People First Radio – March 12, 2026People First Radio – March 12, 2026
People First Radio
Artists, a researcher and a community radio host discuss mental health pressures in the Canadian music industry, from financial precarity and stigma to streaming-era stress. Independent musicians share how depression, anxiety and addiction intersect with their art, income and recovery journeys.
0:00•16 Mar 2026
Mental Health on Stage: Canadian Musicians Speak Out
Episode Overview
- The Soundcheck survey of over 1,200 music workers found very high rates of mental health challenges and suicidal ideation compared with the general population.
- Stigma around talking about mental health and substance use remains strong, with some artists reporting lost work or being dropped after disclosing a diagnosis.
- Financial precarity, shrinking funding, streaming-era income loss, and administrative barriers to grants all add heavy strain to artists’ mental wellbeing.
- Independent musicians describe music as a cathartic outlet for depression and anxiety, but also note that severe symptoms can stop them from creating at all.
- Streaming platforms and social media push artists into systems that often feel unethical, underpaying and psychologically draining while demanding constant self-promotion.
“Almost everyone, 95%, said there is a widespread mental health crisis in our Canadian music industry… almost 50%… expressed positive answers towards suicidal ideation.”
What can we learn from those who have battled addiction, burnout, and fragile mental health while chasing a career in music? This edition of People First Radio takes that question right into the heart of Canada’s music scene. Host Joe Pugh frames the show around Soundcheck, a nationwide study of more than 1,200 people working in music, led by Revelios president Katherine Harrison.
She lays out stark numbers: “Almost everyone, 95%, said there is a widespread mental health crisis in our Canadian music industry… almost 50%… expressed positive answers towards suicidal ideation.” Harrison links this crisis to financial precarity, systemic racism and sexism, stigma around seeking help, and a funding system that often waits until people are in deep crisis. From there, independent musicians share what those statistics feel like in real life. Vancouver-based indie artist Jeff Kankade, a.k.a.
Devours, talks about depression, the brutal competitiveness of the scene, and the loneliness of touring across a huge country that “doesn’t really support underground art and music.” His project is “basically just diary entries into my depression,” including a track about hitting rock bottom during COVID and finding support from family. Alternative pop artist Niamh describes juggling multiple jobs, self-managing every part of a career, and pouring more money into music than comes back.
She highlights how streaming, social media expectations and “exposure” gigs pile pressure on artists who are, by nature, deep feelers. BC indie musician Sam Tudor rounds things off by talking about anxiety, obsessive-compulsive tendencies, and how depression can stop artists from creating the very music that usually helps them cope. His song “Change My Shape” captures the frustration of being unable to shake that weight.
If you care about mental health, addiction, and recovery in creative spaces, this conversation might leave you asking: how can we support the people whose music gets many of us through our hardest days?
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