What inspired you to write about mental health in “Freeze”?
I have had severe postpartum depression, twice. It was a long time ago. Getting into treatment was easier back then than it is these days. I just got a feeling that, as an artist, I’m ready to start speaking about that experience and to try to shake decision makers about this important issue. People of many ages are suffering from depression, and as an artist I wanted to give a face to this topic and through my song offer peer support to anyone dealing with mental health problems.
How does the message of hope in “Freeze” reflect your own journey?
No matter what illness you’re dealing with, it is crucial to keep up hope. When I was suffering from depression, it all felt like a never-ending tunnel, but somewhere within my heart I carried a glimmer of hope about moving forward and getting better. Back then, these things were not talked about. My mother actually was the one who noticed how badly I was doing, and she started talking to me about it. She said that what I was going through looked like what she had experienced during pregnancies. Even just hearing that someone else had gone through the same thing gave me a small glimmer of hope. Once I got into treatment, and mental health professionals were working with me to help my depression, I felt more hope. I kept up the hope and eventually I got better.
In 2013-2014 when I got cancer and was given five years to live, the most important thing for me was to maintain hope and hold a mental image of surviving and getting healthy. Of course, I also got treatment and made big lifestyle changes as well. But with both depression and cancer, keeping up hope in my heart was a crucial factor in getting better.
What makes “Freeze” different from your other recent releases?
All of my solo releases have been personal, but “Freeze” is even more personal. It took a lot of courage to bring out into the open the message that I’ve been there myself. I’ve hit rock bottom, but it’s possible to rise up from there.
How has your songwriting evolved through this single series?
I think I’ve approached the song creating process in a very similar way all the way through my solo single series. I grab my guitar, make a melody, and that’s where the idea starts. Then I go for a walk in the forest with my dog, and that’s when the lyrics start popping into my mind. Once the song is done in Finnish, my partner Tuulia Vihanto translates the lyrics into English. Maybe the songwriting process has evolved to have more and more personal messages in the lyrics, which has also meant that bringing out these messages has required more courage.
What role do you think music plays in breaking the stigma around mental health?
Music is very important for mental health. Creating music and art is an avenue to raise issues, including sensitive topics that are difficult to talk about. Music offers an effective channel to express thoughts, feelings, and experiences that have been heavily stigmatized. When listeners can identify with the storyline, my hope is that they will feel validated and realize that they’re not alone. Songs could be avenues to open the topic of conversation around mental health.