Jez Bonham gets personal in the intimate and inviting video for his single Mental Health — premiering exclusively on Tinnitist.
A moving highlight from Bonham’s recently released debut Thoughts Into Sounds, the revealing and relatable song is something of a personal soundtrack for the B.C. alt-folk singer-songwriter.
“I have battled with this all of my life,” Bonham says. “This song is an example of what my daily process would be: Beat myself down over and over again and then try to pick myself up just enough to do something as simple as leave the house. It can feel crippling.”
As debut releases go, Thoughts into Sounds doesn’t arrive shy; the album serves as a raw, unfiltered autobiography, with lyrics and sound that march listeners from summertime bliss to painful relationships and the ear-splitting silence of a torture-riddled mind.
Music was always set to be the outlet for Bonham; growing up in one of Canada’s most scenic, snow-capped landscapes, the 19 year old came by his ardent musical interest honestly — his father was a singer-songwriter and his grandfather an Italian opera aficionado. “I couldn’t help but follow in their footsteps,” he muses. “I finally wrote what felt like a mess in my head into Thoughts into Sounds.
“When I wrote this song, I was unable to perform it in front of anyone except my girlfriend,” he reveals about Mental Health. “I was scared. Like many others, I was suffering in silence. Somewhere along the way, I realized there are millions of people who are going through this exact issue. I started tailoring the song more towards triumph, and more towards beating the mental health issues.
“I wanted to push myself and challenge myself to succeed, and I think if others listen to it, they can think of themselves as that person as well. As that champion who can succeed. And it’s all about being a champion, even if it’s just being a champion of getting out of the house in the morning.”
Watch Mental Health above and keep up with Jez Bonham via Instagram.
