Crysto Panda narrates how depression affected him through social media trolls.
From disengagement to persecution, we are not good at regulating our psychological health as Ugandans in entertainment.
Depression may simply be the flip side of the creative manic state, the price artists pay for their bouts of productive work.
The notion that depression and other forms of mental illness go hand-in-hand with creativity is so prevalent that it gave rise to the terms “tortured artist” and “mad artist.” But is this idea just a stereotype, or does it actually contain a grain of truth?
Painters such as Vincent van Gogh, who famously cut off his ear and ultimately took his life in 1890, contribute to this idea, as does the writer Sylvia Plath, who died by suicide in 1963. Both artists detailed their mental illnesses in writing.
Last week, TV personality-turned-singer Crysto Panda opened up about depression in an interview with KFM’s Lynda Ddane. Panda, who was invited as a guest explained how he struggled to get back on his feet after reading negative stories about him.
The now healed and vibrant musician explained that his situation worsened after he lost his baby in 2020, forcing him into isolation. The singer later decided to take a social media break in a bid to silence the negative voices.
“When you are depressed there’s a certain type of way you feel. You feel like nobody likes you, every time you ask, ‘Why me?’” Panda said.
“If you feel like you are not in your right state of mind, please switch off your accounts [social media]. That time when I was off, I actually got to know who I am better than before. I got to know my real people,” he added.
However, the singer says he managed to bounce back after watching clips of young children dancing to his music. Besides his fans, Panda was also encouraged by his friends who kept checking on him to see whether he was fine.
In his advice to people suffering from depression, Panda urged them to turn to God, explaining how reading Bible verses turned his life around. The singer also advised them to do what they love, just like he resorted to recording back-to-back hits, weeks after losing his daughter.
On social media trolls, Panda said, “Before you attack someone on social media, ask yourself what am I gaining from attacking this person?”
Musically speaking, the singer said he has a couple of tracks set to be released before officially unveiling his newest dance tune, ‘Empele’. He says the song was inspired by his childhood dance strokes dubbed Empele. The trending dance song has seen a number of TikTokers record clips dancing Empele moves.
Crysto Panda is a renowned TV presenter at the Nation Media Group-owned NTV Uganda.
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