Clare Easdown On the Making Of “STIGMA ENIGMA”
Could you discuss the lyrical themes or messages conveyed in this "STIGMA ENIGMA?"
“STIGMA ENIGMA” has deep rooted themes around mental health stigma and how it still runs riot in society today. The driving message that I wanted to convey is how people laugh at, ignore and still make fun of the mentally ill. When I was suffering a severe manic episode I’d jump on Facebook live streams from within the psychiatric ward where I was held against my will. People would hit the laughing emoji when I was revealing my insane soul, even when I was being cornered by several security guards and nurses. It deeply hurt me and felt very alienating when people can’t understand that living with a mental illness is no different to living with a serious heart condition. “STIGMA ENIGMA” is about exercising more compassion, kindness, judging less and loving more.
How did you work with the producer or engineers to bring your vision for this song to life?
I created “STIGMA ENIGMA” by myself in my home on my lounge suite one evening when I had a huge inspiration to make an impact on mental health awareness and abolishing stigma as best as I can.
What impact do you hope "STIGMA ENIGMA" will have on your audience?
I hope “STIGMA ENIGMA” allows for deep thought and reflection on mental illness in general. Prompting listeners to analyse their own thoughts towards people who live with mental illness. I hope the video paired with my track expresses how seriously engrained mental health stigma is still to this day. I hope people realise mental illness is no different to any physical condition and should be treated with the same amount of empathy and respect.
Can you describe your experience in the recording studio? How do you capture the emotion of your vocals on a recording?
My recording studio is my lounge suite. I record all my vocals on my iPhone with my Apple head phones. I try and capture raw emotion within my vocals by visualising the themes I want to convey when I vocalise the lyrics. In “STIGMA ENIGMA” I deeply tried to convey the amount of severe pain I’ve felt from being discarded by people in my life for having a mental illness.
The music industry is constantly evolving. How do you stay up-to-date with the latest production trends and technologies?
I must say I don’t have up-to-date technology at all. I’m a poor single Mother here so recording on my iPhone is about as good as it gets for me right now. However, even if I miraculously hit it big in the industry I’ll always still want to use the iPhone to prove that anyone can create music regardless of their financial status.
Thank you so much for this thought provoking interview.