It wasn't all that long ago that Fifth Harmony member Camila Cabello made headlines for leaving in the middle of a show due to a major anxiety attack. In this day and age, it's not that uncommon to hear stories of people with anxiety issues. Just recently, fellow Kurrent Music blogger Eloise admitted to it and shared her theme song that reduces the anxiety for her.
Anxiety seems to hit people from every walk of life. There's a lot of pressure on all of us. It doesn't even matter where you are in life. I mean, you can probably get richer, if you don't have enough money. You can probably get another job, if you don't like the one you have right now, but there's no fix to anxiety. You can just learn to deal it with better.
In October, Zayn Malik went public with his anxiety after also being forced to cancel performances. He took it upon him to spread the word about what it is and that it's nothing to be ashamed for. He really is trying to be a positive role model for young kids that are following him.
At first, I thought he would have more anxiety while being part of One Direction. He joined at a very young age and he would not be the first former boyband member to run into this problem, but in a letter he wrote to Time magazine, he explained it was actually more manageable then. Now, when he's at it alone, the pressure got to him much more.
It's funny. I always thought the stage would be the safest place to blunder when it's your show. You could just make a joke of it, restart a song or something. You're in control. I think Adele is a great example of this. However, it's different when it's a one song performance on TV or on an event. It sucks when that goes wrong 'cos deep down artists are all perfectionists and they do have the added pressure that literally every blunder gets slapped onto social media and, in worst case scenario, never gets forgotten.
When I heard about Zayn having anxiety, I immediately thought of Jonathan Knight from New Kids On The Block, who admitted to having panic attacks, years after the group had initially called it quits. He had missed performances and interviews a couple of times when it got to its worst and eventually left the group and retreated on a ranch. To this day, I'm still surprised to see him part of the group again.
With Jonathan I wasn't too surprised to hear this. There was always some restraint or tension showing in his behavior when he was young, but I was pretty surprised to hear it about someone as extravert as Robbie Williams. Former Take That member also opened up about his anxiety issues and states it's debilitating when it happens. He also said you have to be brave. "Even if you’re scared just do it anyway"
