Hindustan Times ST (Mumbai) - Brunch

Rock for Mental Health

The musicians of rock band Andrometa use their own experience­s as inspiratio­n for their songs

- By Karishma Kuenzang

Arock song about mental health? That’s a first for many, but rock band Andrometa has been trying to make a change through its music since it formed in 2016. Called Hey Joe, the song was inspired from the reality of what we really see in our lives, including challenges and depression.

“We started jamming to a blues-y bass riff and I started writing the lyrics, and it became about the challenges faced by a person going through a deranged lifestyle and even having suicidal thoughts,” says Sachin Chadha, 46, drummer and lyricist.

Song with a message

“The thing with mental health is that the more you ignore it, the more it haunts you and you spiral,” says Sachin, who has had a difficult six years, affirming that musicians’ songs are born from their experience­s. “I couldn’t cope with the fact that a person I loved was going through something challengin­g. And today, anxiety is a part of my life.”

We have never given mental health the importance it deserves, muses vocalist Tapanjeet Singh Makker, 33. “It’s something we as a society look at as a negative thing. And we treat people who are suffering as though they are in the wrong, so people

“WITH THE PANDEMIC, MORE PEOPLE NEED TO BE AWARE OF THEIR MENTAL HEALTH AND MANAGE IT IN A POSITIVE WAY” —TAPANJEET, MUSICIAN

 ?? ?? Though the song was composed in 2017, its final version came together during the lockdown
Though the song was composed in 2017, its final version came together during the lockdown

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