Mental Health and Music: How Ana Londyn Doesn’t Let Anything Get In The Way of Making Music
Musicians could be fighting internal battles that their listeners may not know of. Or they would rather express what they are going through by writing a song, an EP, or an album. Vulnerability can become a great tool for artists. Ana Londyn is a talented musician that uses life experience in their music to take listeners inside their mind and is an admirable example that mental illness can not put limits to something they love doing, making music.
From a young age, Londyn was musically inclined, publishing their first song at eight years old. They got their start when a friend proposed an idea. “One of my friends had this album idea that he wanted to put together and he thought I’d be a great vocal artist,” Londyn said. This started a career that will only continue to become more successful.
Today, Londyn has worked on various other projects, their most recent being an EP titled OTHERWORLD. This EP is meant to convey the importance of understanding the way Londyn perceives the world and a glimpse into what it is like to be inside of their head. “As someone who struggles with mental illness, my perception of that world can change drastically and it’s not always actually true. But it doesn’t change the fact that my feelings are still valid,” they said.
Londyn writes music about how they feel because it captures those emotions at the high or low moments which translate into the music. The first song on the EP, Pieces, is an example of the work that Londyn has done to convey this concept. “It talks about the different parts of me kinda waring against each other, and you know, falling apart and trying to deal with it,” they said. It is one of the reasons why Londyn is emotionally connected to OTHERWORLD, it is the first EP they wrote about what happens to them and not worry if others would like it or not.
Londyn also finds inspiration for writing from other artists like Lauryn Hill, Diana Ross, Luther Vandross, and The Weeknd. “I have a broad range of artists that inspire me just because I don’t really have any set genre...I actually tell people I just make the music that I like to listen to,” Londyn said. The variety of influences gives Londyn’s music a unique but familiar sound that many can enjoy.
Londyn has got the opportunity to share their talent by performing at the PYNK NYC event that is hosted every Wednesday. The event is a place where female and female-identifying artists get to perform in a safe space and help network themselves. Londyn drove 14 hours from Atlanta, Georgia to New York City to be there. They were not disappointed with the experience, “I got to meet so many beautiful women and femmes, and got to network and talk.”
Londyn was also able to open up with the PYNK audience about their mental illness. “I spoke about my DID at the event. And for people who do not know what that is, it’s Dissociative Identity Disorder and all it means is that my personality has been split into, you know, however many different pieces,” they shared. Each one, called alters, can have their own background, gender, personality, voice, and even lifestyle. Londyn was able to share this part of themselves at the PYNK event, “And so I had the chance to tell the crowd about that and feel comfortable enough to speak honestly about my experiences and how it affects my music and how I write, and what I write and how I perform.”
Londyn’s DID has brought them a different way of making music that at times can make the process more tedious than it would be for others. Yet the writing process has been the biggest comfort to Londyn when their mental state is not the best, “writing songs about my feelings has always, always made me feel secure in how I feel,” they said. It is a way for Londyn to channel those emotions into something else rather than beating them up inside.
DID can make producing and recording a song difficult because there can be a musical difference between alters. “It does not sound anything alike, the level ability can change or sometimes if one alter’s singing and I was trying to record a song and they can’t hit that note, I gotta take a break and come back the next day so that the other alter that can, can come sing that,” Londyn said. Even though it can be a challenge, Londyn gets it done, “you just gotta work it the best you can.”
Londyn advises other artists struggling with their mental health to treat themselves with kindness because even though there can be tough moments, taking care of oneself remains important. When feeling exhausted, burnt out, depressed, or overwhelmed, “be kind to yourself and take the time to replenish that energy if you need it. Take a break,” Londyn says. They remind artists that only they know their greatest potential but can’t achieve it if they don’t take care of themselves.
Londyn also has more creative outlets like doing makeup, doing their hair, and putting together outfits. “Part of my passion in being an artist is being able to use my face and my body as a canvas. And to create characters that other people can, ya know, can identify with or join with,” they said. It sometimes can be their alters dressing up as themselves. Londyn thinks that it brings a kind of excitement into life dressing however they want. Londyn definitely is a creative person with their music and their style.
Londyn has several projects upcoming to be on the lookout for. A project titled “Help I Can’t Stop Making Music,” will be a collection of songs that Londyn has written from years ago and other recent songs that don’t fit on a cohesive project but it will all come together in this one. They are also working on a comic book that is going to encompass what it is like living day-to-day with DID in a light-hearted and fun way. Another project to know about is Londyn will be putting out a live performance of OTHERWORLD that is going to be a movie/live performance showing the writing process, what it is like being an artist with DID, and lots more.
To continue following Ana Londyn on their musical journey follow them on Instagram. To listen and experience more artists like Londyn, attend the next PYNK NYC event follow on Instagram for more details and updates.