The importance of looking after our health and mental wellbeing has arguably never been greater. This particularly applies to those operating in the music industry, with songwriters like Sam Fender openly vocalising the challenges that come with maintaining one’s physical and mental health as a professional music creator.
Recent research from the British Association for Performing Arts Medicine (BAPAM) found that 75% of musicians and composers will suffer some form of injury or illness that impacts their career. With such a high level of risk at stake, support and guidance for musicians is therefore crucial. That’s why PRS Members’ Fund have partnered with BAPAM to create InTune, a free new online platform that aims to helps music creators maintain a healthy and sustainable lifestyle.
Announced today (12 May) to mark Mental Health Awareness Week, InTune will formally launch at the PRS AGM and London Members’ Day on 3 June (PRS members can book their place here). Described by PRS Members’ Fund patron Heather Small MBE as ‘an innovative health and wellbeing facility for music creators, by music creators’, InTune is a personalised and intuitive digital tool designed to aid artists in managing and improving their mental and physical wellbeing. It also offers resources to help creators manage their finances and navigate writer’s block, with the platform being built by people who understand the pressures and demands of life in music.
London singer-songwriter and musical entrepreneur Kemi Sulola has already seen first-hand the benefits of InTune. Kemi was invited to take part in the tool’s testing phase having already received support from PRS Members’ Fund after she was diagnosed with Neurosarcoidosis, an inflammatory condition which affects the central nervous system. The Fund helped finance Kemi’s vocal rehab, helping her bounce back following steroid treatment. Speaking to M, she recalls how helpful this was in allowing her to continue making music through this difficult period: ‘One time when I was being treated in hospital, I left for a couple of hours to perform an acoustic set with my cannula still in!’
'I wanted to be involved in helping create a tool that could support other music creators.' - Kemi Sulola
While she actually felt at her most determined and mentally strong during the height of her illness, Kemi says it’s actually been the aftermath which has presented the toughest emotional challenges. ‘That’s why I was so keen to try InTune,’ she says. ‘PRS Members’ Fund and BAPAM have been so helpful to me already, so I wanted to be involved in helping them create a tool that could support other music creators by sharing my own experiences and feedback.’
So, how does InTune work? Users are firstly invited to take a quick questionnaire and, based on their responses, a personalised wellbeing report is then generated, highlighting strengths and areas where help might be needed. Directions will then be provided to specialist resources and the different services provided by BAPAM in line with what they would find most beneficial. One-to-one support through initiatives such as Mental Health & Me and Physical Health & Me are also signposted.
Kemi found the resources regarding establishing a creative routine to be particularly beneficial. She now maps out her time for different tasks using InTune’s suggestions, whether it’s the business side of things or the creative act of writing and performing. She also found the meditation resources to be helpful, as that allows her to slow down and look after her mental health, alongside the guidance on physical exercise.
‘[Being a solo artist] is a very independent [pursuit],’ she says about the potential to be overwhelmed as a music creator. ‘You’re wearing so many hats, having to be your own manager, A&R, booking agent and so on. You really are running your music career as a small business.’
'If I feel like any more problems might occur, InTune is somewhere I can turn to for support.’ - Jermaine 'J' Hurley
Jermaine ‘J’ Hurley, who is part of the Milton Keynes grime-rap-metal group Hacktivist, has also been involved in the pre-launch phase of InTune. He found the tool’s advice around diet and nutrition to be valuable and accessible, particularly as it’s all too easy to fuel yourself on junk food while on tour.
‘Looking after your mental and physical health is difficult in my line of work,’ Jermaine tells M. ‘I’ve suffered with mental health problems in the past. However, if I feel like any more problems might occur, InTune is somewhere I can turn to for support.’
For Jermaine, ‘music is my therapy. It helps me escape and get things off my chest, but in a constructive way’. While this may be the case for many music creators, Kemi notes that a support system is also necessary: ‘Once a song is released, it then needs to be performed and promoted. If you’ve revisited pain or trauma when writing [that song] and not received support, things can all too easily crumble.’
That’s why InTune, particularly with its tailored mental health support, can be so valuable to music creators. The easy accessibility of the tool is there to empower creators to take ownership of their wellbeing in the face of the fast-paced and often chaotic tempo of the industry, helping to avoid burnout and nurture the longevity of one's music career. As Jermaine simply puts it: ‘Artists need this.’
InTune will launch online on 3 June 2025. You can find out more PRS Members Fund here and BAPAM here.
