20 Musicians You May Not Know Live with Bipolar | bpHope.com (2024)

Discover these resilient musicians who’ve faced bipolar disorder, highlighting their impact, courage, and notable marks they’ve left on the world.

The world of creativity often shines a light on the vibrant yet challenging lives of artists, illustrating the deep connection between creativity and mental health. With their public platforms, musicians play a pivotal role in breaking down the stigma around mental health issues. By openly discussing their experiences with bipolar disorder, they help dismantle the silence and shame often associated with the condition. This openness not only aids in understanding bipolar disorder better but also encourages fans and other artists to seek help and talk openly about their mental health.

Celebrating these artists for their courage in sharing their stories adds a deeper layer of meaning to their music and the personal hurdles they overcome. It’s a potent reminder of the resilience and strength of those living with bipolar disorder, offering hope and a sense of community to those who might feel alone in their struggles.

The enduring relationship between creativity and mental health is showcased through the voices of musicians from various eras, many coming forward to share their struggles with bipolar disorder. Our list spans a broad timeline, from the early Romantic period to the modern day, reflecting the ongoing conversation about mental health in the arts.

1. Chappell Roan

Chappell Roan, a rising star in her mid-twenties, is making waves as a singer and songwriter. The pop singer’s debut studio album, The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess, was released in September 2023. Back in 2022, Roan shared her bipolar 2 diagnosis with her Instagram followers.

In an article with Vanity Fair, Roan discussed the complexities of treating the brain-based disorder. “Bipolar disorder is one of the hardest to treat because you just don’t know what’s gonna make you feel better,” she explained. It took her two years to find the proper medication regime, a journey she described as challenging. “Holy cow, it was so hard because I just felt … ‘Is it the bipolarity? Is it the meds not working? Is it my period?’” Her honesty sheds light on the often frustrating path many face while managing their mental health.

2. Halsey

The popular singer-songwriter Halsey was diagnosed with bipolar disorder at age 17. The pop sensation said she has been hospitalized twice due to bipolar mood episodes, and she is now considered a reluctant role model who champions the cause of treating people with mental health conditions respectfully.

“The thing about having bipolar disorder, for me, is that I’m really empathetic … I feel everything around me so much,” Halsey said in an interview with Elle magazine. In January 2020, she released her album Manic, featuring songs like “You Should Be Sad” and “3 a.m.” In the summer of the following year, she gave birth to her son, and also released her fourth album, If I Can’t Have Love, I Want Power.

3. Matthew Good

Canadian musician/producer and four-time Juno Award-winner Matthew Good was diagnosed with bipolar 1 disorder many years ago.

Prior to that diagnosis, Good described having a manic depressive episode: “At the best, imagine the thing you fear worst, imagine being shoved in a coffin with it, and then buried underground and then having that coffin start shrinking.

At its worst, imagine that, times a thousand.” His most recent album, Moving Walls, was released in 2020.

4. Nina Simone

A music legend known for her soulful voice and powerful activism, Nina Simone had a profound impact on both the world of music and civil rights.

Behind her iconic songs and performances, Simone navigated personal challenges, including her struggle with mental health issues, and lived with the symptoms of undiagnosed bipolar disorder for 20 years. Her ability to express deep emotion, as well as speak boldly on social issues through her music, inspired many, even as she faced her own battles.

5. Scott Stapp

Grammy-winning frontman for hard-rock bands Creed and Art of Anarchy, Scott Stapp had what was considered a public breakdown — mania with incidentsof paranoia and delusionalbehavior. At the time, he blamed the incident on an interaction between his antidepressants and an “unprescribed medication.”

In an interview withRolling Stone, Stapp spoke about bipolar: “It’s hard to understand … a disease that you can’t see physically. There’s no cast. There’s no wheelchair, but it’s debilitating. It can destroy your life because it’s hard to understand.”

His latest solo album, Higher Power, was released in March 2024.

