Award-winning content company Wisebuddah, evidence-based health and wellbeing service Elevate Music and independent music charity Help Musicians are launching a new podcast to support musicians in their careers.
Launching on 15 July, the Elevate Music Podcast aims to educate and inform musicians about the common wellbeing and health issues they may face, equipping them with the tools they need to manage and prevent problems when developing their careers.
The podcast focuses on a range of different themes across 15 episodes, including mental and vocal health; hearing problems; stage fright; drugs and alcohol; social media; the challenge of touring and many more. The series will kick off with an episode featuring host Lucy Heyman talking to Help Musicians’ Head of Health & Welfare Joe Hastings and Adam Ficek (Babyshambles and psychotherapist). Each episode will feature the voices of relevant experts and feature artists including Shaun Ryder, Miles Kane (The Last Shadow Puppets), Nina Nesbitt, Ayanna Witter-Johnson and more. Resources and links will be listed in the notes below the podcast and there will be signposting for further support. It aims to become a timeless resource that musicians can access whenever they need help.
The project is the brainchild of industry researcher and CEO of Elevate Music, Lucy Heyman, who also presents the podcast. The podcast was created out of the findings of Heyman’s PhD research on this subject at the Royal College of Music.
Listen to the taster episode and subscribe here.
Adam Ficek says “When I was thrust into the music industry, it was amazing, I felt adrenalized, but I didn’t have the same business sense I have now. On reflection, the biggest transition was after the phone stops ringing. It’s a business, it’s an industry and it’s neither good nor bad. With Babyshambles, we were quite lucky, the biggest struggle was keeping the cohesive sense of what we needed to deliver, if that was making an album, doing an interview, going on tour. I was in the eye of the hurricane trying to keep it all together, barely making stuff work. There was no real plan, it was mayhem. After shows, there were substances. Being in that environment, there was nowhere to go for preventative support, unless there was an urgent health need on the road. It’s just the way it was, the nature of the industry. There needs to be more information and awareness, to help musicians be better prepared. A place for musicians to go. I’m really happy to be involved in Elevate Music with Lucy, Help Musicians and Wisebuddah and hope this podcast will go some way towards that.”
Lucy Heyman says: “Studies have shown that pop musicians feel unsupported in their careers with health and wellbeing issues, so this podcast is looking at the key topics that research tells us they need most help with. The podcast, along with the other services that Elevate Music provides, is initiating a much-needed crisis-prevention model within the industry to try and stop issues from impacting on musicians’ health in the future.”
Claire Gevaux, Director of Programme, Help Musicians, says: “Help Musicians has supported musicians for nearly 100 years. Our Health & Welfare team are on the frontline supporting thousands of individuals every year and we know that the nature of a musician’s life can be precarious, with many complex challenges that can leave them uniquely vulnerable. There is a clear need among musicians of all ages and career stages for a resource such as this and we are delighted to collaborate with Wisebuddah and Lucy Heyman to co-curate this podcast series. We hope it will bring insight and expertise and help bridge the current gap in the provision of knowledge and resources for popular musicians.”
The Elevate Music Podcast is supported and co-curated by Help Musicians, hosted by Audioboom and produced by Lucy Heyman and Aidan Judd.
