As a Wave of Musicians Cancel Concerts to Focus on Mental Wellness, Denver’s Music Community Weighs In
Maintaining mental wellness has always been a challenge for working musicians. But now, more artists are willing to talk about it—and take action.
As Hughes soon learned, many musicians deal with burnout and insecurities around their art. Since 2017, the meet-up group Hughes started has been sparking vulnerable conversations among working musicians (the last gathering—a virtual one—took place on October 11). And Hughes says the discussions have been both revealing and reassuring. When musicians share stories with each other about topics including anxiety, stress, and depression, it can feel validating for those who feel like they are struggling on their own. And these conversations, coupled with his own experience as a musician, have meant that Hughes resonates deeply with the recent tour cancellations that have been grabbing headlines. “I truly feel like we’re in a bit of a renaissance for musicians and creatives to finally take a stand and address their mental wellness,” he says. “It’s been something that has gone terribly unaddressed and unnoticed for so long.”