This article is part of GuitarWorld.comseries of interviews and reports with artists who address and raise awareness about issues of mental healthparticularly when it comes to musicians.
There’s a revealing moment in the Jimmie Allen story: It comes six seconds after episode two of all insidea six-part YouTube documentary about the singer-songwriter’s rise from a young man who grew up in Milton, Delaware, with dreams of stardom, to one of country music’s most unlikely success stories.
At that moment in the clip, the camera zooms in on Allen’s hands, clasped as if in prayer, but at the same time grasping as if in a moment of anxiety. Head down, under the brim of a baseball cap, he sighs audibly and comments, “Let me mentally prepare for that.”
Mental preparation is the story of Jimmie Allen’s life and career, and neither has been easy. Diagnosed with bipolar depression as a teenager, he spent his teenage years navigating mental health challenges while refusing to let stigma and stereotypes put off his dream of making a place for himself in the music industry, particularly the country music industry. .
Allen arrived in Nashville in 2007 with $21 in his pocket, an air mattress and a car that he eventually lived in. Against all odds that could have easily brought down the strongest of wills, she focused on his strengths: a powerful voice, songwriting skills, and unwavering determination to knock on and break down industry doors and barriers.
Now a few years into his career, Jimmie Allen is a major force, with number one hits and multiple industry awards, including 2021 wins for ACM New Male Artist of the Year and CMA New Artist of the Year.
Last month, he released his third studio album, tulip unit. While many artists now opt for EPs and singles, Allen went further, as is his style, with 17 tracks that cross a spectrum of genres, from I’m on my wayhis duet with Jennifer Lopez, for at homea moving tribute to his beloved late father.
In a day packed with interviews, each limited in length because everyone wants a few minutes of his time, Jimmie Allen spoke with guitar world not about tulip unitbut about mental health, the intersection, and lack thereof, between mental health and places of worship, and what he hopes his music and message can bring to the wider community.
When we talk about country music, we always come back to “three chords and the truth.” You shared your truth with him untitled song. You originally posted it two years ago and reposted it this year. Why then, and why again now? Was it different the second time?
“I felt that I was in a place to share. A lot of people need help, and if I can be the one to help someone, that’s what it’s all about. It wasn’t a different response this time, but it was more of a response because I have more followers.
“The truth is that people are suffering and are looking for something or someone to lean on. I never want to be one to waste my platform, so what I share is true. It’s what I’m going through, and what a lot of other people are going through as well.”
In the accompanying Instagram post, you wrote, “Mental illness is something I have struggled with all my life.” What is your first memory of that fight?
“When I was young, I realized that I would feel a certain way one day and feel completely different the next. I thought I was crazy, but my mom said, ‘No, you’re just different. Your brain processes things differently. Your brain reacts to things differently.
“I found out that my great-grandfather, my grandfather, my great-grandmother and my mother’s brother were also bipolar, so I just accepted it. Being bipolar is not a weakness. This is how I am made. I can see it as a disability, or I can see it as ‘I’m different’. And that’s why I’m different.”
I think everyone who deals with mental health needs someone they can talk to.
You were diagnosed at age 13. At that age, did you feel the need to explain it to family, friends, classmates? How did they react? Did you get support? Judgment? Misunderstood?
“I didn’t feel judged. My parents raised me to be who I am and to be proud of who I am, and how people feel about me is their problem, not mine. So I accepted it and luckily I didn’t feel any judgment from anyone in the know.
“I didn’t tell people; I didn’t start telling my friends about it until my ninth grade. I hung on to it for a while, not because I wasn’t sure how people would feel, but because I was honestly too lazy to want to have to explain it every time!
What has helped you the most to take care of your mental health?
“I think everyone who deals with mental health needs someone they can talk to. My dad was the only person in my life who was like balance for me. He could pull me back when my thoughts got out of control. He would talk to me, take me to our favorite fishing spot, stuff like that. He was that person for me.
“I went to several different therapists and psychiatrists to better understand where I was and what I was going through. I had to change my medication, because one made me feel like a zombie. I couldn’t catch a rhythm, if that makes sense. The medicine I’m taking now doesn’t get me off like the other one did. It keeps me stable, I have my personality when I’m at it and I can be creative.”
You wrote: “Every day is a constant battle with myself.” in the letter of the untitled song, you sing, “I’m always on the edge trying to find a point of life / I’m barely holding on.” Many people who have never had mental health problems will look at his accomplishments and think, “Why is he depressed?”
“Happiness does not come from things. It doesn’t come from having the best career or a lot of money. it’s internal. That’s something else I’ve learned: sometimes your brain just won’t let you be happy.
“Right after best shot [2018] I went to number one, I thought I should be the happiest person in the world, sitting on top of the world, but I wasn’t. That was my first single, and I was alone in my apartment and depressed. He had everything he worked for, but he wasn’t happy.
“I got to the point where I needed to accept that sometimes I need a little help to understand and be who I am. That’s when I decided to go back on medication.”
Music has always been my choice. I started playing guitar when I moved to Nashville because I couldn’t afford to hire anyone to play for me!
untitled song It has touched so many people. Will it ever make it to an album or will it be released as a single? Is it part of the live set?
“I plan to record it. I’m just trying to figure out when to release it. It’s not on the live show yet, but I want to start including it.”
What role have music and the guitar played in caring for your mental health? Have there been times when you couldn’t play or write?
“Music has always been my choice. I started playing guitar when I moved to Nashville because I couldn’t afford to hire anyone to play for me! I decided to teach myself. I am self-taught in guitar, piano, drums and trumpet. There have been times when I couldn’t get out of my head long enough to write. I waited and tried to find a way to get over it. Sometimes it’s just time, to step back and take a break.”
Your faith is an important part of your upbringing and who you are today. Places of worship are not always kind when it comes to mental health issues. We are told to “pray it goes away”, that we are “too blessed to be stressed”, and sometimes we are shown the door. How did you find the right one?
“’Too blessed to be stressed’, that’s my favorite worst line right there! My God, I can’t stand that!
“From day one, when I meet people or work with people, I am completely myself. That way, they immediately know what they’re getting, and you give them an honest chance to like it or not.
“I visited a few different churches in Nashville, tried a few and was lucky enough to find one that has people who like me for me. That was how I made my decision. I found a church that has people in my age group and a group where we meet and hang out and talk about life, about careers, about things that bother us and don’t bother us. My church has a young adult support system that works for me. You have to find a church that gives you what you are looking for.”
Do you have a final message for readers who are struggling with mental health issues and for the faith community regarding acceptance?
“To the people of the faith community, after the Resurrection, the last words of Christ were to go out and become Christians, and love people. He didn’t say, ‘He loves people because of where they come from, because of their skin color, because of their denomination, or because of their mental health.’
“Our job as humans is to love people, without hesitation. ‘Love people’: It’s a simple message, but it’s hard for a lot of Christians, for some reason, and I’m still trying to figure it out.
“For people who are struggling, you have this. It’s okay to tell people you’re not okay. It’s okay to talk. You have a lot more people in your life who want to help than you think, so don’t be afraid to ask for help.
“To the people in those people’s lives, support them, be there for them, let them know they’re not alone. That’s the part of mental health that gets you. It has a way of isolating you and making you feel like you’re alone, even when you’re not.”
- tulip unit it is out now (opens in a new tab) via Stoney Creek Records/BBR Music Group.
