Deyah – Care City
Deyah is a London based urban artist, with her most recent “Care City” EP released on her own label (High Mileage, Low Life) .
The project deals with her battles with mental health, self harm and depression and how she gradually overcame that period of her life.
‘Care City’ was made aware to Musik during the beginnings of lockdown when everybody was feeling a lot of uncertainty and I’m sure these feelings are still remaining for most.
One of our writers Emma Stevens got to talk to Deyah.
Her album has been described as…
“Honest, Authentic and Organic.”
What does music mean to Deyah?
” There’s something magical about music. It isn’t just words; it isn’t just sound. For the most part, music is an amalgamation of experience, emotion, pain, beauty, struggle, reflection sorrow, all from the soul of a fellow human being.”
“Music is being allowed into the history of another being, welcomed into their mind, their memories, their past, their present and even their future. Sound expresses what words fail to. Both combined creates never ending magic.”
Mental health, self harm and depression are all themes featured in her project, which was stigmatised.
” There is for sure a stigma still but thankfully that’s changing. I feel that more people are being open to talking about their own personal mental health and experiences as well as learning about the struggles of others. “
How do you think music can continue to de-stigmatise them?
” I feel there’s a stigma because we’re in a society where by majority, people only want to discuss, show off and portray the highs and the exaggerated projections of their lives as opposed to their reality. Social media is a great example… it is a platform where only the ‘good stuff’ gets posted. If we constantly are fed by the feed of the ‘good stuff’ then we compare our reality and in doing so start on the downward spiral of self-hate, anxiety, depression and lack of confidence. If artists talk about more than just the ‘good stuff’ perhaps their struggles and experiences and their actual reality etc… the more it will become normalised to be open and authentic in music and eventually de-stigmatise mental health.”
Musik Magazine.
