ADHD: musicians that helped kill the stigma around the disability

As a white writer, I feel I cannot begin to imagine the non-white experience of music and the roots of their ideas, or messages. However, as a writer with ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder), I found great solace in music which raises awareness about my disability. I want to use my voice to speak about the artists of colour who have ADHD themselves and use their music as an outlet. Often referencing ADHD in their lyrics, their songs gave me hope in some of my most difficult times. As individuals with major platforms in such a popular industry, their discussions and conversations around the topic has paved way for progress in the development of ADHD education and the destigmatisation of the condition.

An artist which started conversations around ADHD was Will.i.am. American rapper, singer songwriter and record producer, who founded and fronted the musical group, Black Eyed Peas. A band who almost everyone is familiar with to some degree was arguably born from ADHD. Will.i.am opened up about living with the condition, stating that “If I was stuck at a different job, I’d be horrible and wouldn’t survive. Music is my therapy and my straitjacket. Music keeps me sane and keeps my mind on something. It’s fragile up there.” There has been a great deal of studies linking creativity and ADHD. Previous research has established that individuals with ADHD are exceptionally good at divergent thinking tasks, and when thinking about this regarding making music Will.i.am explained that he “figured out a place for it [ADHD]” “music brings control to my thoughts. It’s not escape- it’s just order. I’m making order out of a disorder.” Will.i.am demonstrates this through his extensive portfolio within the music industry.

When thinking about Will.i.am’s notion of the fragile mind which ADHD creates; I think it is important to look at how American singer SZA addresses the condition. She took to twitter to shed light on the difficulties of ADHD, suggesting that despite its perks it can also be incredibly challenging. Choosing to write on social media paved the way for a discussion among others who deal with the condition. These conversations led to individuals feeling as though they were part of a community. SZA spoke mainly about how being undiagnosed as an adult “is really fucking hard and absolutely nobody has empathy for it.” When artists speak about ADHD and mental health, they often speak about how it has helped them get to where they are today. Though this is inspiring and an important discussion to be had, I think SZA makes an important comment on how the reception that ADHD gets is not always so inspiring. People thanked SZA and requested she “continue to use [her] platform to help educate and advocate for and about ADHD. We (the black community) are in desperate need of awareness, diagnosis and treatment.”

Furthermore, Solange Knowles, American singer, songwriter, performance artist and actress, has been credited as a role model for African American Performers with Disabilities, revealing she “was diagnosed with ADHD twice.” Through her platform, Knowles educates the public on the condition and what it’s like being a woman of colour who is also diagnosed with a disability which affects roughly 10% of the US population. She does a great deal in raising awareness and encouraging people to break down the stigma, especially in music, as she acknowledges, “the symptoms seem to apply to everyone around me in the industry.” The correlation between ADHD and creativity is gaining more traction and acceptance. As more artists come forward and break down the predispositions of what ADHD is believed to be, versus what it actually is. More are beginning to understand the importance of a diagnosis and proper help. Allowing ADHD children, for example, to be creative and expressionistic in whichever way they like, is hugely constructive in their controlling of ADHD and will go on to support them later in life.

This literal intervention in aiding young people has been seen with South London artist, Benjamin Gerard Coyle Larner, known as Loyle Carner. A musician which I have seen live countless times and adore his discography. Loyle Carner has always been open about his ADHD and how he “came to see [it] as a superpower.” As a child, he used cooking as therapy for his neurodiversity and is spreading the word on its benefits. The artist teamed up with social enterprise Goma Collective and opened a summer school, which teaches kids with ADHD the advantages of cooking, and gives “teens accustomed to a diet of failure and anxiety their first taste of sweet success.” [NME] Carner has often been attributed with emotionally charged transparent lyricism, which is probably most apparent in his newest album Hugo, (released October 21^st, 2022). As someone with ADHD I find that it is incredibly difficult to mask emotions with metaphor and falsehoods, thus, listening to his music I find it to be therapeutic and refreshing. A lyric which resonated with me, and I tend to always think about in times of creative doubt, is one which I named this article after, “the ADHD, best and worst thing about me.” Anyone with the condition will understand this feeling. The happiness and joy that comes from an over-imaginative, stimulated mind, being consumed with feelings and emotions almost all the time. Finding something you love and having to become completely immersed within it, offset with the pain and difficulty of ‘normality,’ and being unable to switch off. Loyle Carner addresses this feeling, he said that “the difficulty comes from having to fill my days. If I have nothing on that day, I can’t just sit and do nothing.” However, he also addresses that this downside (if it can be classed as such) is what birthed his cooking school, and above all, his music. In an interview with Metro where he was speaking about the makings of his debut album, he reaffirmed that ADHD is not a hindrance but a gift. He gave hope to readers who were struggling, expressing “I guess it’s just about showing that if you want to do it, you can do it.”

These artists are just a few of the many who have spoken openly about the struggles and gains of a life with ADHD. Discussions around the disability are still entrenched with outdated stigma and generalisations. Personally, I was diagnosed at sixteen, incredibly late in life for a condition I was born with. I was dismissed as a child; told I was a distraction and found the academic system infuriating. The artists which I have spoken about are ones which I believe are benefiting the conversations about ADHD, especially in the far reaching and influential music industry. There is still a long way to go regarding treatment, therapy, diagnosis’ and understanding of ADHD, but I think that these artists highlight quite beautifully that there is no need to try and fix ADHD, because as Loyle Carner states, “it is not something that needs to be fixed.”