A musician from Malvern has shared the story of his personal battles with mental health issues and how he has used music to overcome them.

A study, commissioned by DICE and Populous, found that of the 2,063 people surveyed, 23 per cent said that live streaming and music had been the biggest support to their mental health during lockdown.

Jon, or Jonny Melodic as he is known, is a Malvern-based musician in his late 40’s and his latest album, The Schizoid Man, tackles many of the issues raised by the study.

“The album tackles the mental health issues that I have struggled with over the last few years.

"I had some negative experiences particularly on social media, and I have suffered from anxiety and feelings of paranoia.

“I found the process of writing these songs really cathartic, but I was worried about releasing them to the public.

"Ultimately, the album shows a positive journey, as described in the final track ‘I’m Not Afraid Anymore’.

"I’m hoping that others will identify with these songs, and it will help them to overcome their own personal issues with mental health.”

He continued: “Although things are getting better, I think there is still a massive stigma against those who admit to having mental health issues.

"Therapy from listening to or writing music can help, but there is still much more that needs to be done.

"This is why I want to help others and highlight the issues that so many have to cope with on a daily basis.”

Jon was a singer in a local Britpop-inspired band in the mid-90s and has since gone on to self-produce over 250 original songs as a solo artist.

He added: “Rather than completing a diary, I have always written songs to try to make sense of what is happening in my life.

"I can often struggle with lyrics, but during the periods of lockdown, there was so much going on in the news, that the songs almost wrote themselves!

“I also enjoyed having to think creatively about collaborating with others musically over the internet.

"I even managed to complete an EP of music with my old 90’s band via zoom - our first recording in over 20 years!”

Proceeds from the album will go to Mind and you can listen to the album here.