Hot Press Mental Health Special – Krea: "In the music industry, there’s a long-standing tradition of, 'Get on with it'"

Karen Cowley,
Krea

I want to be honest about the music I’m making at the moment, which is very personal and definitely born out of an incredibly difficult time. I think more and more online, you see people using the internet as a space to be really direct and honest about mental health, and that is informing what people are writing. I think that’s powerful.

We’ve seen loads of artists cancel tours recently on mental health grounds, and that’s absolutely huge. In the music industry, and any kind of entertainment industry, there’s a long-standing tradition of, ‘Get on with it’. Especially if you’re up on stage it’s kind of, ‘Forget about it and put on a show’.

I had a wonderful recording experience with this collection of songs. I was really trying to tap into something more raw than I’d done before. It can be like you’re bringing everything back up to the surface. And then you might continue to do that with performances. I think it’s healthy, a way to not shy away from feeling those emotions again.

But it can involve a lot of extreme highs – and adrenaline – and extreme lows. I’ve always felt lucky that I was able to have this outlet in songwriting. It’s so important to be able to express how you’re feeling, even when it’s bad – especially when it’s bad.

When the girls and I [Wyvern Lingo] toured more intensely, at first, it was so much fun. You’re just doing everything wrong, you’re partying too much and not really looking after yourself. Trying to balance things – prioritise meal times, get good food, and good sleep – can be hard on the road, because you just physically can’t get enough sleep.

Also weighing up things you get asked to do – like promo all the time for free. The music industry can be so exploitative. It’s based on the assumption that artists will do an awful lot because they want the opportunity. And they do. But you can’t sustain that forever. At some point you have to say ‘no’ to things.

We’re in this kind of culture of productivity. And sometimes, if you’re doing something that has no aim, you can feel like you’re not using your time effectively enough. I’m learning to see that’s a really bad way to live. Now, I love to cook loads. I like to read. So I do!

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