It’s hard to see our musical icons as real people. They are precious, they are flawed, but somehow we hold them up to a standard different than our own. Such is the case with Azealia Banks, the dance-pop and house rap architect responsible for bangers like “Seventeen,” “212,” as well as a string of very public feuds. But behind her energetic singles and frequent online quarrels is a real person. “Every day is a difficult time,” she admits, “I’m Azealia Banks.”
Banks has never been shy about her own struggles with mental health. In December of last year, Banks posted a heartbreakingly confessional post to her Facebook, explaining how the public refuses to listen to her as she struggles with coping and finding peace, as she struggles to find the right psych-medication to fix her situation, and how her experiments trying different psych-drugs have left her feeling drained and ugly.
This past November, Banks allowed Complex to come join her for a few days in New York City, to learn more about her journey, to better understand where she is coming from, and to find out how she deals with her demons, again and again..
In partnership with Well Being Trust, Complex recently created a mini documentary on Banks’ journey towards recognition, redemption, and self-actualization in the face of mental health tribulations. Watch Azealia Banks above to get a deep look inside the life of one of pop music’s most controversial figures, one who is beautiful and flawed, just like the rest of us.
It takes a brave person to recognize that his or her own life has become too much to manage alone, and an even braver person to take the steps to reach out and talk about it. Share your realness by using #BeWell and #BeHeard when you're ready. If you or someone you know needs more immediate intervention, please contact one of the following:
- Call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-TALK (8255)
- Text LA to 741741 to talk with a trained Crisis Counselor for free, 24/7
- Teens can talk with a teen listener at 310-855-4673 or Text TEEN to 839863
