Author
What is your artist name? Can you tell us a bit about the genesis of your project?
ME & THE LION - Music & Mental Health, music as a bridge to mental health: We are committed to destigmatising mental illness - with the help of music. Our songs are somewhere between rock and pop. Our aim is to convey a feeling of solidarity. No one has to fight alone: we have a lion by our side! After making our debut in 2023 with the single "Let the Rain Come", we recently made the leap across the pond: on 13 May 2024, we headlined the "Lifting the Curtain on Mental Health" concert at the Triad Theater in New York City. Our music video for the new single "Lose Yourself" premiered on the big screen at the Regal Cinema in Union Square as part of the "Urban Dreams Mental Health Film Festival" in Manhattan. "ME & THE LION not only provides entertainment, but also conveys an important message. At a time when addressing mental health is becoming increasingly important, they break taboos and send a message of openness and understanding."
How did you get into music and who are your influences?
Ani: I was four years old when I saw the musical "The Phantom of the Opera" for the first time and wanted to become a singer! I was particularly influenced by the singers Celine Dion, Alanis Morissette, Tina Turner and Alicia Keys.
Leo: Musically, I practically grew up in my uncle's recording studio, who produced great bands in our neighbourhood and shaped my musical taste. My influences include The Red Hot Chili Peppers, Tom Petty, Cracker and Kings Of Leon.
Who has inspired or accompanied you on your journey, and how?
Tina Turner, how she went her way despite all the adversity and abuse!
How would you describe your music or your sound?
A mix of Alanis Morisette, Evanescence, Avril Lavigne and the Ice Queen!
What was the most formative experience in your career so far?
To see that our mission is bearing fruit. After our premiere in New York, several people from the audience approached our expert (psychiatrist) because our concert made them realise that something was wrong and they now wanted to seek professional help.
Can you tell us about the highs and lows of your musical career? How did you overcome them and what did you learn from them?
Putting our music at the service of raising awareness and preventing mental illness is not exactly a door opener to the mainstream due to the stigmatisation of this topic. This makes it difficult for us to reach the people we want to reach. We are overcoming this hurdle step by step by expanding our network with individuals and organisations that are campaigning for the same issue. Together we can make a difference! One of our biggest highlights was seeing our MusicHub release advertised on one of the biggest billboards in Times Square, as well as our music video release at Regal Cinema and our first concert in New York at the Triad Theatre this year.
How did you come across MusicHub and why did you choose our platform?
About our membership in GEMA and about the MusicHub event "Berlin Music Night of Reflection".
What goals do you still want to achieve? What are your plans for the future?
We want to realise hybrid concerts with a mix of music, stories and Q&As with experts in order to contribute to the prevention and destigmatisation of mental illness. We also aim to collaborate with people & organisations that share our goal to reach as many people as possible to support them on their healing journey.
Dive deeper into MusicHub's Artist Spotlights
Get to know more artists that have released via MusicHub on our blog and learn how they started their careers and tackled the challenges an independent musician has to face.
Tune into our MusicHub #FridayReleaseSpotlight playlist to get introduced to some fresh finds and new music.
