Celebrities have been opening up about their struggles with mental health more in recent years, but for a fast-rising talent like Mabel, it took a long time until she wasn’t in ‘turmoil’ hiding how she really felt from the world.
The Don’t Call Me Up singer has shared why wanting to show her fans her ‘true authentic self’ made her steer away from the perfect popstar image.
Speaking to Metro.co.uk about dealing with anxiety and depression in the beginning of her career, Mabel said: ‘It was difficult. I wrote OK (Anxiety Anthem) and was processing how to write that song and I sort of looked at anxiety as something like “one day it’s going to be gone” and I was embarrassed and ashamed.
‘You can’t really hide when you’re doing what I do. I thought you can’t have those days and it was this constant turmoil of not being my full authentic self, because that side of me, that vulnerable part, it doesn’t make me weak.’
The 23-year-old, who went from independently releasing Know Me Better on Soundcloud in 2015 to selling out arenas within a few short years, had her down days where she found it difficult to pretend to be the ‘sexy and cute’ pop sensation she thought she should be.
She continued: ‘I was like “That can’t be a part of this” because I’m trying to flip my hair and be that perfect popstar and then realised actually it doesn’t make me weak or less strong.’
OK (Anxiety Anthem) was released as part of her debut album High Expectations last month and focused around the message of accepting who you are.
The chart-topper drew on her own experiences to share with her fans her most personal track to date.
‘It was literally last year when I wrote OK. I was going through a difficult time. And I think writing an album sometimes – since you spend all day every day talking about your feelings and picking them apart – and it got to a point where I thought “Aaah, what am I doing?”
‘I woke up and had a session with Emike and Maria Hazell and I was like, “I have two options: I can get up today, put some make up on and go and just be like everything’s great and come home and collapse” or I can just go and be a mess and tell them I’m a mess. And I did that.’
Mabel’s vulnerability and honesty ended up having a positive impact to those around her, and after the release of OK and Don’t Call Me Up, the singer received a large flood of supporting messages from fans sharing their stories.
She said: ‘I’ve had so many messages from girls and guys showing love saying I heard this and it made me feel like I’m stronger and better about myself. I was in a situation where I wasn’t being kind to myself where I was like I need to leave this person behind because I’m better than this. I want people to know their worth.’
The star has been working intensely to get to where she is today – selling out over 10 concerts of her European tour and being asked to perform at the world’s first vertical gig at Samsung KX – and has her open-minded approach to modern R&B music to guide her.
Fans flocked to witness her perform on a vertical stage in London, making it easier for them to share their unreal experience of watching Mabel showcase brand new technologies.
On performing the concert, she said: ‘I’m so excited to see them apply technology onto what I do while I’m always trying to better myself as a performer. I’d love it to be a global kind of thing.’
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