Passion Pit Takes a Step Back From Music to Focus on Mental Health Awareness
With their upcoming album on the horizon, Passion Pit frontman Michael Angelakos has decided to step away from music in pursuit of another agenda. Sunday night Angelakos sent a series of tweets discussing his opinions on the how the music industry treats mental health awareness and how he plans on taking a break from music.
https://twitter.com/passionpit/status/889301539747135488?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw&ref_url=http%3A%2F%2Fmashable.com%2F2017%2F07%2F24%2Fpassion-pit-musical-hiatus-mental-health%2F
https://twitter.com/passionpit/status/889305094478602240?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw&ref_url=http%3A%2F%2Fmashable.com%2F2017%2F07%2F24%2Fpassion-pit-musical-hiatus-mental-health%2F
Many people took this message at face value and assumed that Passion Pit would take a hiatus for the time being. Angelakos has since contacted Pitchfork to explain that they aren’t taking a break from making music. The band plans to continue creating music as it is a part of their everyday lives, but Angelakos explains that they are taking a step away from being a “commercialized artist” and everything that comes with that title. Angelakos stated,
“I cannot continue to operate in this space, this industry, due to the way that it functions and treats people that work for it or create within it. It does nothing to promote the health required in order to produce the work it sells. The risks associated with being a commercialized artist and embarking on a typical album release, like endless promotion and touring, have nearly killed me.”
He explains that he and Passion Pit will continue creating music, but now he will be shifting his focus to the development of the Wishart Group, an artist support services company launched by Angelakos earlier this year. Angelakos stated,
“It requires my full attention, which means taking time away from being a commercialized artist. It requires me to explain this because of the idea that we can do several things at once and really create change, especially in the realm of mental health, is clearly not working. It’s just not enough, though I wish it were…..I only have a certain amount of attention, so it should be used carefully. I started The Wishart Group and will be focusing full time on its developments. I will be advising other industries, and doing any work that is required at this current juncture until I have achieved certain goals and helped build a new system. We need better systems, systems that can actually contain and tend to workers, like artists who want to and have been contractually signed into deals to make music for people…… Protecting health is the first step in maintaining a culture’s artistic output.”
Mental Health awareness is an extremely important topic and some people tend to forget that artists struggle with this issue also. Angelakos also mentions the fifth birthday of Gossamer, Passion pits second album and the place that it came from and the message it delivers. Angelakos has always been outspoken on the issue and we can only hope that more artists join him in his efforts to create awareness throughout the industry.
