the first time since One Direction, sonically, emotionally, and physically. In songs like Falling he questions himself - “What if I’m someone I don't want around”, or Lights Up - “Do you know who you are?” In the end he makes sure to arrive to a conclusion which is that he is exactly where he wanted to be, emotionally and physically. Through the album, he tells us stories about a relationship and how he misses the person who gave him the ability to express himself. We start to notice it through his new style and clothes, staying in touch with his feminine side in “She”, and finally belonging somewhere in “Treat People With Kindness”.
Through the album, he tells us stories about a relationship and how he misses the person who gave him the ability to express himself.
Mind Of Mine by ZAYN (2016)
Mind of Mine is ZAYN’s debut album as a soloist since One Direction. The album is ZAYN coming clean with his struggles with stereotypes, racism, and abuse he suffered while being in the boyband while at the same time finding a person whom he fell in love with and who helped him overcome his struggles. While being in the band, ZAYN shared that he had no creative freedom in it, and since music and art are the only forms of expression for him, he constantly felt trapped. This led to an insurmountable level of anxiety. In the song “tRuTh” he mentions: “This ain't my scene, this wasn't my dream, It was all yours, of course”. This is a song, as the title says, where ZAYN tells his truth and talks about the lack of authenticity and realness he felt while being in the boy band. The album overall is the independence of a person becoming free from the rules of society.
Born This Way by Lady Gaga (2011)
This album is everything this magazine wants you to be, Born This Way, is an encouragement letter from Lady Gaga to all those who feel unseen and unheard. She urges people to be free and to love every part of themselves precisely because they were born this way (pun intended) and, at the end, who you love, your race, nationality, religion, are not a flaw but a celebration to yourself. Gaga fights for all those who can’t; she fights for equality, feminism, discrimination, laws for immigrants, and much more. This album encourages identity to its maximum structure. Gaga accomplishes something that is very hard, which is making the listener feel listened.
Flower Boy by Tyler the Creator (2017)
Tyler, in the album Flower Boy, gets to express his feelings about unrequited love and the loneliness he feels, while also going deeper in his journey of self-exploration. At least it seems Tyler is growing up and becoming the musician he always wanted to be but was too afraid to investigate. He sets apart his past lyrics and values. The album touches the theme of growing and learning the peson you become. Even though, it is not explicit within the album whether he's coming out with Flower Boy or not, it's an understanding from Tyler of how hip-hop and rap have changed through new generations and time.