Artists on Mental Health: Bradley Marshall – "I'm a real strong believer in writing things down, and saying good things about yourself in the mirror"

Opinion
11 Oct 23

Bradley Marshall

The Hot Press Newsdesk

In a series of mental health specials in recent years, Hot Press has sought to highlight and further the understanding of this enormously important subject. It is an area that has only come more to the fore in the music industry, and the creative sector in general, with an increasing number of musicians and artists speaking out about their experiences. But with such a complex and layered topic, there is always more to discuss. In our new Mental Health Special, we hear from a selection of Irish artists, who fill us in on their experiences and share their ideas for growing the discussion.

BRADLEY MARSHALL
Singer-songwriter

‘You’ll Be Okay’ is definitely one of the most personal songs I’ve ever written. It was written about one of the closest people in my life, who tried to take their own life. It was a tragic time for all my friends and family. I wrote the song for that person. I also wrote it for anyone who suffers from mental health problems, or ever feels like giving up. The lyrics in the song are, “You’re too beautiful to cry / You’re too important to die”. I think that’s very strong for people to hear, if they’re going through something like that.

I’m a person who struggles with my mental health quite often, but I like to use the Law of Attraction a lot in my life, and especially in the music industry. If I think something’s gonna happen, I believe it will happen… stuff like that. If you put positivity out in the world, positivity will come back to you. I don’t believe in negativity and I don’t believe in worrying either. For example, in the music industry, if you think you’re getting a gig and you don’t, there’s no point dwelling on it because all it does is cause stress.

Looking after your mental health is one of the most important things – it should be one of the most important things for everybody, it should be a priority for everybody to keep their mental health in check. I’m a real strong believer in writing things down, saying good things about yourself in the mirror, and all that kind of stuff. It’s really important to do that.

In general, if you’re struggling with your mental health, talk to people. I think that’s the most important thing I can say. You don’t really understand when you’re bottling all these feelings up, keeping all these emotions inside yourself, how much that can take hold of your body, your physical strength and everything. I’ve done it before, I’ve struggled a lot, and I’ve kept it in, I’ve kept it hidden. Eventually, I talked to somebody and it just feels like a weight off your shoulders – you feel like a new person. The most important thing is to talk to somebody.