6. Mariah Carey

The platinum-selling singer Mariah Carey revealed to People magazine that she’s been secretly living with a bipolar 2 diagnosis for two decades, and she’s been in therapy and taking medication for bipolar.

She said she “lived in denial and isolation” for years and finally sought treatment after a series of professional and romantic problems arose. “I’m hopeful we can get to a place where the stigma is lifted from people going through anything alone. It can be incredibly isolating,” she said. In June 2024, Carey released an expanded version of her album Rainbow, in honor of its 25th anniversary. The new edition also features a brand-new track, “Rainbow’s End”.

7. Pete Wentz

Best known as the bassist and vocalist/lyricist for rock band Fall Out Boy, Wentz has been candid in talking about his struggles with bipolar disorder. On the biggestmisconceptionsof it, he says, “I think the idea there is a one-size-fits-all [treatment plan] is one of those myths,” he told HuffPost Live. “Everyone figures themselves out in a different way. … There’s no shame in talking about [bipolar].”

8. Odean Pope

At the age of 73, the renowned jazz musician (and tenor saxophonist, composer, and bandleader) Odean Pope publicly revealed he had been battling bipolar for 30 years, in the hopes he could help others.

“I had finally realized that through theproper diagnosisand the proper medication, [it] can be controlled. And for those of you who might be struggling with this, there’s nothing to be ashamed of — it’s an illness and it can be controlled.” Odean Pope, now in his mid-eighties, is still touring.

RELATED: 9 Celebrities Who Embrace Their Bipolar Disorder

9. Selena Gomez

In early 2020, Selena Gomez quietly, but candidly, revealed her bipolar diagnosis on fellow celebrity Miley Cyrus’s Instagram talk show, Bright Minded: Live. The pop sensation has not shied away from sharing her health conditions — whether mental or physical — with her fans in the past, but this latest update was an unexpected and powerful declaration.

Once diagnosed, Gomez said she learned everything she could, which reduced her fears, and she said the knowledge “empowers” her instead of holding her back. In late 2022, Gomez announced that she was teaming up with politician Stacey Abrams to produce a music documentary celebrating female musicians, called Won’t Be Silent. The documentary, Selena Gomez: My Mind & Me, also came out in 2022, and Gomez is very forthcoming about her mental health in it, too.

10. Bebe Rexha

This Grammy-nominated singer announced her bipolar diagnosis to her 1.6 million X (then Twitter) followers back in April 2019 and received massive positive feedback from her fans. “I’m bipolar and I’m not ashamed anymore,” read the tweet. (As of 2024, she has 2 million followers on X.)

While Bebe Rexha says the stigma surrounding mental health conditions is on the decline, the same is not true for bipolar, which can often be referred to in derogatory terms. “I won’t allow it to label me. It’s something that I’m going through, but it’s not me,” she told Self magazine.

11. Adam Ant

The former frontman of the new wave group Adam and the Ants said that, after nearly 20 years of touring and trying to remain “top dog,” he finally began takingmedicationand dealing with his bipolar.

He toldRolling Stone: “The whole subject of bipolar disorder is in its infancy in terms of the public being aware of it is an illness and not a disease, and not a kind of terminal thing where you have to feel shame.”

12. Robert Schumann

A celebrated composer, Robert Schumann left an indelible mark on classical music with his emotional depth and innovative compositions. Behind his genius, Schumann battled with severe mental health challenges, now widely believed to have been symptoms of bipolar disorder.

Schumann’s life story sheds light on the link between creativity and mental health, and his legacy not only celebrates his musical achievements, but also highlights the human side of artistic virtuoso.

13. Steven Page

The singer-songwriter was a founding member and lead singer for Barenaked Ladies, which he left in 2009 to pursue solo projects.

Page revealed his bipolar diagnosis publicly in 2011 and said he’d gone through “periods of self-medicating in order to relieve the symptoms.”

