Head Talks

Maria Hassel
When I was 18 years old, I was diagnosed with Severe Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) and Panic Disorder. The following year was the hardest year of my life. But it made my who I am today and now it’s a part of my story. Without it, I never would have written my debut pop single, Anxiety. I wrote Anxiety in my little Nashville apartment at 3am before my 22nd birthday. I was hesitant to share this story because I had never written a song about my anxiety before. But on that March night, all the words just kind of fell out and found their way to my notebook.

I feel like I finally truly understood who I was after writing “Anxiety.” Because of that, I decided to release this song and share my story with the world hoping that just one person can relate. When I was diagnosed, no artist was writing about this and it felt like no one was talking about mental illness. I want to be someone who stands up for mental health in our country and encourages other to be brave, get help and realize they are not alone.

One organization who is changing the world and inspiring me every day is Lady Gaga’s Born This Way Foundation. Because of their incredible work, teenagers across the country are having health conversations about mental illness. I believe so strongly in The Born This Way Foundation’s work that I am donating 10% of the proceeds from Anxiety to this life-changing organization. I believe together we can change the stigma surrounding mental illness and I am so proud to support them..

• You can listen to Maria’s song on Spotify.