JBalvin is once again talking openly about his mental health struggles. On his new Spotify podcast, Made in Medellin, JBalvin got real about being the reggeatonero JBalvin and Jose Alvaro Balvin.
Thanks to Latinos like Balvin the conversation around mental health and Latinos is changing. Balvin is one of several celebrities who is sharing his experiences. The hope is that by publicly healing themselves they will help others.
Kid Cudi
“For a long time I was not happy when I woke up in the morning,” said Kid Cudi in 2018 episode of Jada Pinkett Smith’s Red Table Talk. “It took me a minute to realize there’s something wrong with me.” This isn’t the first the African American/Mexican American rapper/musician/actor has owned up to his depression. “Really my mission statement since day one […] all I wanted to do was help kids not feel alone, and stop committing suicide,” he said on an appearance of the Arsenio Hall Show. His father’s death and sudden stardom drove his substance abuse and subsequent depression. Cudi has talked about his mental in his music. He is an ambassador for Didi Hirsch Mental Health Services to bring awareness to mental health issues.
JBalvin
JBalvin’s podcast is not the first time he shared his personal struggles with fans. In November of 2019 Balvin confessed on social media that he had overcome a two month battle with depression and anxiety. He credited medication and therapy for his improved mindset. “Anxiety and depression are a reality of life. It’s part of my mission on earth to talk about the things people won’t discuss. And simply acknowledge that we’re all humans,” Balvin said in an Instagram post.
Nicky Jam
As a teen reggeaton sensation Nicky Jam had everything. The excesses of fame led to addiction. The Puerto Rican singer spent 10 years combating substance abuse and depression. In 2017 he made a comeback with a new album and new viewpoint. “The mentality always in reggaeton was ‘I’m the man,’” he told the New York Times in 2017. “I made that cool to say, ‘I messed up, I’m not the best.’”
Cuco
Omar Banos, a SoCal Mexican American better known as Cuco, uses music to talk about the pressures of fame, heartache and repressed emotions. The 21-year-old musician and rapper pulls no punches and talks about everything from substance abuse to his flaws on his debut album Para Mi. His raw honesty has got people openly talking about their own issues. If you don’t know his music, check it out. And if you need some good emotional pop rockets he regularly shares them on his his Twitter via the handle @icryduringsex.