– I felt like the world’s biggest “failure”. 24 years old and in detoxification because I struggled with alcohol, says artist Fanny Andersen. Andersen talks about what her life looked like about four years ago. She was breaking through as an artist and was getting gigs she had always dreamed of. In front of thousands of people, she performed on the VG list and the Slottsfjell Festival. GOT HELP: Fanny has gotten better after she entered detoxification in 2019. Photo: Alvin Santos At the same time, she struggled mentally and used alcohol to quell the restlessness in her body. It didn’t help that there was easy access to alcohol at work. – There is alcohol in almost all settings in the music industry. It makes it easy to use alcohol to dull pain, because it is not seen as problematic, she says. Ended up in the emergency room One evening, Fanny took her entire “rider” home after playing at a festival. A “rider” is a list of what the artists want in their wardrobes backstage. BREAKTHROUGH: In 2017, Fanny achieved great success, and among other things got to play on the VG list. Photo: Rashid Akrim / news P3 – It meant that I had a cupboard full of alcohol at home. One evening I sat alone and drank, says Fanny and continues: – That night I ended up in the emergency room with 3.2 blood alcohol levels. More people opt out of alcohol It’s not just Fanny who talks about an industry with a lot of alcohol. Earlier this autumn, Maria Mena said that she has stopped drinking in an interview at Lindmo: – In my industry, it has been terribly accessible, Mena said in the interview. QUIT ALCOHOL: In an interview with Lindmo, Maria Mena said that she no longer drinks alcohol. Artist and TV personality Adrian Sellevoll says he has gone from drinking almost daily to completely abstaining from it. He says that he has been offered a lot of free alcohol throughout. – At work, the alcohol is there all the time. In the studio, the pilsner is “lined up”, he says. NEW LIFESTYLE: Adrian Sellevoll has not touched a drop of alcohol since February this year. Photo: Eirik Pessl-Kleiven / news Thinks more needs to be done Historically, record companies have not taken much responsibility when artists struggle with this, says Therese Drabløs, who is responsible for artist relations at Sony Music. She believes it is time for the record companies to do more to help artists. WANTS MORE MEASURES: Therese Drabløs believes the entire music industry has a job to do to have a better alcohol culture. Photo: Sony Music – Challenges with alcohol affect their work. Some also believe that it is a challenge they have received directly from the job, she says. Started assistance program A few years ago, Sony Music started the “Artist Assistance Program”. The aim of the program is for artists who need help, whether it concerns mental health and/or alcohol to get it. – They get a certain number of hours covered by us to talk to someone. If more help is needed, they will also be referred on, says Drabløs. – Artists struggle with psychological difficulties Lasse Fosshaug is head of communications at GramArt, which works for the rights of Norwegian musicians. He believes that unhealthy alcohol consumption is often linked to other mental health problems. JOBS FOR NORWEGIAN MUSICIANS: Communications manager at GramArt, Lasse Fosshaug, says artists struggle more than other parts of the population. Photo: GramArt Fosshaug refers to research which says that artists struggle more with insomnia, anxiety and depression than the rest of the population. – It may be that the healthcare system should invest more in specialist skills for this group, since they often need a different type of help than many of those with more traditional jobs. Difficult to bring in substitutes During the period Fanny had the worst thing, she did not dare to tell anyone in her support apparatus. One of the reasons is that it is not easy to get a replacement when you are a solo artist or frontman. WANTS MORE OPENNESS: Fanny wants to help others who are in the same situation as herself. Photo: Private – The product is you. If I had called my management and told them that I was on detox, I couldn’t have just brought in a substitute who had been me for two weeks, says Andersen. Her hope is that it will become less shameful to struggle with alcohol. – I want to be open so that others who struggle with it dare to ask for help.
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Maria Mena, Adrian Sellevoll and Fanny Andersen talk about an unhealthy relationship with alcohol – news Culture and entertainment
