Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
Malojian speaks up about mental health as he curates a Darkness Into Light playlist..
Northern Irish musician Malojian has spoken up about the importance of raising awareness for mental health during the current Covid pandemic. The artist, whose real name is Stevie Scullion, is one of a number of ambassadors in Northern Ireland who have backed the campaign which aims to shine a light on suicide and self-harm.
His involvement with Darkness Into Light will see him curating a very personal playlist that he is sharing with his fans to encourage them to sign up to this year’s sunrise event taking place on May 8.
It comes as the artist – like many others throughout Northern Ireland – face uncertainty about their futures due to the Covid pandemic.
With live gigs still unable to take place in Northern Ireland, many musicians have sought support to help them through this difficult time.
Speaking about his support of Darkness Into Light, Malojian said: “Everyone has their struggles, so whenever the opportunity came up to help highlight the aims of the Darkness Into Light event, I thought, ‘I’ll put my name to that.’
“With lockdown and everything that’s happened in the last year, we know there are people suffering at the moment. I’m quite lucky in the fact that I have my family around me, I have a small studio space to work in, and a small garden – but there’s plenty of artists who aren’t in the same position as me, and who need help.
“Anything to do with mental health is important so anything small that I can do to help is worthwhile.”
Malojian said that the pandemic has shed renewed light on the multiple challenges faced by musicians. In times of uncertainty, and events like Darkness Into Light shine a spotlight on the services that are there to help those who need them.
“Artists have always faced uncertainty,” he said. “A big thing that I’ve noticed is that, in the last 12 months, more people are aware of that and are a bit more empathetic, because they’ve had a taste of uncertainty themselves.”
The personal playlist which Malojian is sharing is intended to allow people to reflect on difficult issues, like suicide, self-harm and mental health. It features artists such as Neil Young, Big Thief, Elliot Smith, Sharon Van Etten, and others who Malojian holds close to his heart.
“It’s songs that mean something to me but also mean something in terms of mental health,” he explained.
“Some of the songs touch on mental health and suicide. But they’re also just songs which are personal to me and which I think will register with other people.”
Malojian says that, despite the challenges which people face at the moment, he has always found that music can really help have a positive impact on people’s lives.
“There’s always light in music and art no matter how dark the subject matter is. So the more music that you can get into your life, the better, I find.
“Talking about your feelings and being open about yourself helps as well. I talk quite openly about myself in my gigs. But I think that’s the problem, people not talking about things.
“So even by doing something as simple as making this playlist, I do it with the hope of starting a bit of a dialogue and maybe allowing people to communicate.”
■ Electric Ireland has supported Darkness into Light since 2013, with the common goal of helping those in our communities affected by suicide to look forward with hope. This year’s Darkness Into Light takes place on Saturday, May 8. For more information about signing up and fundraising visit www. darknessintolight.com
‘‘ Anything to do with mental health is important so anything small that I can do to help is worthwhile.