In an interview with Channel 4 News, Stormzy discusses his personal experiences of depression.
He speaks openly about his misconceptions about mental health among those he looked up to, imploring his fans to feel comfortable looking for help.
“That was a world that was so alien to me,” Stormzy tells the interviewer, “I just used to think you get up, march on.” He goes on to discuss his own deliberations about including his battles with depression on the album. He says that what convinced him and motivated him to speak about it on the album was the hope that young fans seeing his recovery would help.
The themes appeared in Lay Me Bare, the final track of Stormzy’s debut album Gang Signs & Prayer. In the interview, Stormzy tells the channel, “If there’s anyone out there going through depression I think for them to see that I went through it would help.”
Stormzy’s album is currently on track to be this week’s UK Number One with a heavy Twitter campaign encouraging fans to buy copies and stream it on loop.
Watch Stormzy’s interview with Channel 4 News below and read our review of the album here.