While most of the time life in the spotlight can fun and glamorous, it isn’t always easy and often takes time to adjust to. Like many who go through drastic life changes, whatever they may be, Luke Hemmings has come a long way since 5 Seconds of Summer arrived on the scene back in 2011. Recently opening up to Fault Magazine all about his personal growth which he credits to music and therapy.
Now at 25 years-old, Luke admits he’s “a lot more confident now,” compared to when he first debuted with 5SOS a decade ago. “I think as a teen who was thrust into the public eye pretty quickly, I got overwhelmed easily and felt constant pressure to be a certain type of person. Now at 25, I feel a lot more sure of myself. I dress in clothing that makes me happy, I make the music I want, I wear glitter and make up, I express myself better, I don’t feel boxed in. It’s pretty freeing.”
“I’ve had a lot of hurdles to overcome in my musical journey, but since coming onto the scene with 5SOS, we’ve really had to fight to be respected as genuine artists. The band, and myself, really pride ourselves on being passionate and writing our songs and showing the world we’re in music for the love of it.”
With that said, it wasn’t overcoming musical hurdles for Luke, he also had to overcome personal ones through therapy, likening both to be quite similar, crediting both as key elements that helped protect his mental health during lockdown.
“I’ve always felt like writing and creating music is similar to therapy, because you’re spending days, weeks, months reflecting on yourself and your life and trying to process everything and express those feelings out loud. It can be incredibly cathartic and healing. I’ve made an effort to spend as little time as possible looking at screens of any type, I don’t think humans were meant to have access to every opinion about themselves at their fingertips constantly, both good and bad. I also took a step that scared me a bit, which was to start actual therapy with a professional.”
“Inspired by a trip to Vietnam that I took right before the stillness that quarantine forced,” Luke revealed he “spent months facing the things I turned away from" resulting in When Facing the Things We Turn Away From, which is more than just Luke’s first solo album title, but also a line taken from the chorus of the track “Saigon.”
“The good, the bad, my regrets, needing to get help. Through all of those times, I kept thinking about how euphoric that trip was, and how I wanted to keep chasing those highs I felt. Sometimes we can’t appreciate the best moments of our life until they’ve passed us by and are out of reach. I was messing around with the idea of multiple titles, but I eventually settled on that one because I feel like the theme of time slipping away is ultimately threaded throughout the entire album.”
Audacy's I’m Listening initiative aims to encourage those who are dealing with mental health issues to understand they are not alone. If you or anyone you know is struggling with depression or anxiety, know that someone is always there. Additionally, the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week at 1-800-273-8255.