In 2020, he co-wrote the musical Here’s What It Takes for the Stratford Festival in Canada, and in 2022, he released his album Excelsior. These days, Page is touring also.

14. Charley Pride

The late country singer and icon Charley Pride was diagnosed with bipolar back in 1968. His story was part of a PBS American Masters documentary titled Charley Pride: I’m Just Me, which aired in February 2019.

It tells the story of how Pride, once working in the Mississippi cotton fields, is now enshrined in the Country Music Hall of Fame. The country legend passed away in December 2020 at the age of 86.

15. Kurt Cobain

Kurt Cobain, the legendary Nirvana frontman, changed the music scene forever with his unique sound and heartfelt lyrics, defining the grunge era of the ’90s. Sadly, his battle with mental health and addiction issues was as much a part of his story as his music, leading to his untimely death.

Cobain’s honesty about his struggles struck a chord with fans, making his music a powerful conversation-starter about the importance of mental health and the intense pressures of fame.

16. Max Bemis

Max Bemis, lead singer and guitarist for the band Say Anything, revealed his bipolar diagnosis in 2014 and features the topic in many of his songs. It took him three years to accept his diagnosis, and he offers this advice to others: “You’re not alone … there are so many cool people with these issues. These issues make you cool in your own way.”

Bemis is also a comic book writer, most recently with Marvel Comics. He also once penned a four-part series, Polarity, which tells the story of a hero with bipolar. His band’s ninth studio album, …Is Committed, was released in May 2024.

17. Mary Lambert

A singer-songwriter, poet, and spoken-word artist,Mary Lamberteven sings about bipolar disorder:“I’ve got bi-polar disorder / my s—’s not in order.”On her steps toward self-care, she toldbp Magazine: “I started working on what was necessary for me to function and feel better. … I’m really grateful for that time, which is when I also stopped smoking and learned how to eat better.”

She calls her 2019 album Grief Creature an “ode to mental illness.” And in 2021, she made her acting debut in Arlo the Alligator Boy, an animated musical film.

RELATED: 12 Celebrity Quotes That Perfectly Describe Life With Bipolar Disorder

18. Justin Furstenfeld

Furstenfeld is best known as the lead singer-songwriter of the alt-rock band Blue October, but he also channels his creativity into painting, writing, and both collaborating with other performers — such as with Harvard of the South — and going solo. When he performs solo, Furstenfeld goes by “5591,” which he reports as his identification number at an inpatient facility.

Blue October’s Spinning the Truth Around (Part II), was released in October 2023, with Part I being released in Ocotober 2022; they are the band’s eleventh and twelfth studio albums. Furstenfeld also made his film debut in 2022, playing the character Ajax Abernathy in Section Eight.

19. Kanye West (Ye)

Kanye West, now known as Ye, has significantly influenced music, fashion, and culture, becoming a global icon while openly navigating his bipolar. His transparency, highlighted by his album cover I Hate Being Bi-Polar, It’s Awesome, brings attention to the highs and lows of the condition amidst celebrity pressures. Ye’s openness about his struggles has played a crucial role in destigmatizing mental health issues, promoting a more understanding conversation.

20. Beth Hart

This Grammy-nominated blues/soul/gospel musician has been described as one of the best female vocalists people have never heard of. After revealing her bipolar diagnosis, she went on to release her most recent album, War in My Mind. She explains, “I’ve come a long way with healing, and I’m comfortable with my darknesses, weirdnesses, and things that I’m ashamed of — as well as all the things that make me feel good.”

In 2022, Hart released a collection of covers of Led Zeppelin songs, A Tribute to Led Zeppelin.

21. Ray Davies

Davies is best known as the guitarist, vocalist, and songwriter for the English group The Kinks and now is a solo artist. According to the biographyRay Davies: A Complicated Life, author Johnny Rogan recounts that Davies was diagnosed withbipolarin 1973. His last album, Our Country: Americana Act II, was released in 2018.

UPDATED: Originally posted on October 24, 2018