Last month, Adam Lambert teamed up with MusiCares for an important conversation about mental health among music's queer community. Titled Care/Feel — an homage to MusiCares and Lambert's Feel Something Foundation — the 90-minute panel offers mental wellness tips, key perspectives when facing bias and homophobia, and motivation to build and maintain community.

Lambert moderated the discussion, which featured MusiCares' Managing Director of Mental Health and Addiction Recovery Janoc Vance, singer/songwriter/producer Brittany Campbell, BMG's SVP of Business and Legal Affairs Kris Muñoz, and pop singer/songwriter VINCINT. The panelists shared an honest dialogue about their respective experiences with mental health in music and the queer community, as well as how we can support those who may need help.

In service of MusiCares' mission to provide tailored resources for the LGBTQIA+ music community, the invite-only event was recorded, and is now available to all. 

Watch the video and read three key takeaways below.

This video contains strong language.

It's our job to stand up.

As VINCINT was recounting an incident of prejudiced intimidation he faced on tour, all of the panelists stressed the importance of standing up against efforts to force LGBTQ+ folks into invisibility. 

"While it is tough and scary, it is our job to stand up to these people," VINCINT said. Lambert added, "And the people that we're working with, the allies, these organizations… they need to decide to do what's right and not just what's financially sound." 

Those who provide comfort need support too.

Music is a source of comfort, healing, and inspiration for many. But, as our panelists asked, "who heals the healers?" 

"We were taught to push through," VINCINT said of his experience training in conservatory. Campbell and Lambert agreed that showing up for their audiences requires almost superhuman strength, and if you don't have it in you, it could do more harm than good. 

VINCINT shared about how MusiCares assisted him with therapy during the pandemic, where he began a healing journey that built the foundation for the career he has today. "There's something so beautiful [about sitting] in a room, not having to [be] strong all the time." That gave him what he needed to "go and be strong for what I love to do, what really saved my life and pushed it forward."

Even though we're still fighting, progress has been made.

Muñoz discussed her journey as a queer woman on the business side of the music industry, and shared that most people assumed that she was straight and not Latina: "Where'd you get that last name? Did you take your husband's?" people would ask. 

Lambert recounted music executives asking him to "tone it down, be less flamboyant," and to change the "he" to a "she" in his love songs. "I've had to fight for years to get where I am now," he said.

With a tone of relief, both acknowledged that "the industry has changed rapidly" when it comes to embracing LGBTQIA+ artists and professionals. Muñoz said that the music business and society at large is appreciating more and more that the LGBTQIA+ music community "are the most beautiful, creative, inspiring, awesome, generous, kind, kickass people." Campbell echoed that sentiment: "Queer art is the fabric of [all] art." 

MusiCares' provides tailored support and resources for the LGBTQIA+ music community. Visit our Get Help page to learn more and reach out, and join us for our LGBTQIA+ Emotional support group on Wednesdays, 12pm-1pm PT, lead by Dr. Adrienne N. Williams LMSW, MSW, M.Ed. Sign up here.

The Feel Something Foundation (FSF), launched in 2020 by Adam Lambert, is a non-profit organization in support of LGBTQ+ human rights. Aiming to ensure support is given to the myriad of issues that continue to disproportionately affect the LGBTQ+ community, the foundation assists those charities that are moving the needle for communities of all ages and backgrounds.These are organizations that have a mission or project directly focused on impacting the LGBTQ+ community in areas of education & the arts including homelessness, suicide prevention and mental health.

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