Imani Republic State of Mind
- Roy Fry
- Nov 2, 2021
- 4 min read
Christian Band members help each other to work it out.
While the Christian band Imani Republic was getting set up for the days recording session, l was talking to Phil about the band. Phil is the bandleader and also one of the keyboard players of the band. We talked about the band and how the members come from different churches around Brisbane. He started to explain to me about the band's history and how they have come together like a tightly knitted group, from different social and cultural backgrounds to form the band. Multiculturalism is a big part of the band's musical diversity and they draw from this unique quality life experience, as the members are African, Chinese, Samoan, Sri Lankan and Caucasian.
Nearly all the members of the band are multi-talented and they swop instruments to give their music a new sound. They also share their skills with one another in the art of creating a more diverse sound that the band can use for songwriting. There was no fuss or any reluctance to give each other a hand.
There was a calmest about the band that invites outsiders into the fold, giving a sense of openness and trust that you can help with making suggestions to make the day a good experience for all concerned.
When it came to helping each other with the setup and teardown of the equipment within the band, there were plenty of hands making the workload easy for everyone. The support structure they have created within the band is visible by the way they talk to each other, this, along with the respect they show to all when communicating about their music. The Imani Republic is more than just a band, the Imani Republic is a family band of Christian brothers.
Once Phil and l had finished recording his band and the band had left. I asked more questions about the band and Phil quietly told me that every member of the band had experienced some form of depression and self-harm previously, so by creating the Imani Republic band, it gave him a chance to help people with their own life's journey and also work towards helping people with mental illness. He wants to raise social awareness of mental health and bring the illness directly into the public as a real issue.
So for Phil, the band is more than just a band of acquaintances enjoying playing music together, they are a family unit that supports each other in the band and can rely on each other to talk about any problems that could be affecting their state of mind, with no judgment.
This led me to do some research about the mental health problems in Australia and the statics of encountering the silent health problem no one seems to want to talk about.
Some general Facts and Figures for Mental Health
Mental illness is actually very common in Australia, with 20% of the population being diagnosed with some form of mental health problem. The age range is from 16 - 85 years of age that can suffer from mental illness.
The three most common mental health illnesses are:
Depression
Anxiety
Substance use (disorder)
These three usually come in a combination, for example, Depression & Substance abuse.
So if these statistics are for the general public, what is the Australian Music Industry statistics. Is it higher or lower? If it is higher, then how does the industry address this health problem?
The Australian Music Industry statistics show that the industry has a high degree of mental health illness and is working towards getting on top of these problems within the industry.
By opening support resources and clinics to help the music industry to find solutions, as the figures are quite staggering on what research has found, and how mental health affects the whole industry. Here are some staggering statistics from the Contemporary Music Roundtable article from 2017.
Music industry statistics compared to the general public.
Suicide attempts are double.
Severe anxiety symptoms are 10 times higher.
Depression symptoms are 5 times higher.
Suicide ideas are 2-3 times higher.
To bring awareness to problems of mental health in the music industry, including the role of an audio engineer, and to assist to make changes in the future, information and resources need to be provided and readily available and on hand, along with appropriate support if required, i.e counselors and professionals.
I think that anyone who is associated in any way with the entertainment industry really needs to have all the information ready and available in all studios throughout Australia.
Now more aware, I will be giving my full support not only to Phil and his band the Imani Republic, but also other bands and artists that can be expreiencing mental health issues.
I have also added a couple of links below.
Lifeline phone 13 11 14
Musician Helpline
24/7 WELLBEING HELPLINE: 1800 959 500
Beyond Blue 1300 22 4636 www.beyondblue.org.au
Black Dog Institute 1800 18 7263 www.blackdoginstitute.org.au
SANE Australia 1800187263
www.sane.org
Suicide Call Back Service 1300 659 467
Reference
Crittenden, J. (2017, July 18). Mental Health and the Australian Music Industry: A Round-Up. Retrieved November 18, 2019, from https://musicaustralia.org.au/2017/07/mental-health-and-the-australian-music-industry-a-round-up/.
Facts & figures about mental health. (n.d.). Facts & figures about mental health. Retrieved from https://www.blackdoginstitute.org.au/docs/default-source/factsheets/facts_figures.pdf?sfvrsn=8
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