2007–2018
Mac Miller
Hip-Hop, Jazz-rap
Pittsburgh rapper whose late work traded bravado for aching self-inquiry.
Their words
"I really don't fear the loss of life. I fear the loss of living."
Lived with · Depression, substance use disorder.
Artist Spotlight
The voices behind the record.
These are the artists whose lyrics you have loved without always knowing the weight they carried. Read their stories with the tenderness they were rarely offered in life.
2002–2011
Amy Winehouse
Neo-Soul, R&B
A once-in-a-generation contralto whose warmth was as intimate as her fame was corrosive.
Their words
"Every bad situation is a blues song waiting to happen."
Lived with · Bulimia, addiction, depression.
1987–2023
Sinéad O'Connor
Alt-Rock, Celtic
Shaved-head prophet whose voice cut through hypocrisy and cost her a career she never wanted anyway.
Their words
"I'm not a pop star. I'm a protest singer."
Lived with · Complex PTSD, bipolar disorder, grief.
1961–present
Brian Wilson
Symphonic Pop
The auditory architect of the Beach Boys who invented the modern studio and paid for it with decades of silence.
Their words
"When I hear beautiful music, it lifts me up."
Lived with · Schizoaffective disorder, auditory hallucinations, addiction.
1954–2003
Nina Simone
Jazz, Soul, Protest
Classically trained pianist turned civil rights firebrand whose voice held rage and tenderness in the same measure.
Their words
"An artist's duty is to reflect the times."
Lived with · Bipolar disorder, racial trauma, unrecognized brilliance.
1976–1980
Ian Curtis
Post-punk
Frontman of Joy Division whose voice defined the shadow-side of Manchester's late-seventies awakening.
Their words
"Existence — well, what does it matter? I exist on the best terms I can."
Lived with · Epilepsy, severe depression, marital and identity crisis.