Pearl Jam Among The Stars Supporting Suicide Prevention Campaign
Other big names including Stone Temple Pilots and Linkin Park’s Mike Shinoda will participate in radio-based mental health initiative.
Pearl Jam’s Mike McCready and Stone Gossard, Linkin Park’s Mike Shinoda, Stone Temple Pilots, Alessia Cara and 30 Seconds to Mars’ Jared Leto are all set to participate in the second-annual suicide prevention and mental health awareness campaign “I’m Listening.” Radio network Entercom organized the multi-platform initiative, which will feature a two-hour broadcast special airing live on Sunday, 9 September at 7 a.m. in each US time zone and via the Radio.com app, to mark the launch of National Suicide Prevention Week.
Third Eye Blind’s Stephan Jenkins, Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps, Halestorm’s Lzzy Hale, Brantley Gilbert, Bebe Rexha, Charlie Puth, former NFL player Barret Robbins and Nothing But Thieves’ Conor Mason are also among the participants. The year-long campaign will include suicide prevention PSAs, on-air promos and a designated website with materials and info focused on ending the stigma around mental health discussion.
In a statement, Mike Shinoda said he presented a “journey out of grief and darkness” with his recently issued debut solo LP, Post Traumatic, which followed the suicide of his Linkin Park bandmate Chester Bennington. “In most parts of the world, suicide claims more lives than war, murder and natural disasters combined,” the vocalist said. “I hope that sharing my personal story, in music and conversation, helps open up the door to new discussions and awareness about mental health.”
Alessia Cara said that she touches on “being lost and lonely and stuck inside [her] head” on her upcoming album The Pains of Growing. “I’ve recently dealt with anxiety – and understand what it was,” she said. “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. 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.”
The artists and celebrities will share personal stories during the special. Medical experts Dr. Chris Nowinski, co-founder of the Concussion Legacy Foundation, and Dr. Ursula Whiteside, CEO of NowMattersNow.org, will appear as guests; listeners will be able to participate via call-in and an interactive website. BJ Shea, DJ at Seattle, Washington’s KISW FM, will host the program.
Metallica, Logic, Halsey and Nirvana bassist Krist Novoselic participated in the 2017 “I’m Listening” campaign.
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