Some of music’s biggest names are coming together for a good cause.
Alessia Cara, Mike Shinoda of Linkin Park, Pearl Jam’s Mike McCready and Stone Gossard, Charlie Puth, Bebe Rexha and 30 Seconds To Mars’ Jared Leto are set to participate in the second annual “I’m Listening” campaign, which focuses on mental health and suicide prevention. The campaign will begin with a two-hour radio special that will air across the Entercom radio network and can be streamed online on Sunday, Sept. 9, at 7 a.m. The event kicks off National Suicide Prevention Week in the U.S.
The year-long campaign will feature various mental health PSAs and links to information aimed at ending the stigma around mental health, with musicians and celebrities sharing personal stories. The two-hour episode will also include mental health experts as guests.
Shinoda, whose friend and band mate Chester Bennington died by suicide in 2017, said in a statement that he hopes the campaign will help open a conversation about mental health. His recent solo album Post Traumatic touched on his own journey following Bennington’s death.
“In most parts of the world, suicide claims more lives than war, murder and natural disasters combined,” the statement reads. “I hope that sharing my personal story, in music and conversation, helps open up the door to new discussions and awareness about mental health.”
Canadian singer Cara is also getting personal with her own mental health journey in making her upcoming album, The Pains Of Growing, saying she’s been “lost and lonely” in in its writing.
“I’ve recently dealt with anxiety – and understand what it was. I definitely want to reach as many people as I can, and will do so by partnering with Entercom and so many influential names connected to the cause,” she said via a statement. “Hopefully, if I talk about mental health, it’ll help other people to talk about it… we’re all a lot more similar than we think we are.”
Swimmer Michael Phelps, Third Eye Blind frontman Stephan Jenkins and former NFL player Barret Robbins have also signed on to the campaign.
Last year, Metallica, Logic, Halsey and Nirvana’s Krist Novoselic participated in the campaign.
The Canadian Association for Suicide Prevention, Depression Hurts and Kids Help Phone (1-800-668-6868) all offer ways for getting help if you or someone you know is suffering from mental health issues.
