‘The pressure has been immense’
As for why musicians are prone to mental health issues, Dixon says it is a combination of ‘‘multiple factors’’, many of which can often be traced to the pandemic.
He says many musicians live very ‘‘close to the breadline’’ and with Covid forcing a huge number of cancellations, postponements and uncertainty, for the music industry in particular, ‘‘the pressure has been immense’’.
As well as the financial uncertainty the pandemic brought, the abrupt change in daily routine would have also affected many in the music industry.
‘‘You get used to one lifestyle, on the road, living out of suitcases and then coming home and that stops,’’ he says.
‘‘Generally, whenever we see huge amounts of pressure applied in any sector, you see cracks appear.’’
He says the music industry is still seeing a lot of ‘‘ambulances at the bottom of the cliff’’.
Those cracks were evident when Kiwi-born singer Dylan Frost, of Australian band Sticky Fingers, was forced to apologise to fans on the band’s official Facebook page after walking out on a Melbourne show in August, saying he ‘‘lost control’’.
‘‘I’ve been working hard on myself and will continue to prioritise my health, but I still let a lot of you down. I want to apologise to the fans and my band, our crew and venue staff,’’ he said at the time.
Also in August, Australian band Gang of Youths cancelled the New Zealand shows the day they were due to play Wellington, to ‘‘maintain the health of the band’’.
David Le’aupepe, the band’s lead singer had spoken openly in the past about depression, suicide attempts and issues with drugs and alcohol.
As for Cameron, she says lifestyle and self-care can play a huge part in keeping anxiety at bay.
‘‘There are times when I’m thriving, and [anxiety] doesn’t affect me at all and that’s because of certain lifestyle choices I make, and looking after myself,’’ she says.
She still loves to party but will not if she is in ‘‘a really shitty place’’.
‘‘I do it when I know I’m feeling good and can handle a bit of a blowout and a party.’’