Rock Star Tom Chaplin: “Don’t Be Afraid To Cry and Let It Out”

Tom Chaplin, the lead singer of Keane, is out with a new solo album. The story behind the making of it is perhaps his greatest achievement.

Last year his struggles with addiction, anxiety and panic attacks reached critical point, he tells the Sun.

When Keane went on hiatus in 2013, Chaplin spoke of his intentions to make a solo record and went home to his studio to begin work.

“The thing that really stopped me was, I couldn’t access the part of myself that needed to be accessed, to write songs,” he says. “It is a deep, emotional level. Going back to the root of my problems meant when I was home on my own, I would start on the drugs again.”

Chaplin admits that being on stage in front of thousands of adoring fans is “intoxicating but I got lost in it.”

On the new record there are many powerful songs that describe when things started to go wrong for Chaplin. He and wife Natalie become parents to daughter Freya in 2014. But Chaplin had started to go down the wrong path again. He adds: “I really am trying to articulate that with the album. That if you feel like you are in a horrible place and your life is a mess, there is a way out. There was a time I thought I’d die but making this album saved me. Don’t be afraid to cry and let it all out because if you just tuck it away somewhere it will come out.”

Being so open in his new album feels good to Chaplin.

“It’s so important that you shine a light on these things and remove the mental health stigma. Anxiety and addiction affect so many so if speaking out helps, then great. All I know is that I am so lucky to have been given another chance. The stuff I put myself and my family and friends through, physically and mentally, I don’t deserve one. But I am not afraid of being vulnerable any more and I’ve learned that if you are honest with yourself when you are vulnerable then you can start to love life and start to enjoy it again.”

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