X-Factor judge’s words have ‘thrown out all efforts to combat stigma on mental health’ - MP
Comments by an X-Factor judge have undermined all efforts made to combat stigma surrounding mental health, Nationalist MP Mario Galea said yesterday morning.
In a passionate speech, Galea, who has often spoken about his own mental health, blasted X-Factor judge Howard Keith Debono over comments made during last Sunday’s episode, which has since been taken offline.
During the episode, Debono told a nervous contestant that she had shown “unnecessary drama.” The singer seemed very agitated before and after her audition but managed to deliver an almost flawless performance nonetheless.
Another of the show’s judges, Alexandra Alden, also remarked that stage fright usually affected the performance.
Impressed by the contestant’s talent, Debono noted that people suffering from stage fright did not normally manage to sing well. The contestant got the approval of all four judges, but the commentary continued after she left the stage.
“Normally, when people have stage fright it shows through their performance. I am not here to judge drama; to judge whether people can act or not. I am here to judge the music and the vocal performance. On her performance, she has nothing to worry about at all,” Debono said.
Speaking in Parliament yesterday morning, Mario Galea said the contestant had an anxiety disorder, something he also suffers from. He said the comments made during the show were “unfair”, adding that mental health conditions were not as visible as other health conditions.
“This is not drama, Mr Howard. This is mental health.” He added that Debono’s words carried more weight since the programme is so widely watched. “Do not continue hurting us,” he pleaded.
“He has thrown away all efforts made to combat stigma. You might be good at music, but you know nothing about mental health. I do not come here and speak about music. Please stick to your boundaries.”
Having earlier spoken about suicide and the lack of preventive services, Galea even said that such comments could further dissuade people with mental health issues from seeking help, which might also lead to suicide.
Howard Keith Debono’s reaction
In a Facebook post on Monday, Debono said no one had discouraged awareness towards social anxiety.
He questioned, however, why “family members, close friends who are aware of certain severe conditions (if that is the case) encourage contestants to be judged on national TV when the career path they want to pursue requires certain boxes to be ticked which might trigger even further the said conditions?”
Singing requires performing on stage in front of people and people will always judge, he continued.
“Ultimately, we’re there to judge what we see and hear. I’m not there to say things for the sake of gaining popularity. I’m there to be honest no matter what! First thing we normally do is put the contestants at ease and tell them, ‘Don’t worry this is just music; nothing to be scared of. Take your time and enjoy it,’ to encourage them to overcome that hurdle. In the particular case of what aired yesterday, what we all honestly expected after the entrance of a contestant who seemed anxious was that she wouldn’t be able to sing or go through with her performance. To our massive surprise, she was totally ok while singing – no jitter in the voice, no flaws. In the vast majority of cases normally the actual performance is the part that always suffers.”
“First and foremost, I was there to judge a vocal performance and that I did, and gave her a ‘yes’ cause she deserved it. Ignoring what I had just experienced would not have been honest so it required the same level of honesty as my vocal judgment. At no point did anyone discourage awareness towards social anxiety. In fact, on the same programme, there was a 15-year-old girl who told us her story of social anxiety, wrote a song about it to raise awareness and we encouraged it wholeheartedly. Now, truth be told, some people come there for their five minutes of fame; some because they were pushed or encouraged by a friend or family member. Some portray a personality during the first phases and a completely different personality during the live shows, making us question who they really are. Others [do it] because they want more out of their career, while others simply because they were never given a chance. We are there being ourselves for better or for worse. I try to give the benefit of the doubt to anyone who deserves it, especially when they have the vocal tone to back it up – nothing different to what I’ve been doing all these years. We are four judges and this is me!”