Young Guyanese singer uses music to champion men’s mental health

Though Men’s Mental Health Month was several months ago, there are still Guyanese men who have been making efforts to centralise the importance of men’s mental health.
One of these young men is 21-year-old Tedanson Crawford Also known as “T Tyric”, a local upcoming singer, who is making music to raise awareness and enlighten others on the great importance of mental health for men.

Standing out from the array of music artists within Guyana, this youth, who was born within the musical air that swivels through Goed Fortuin, told Guyana Times that his artistic pen has been touching paper to create touching songs for roughly one year.
In light of his personal experiences in relationships which would have taken a toll on his mental health, he expounded that the mind pulls from them to create symphonies of music.
“Music is a good way for me to take the stress off my shoulders. Knowing that I would be able to make certain things happen is just a real relief.”
He added, “So that’s where the music is marketed with me. But currently, it’s mostly about affairs. Yeah, so love songs were what it started off with when I first began. But currently, it’s more like affairs or people who cheat.”
His music would target people in the young adult to adult range. In his opinion, it’s pretty much relatable to that age group because he thinks that young men or even as big men, have all had their fair share of heart break.
“We all at some point in our life would have really wanted to be with a person, but maybe we were a bit unfaithful, or they were unfaithful or we would have fallen for the woman that did not want us,” he stated whilst then adding that amidst these situations that tend to rise up, everyone should seek to find self-love- which is exemplified in his music.
Though the young lyrical doctor has not yet experienced vast support from his neighborhood, he said that his music has reached onto the shores of America, and with his new upcoming album, he is hoping that Guyanese persons will support it.
“As it comes to support, I’d say I haven’t received as much support in my community as yet, but so far a majority of my music has been marketed in the U.S. Like the first few songs, they would have been tracked as a main theme song,” Crawford mentioned.
The topic in his music, which is seldom spoken about, has become something that, through his music, he is addressing with the hope that one day someone will learn how to manage their emotions.
“Well, for young men that would have gone through the same thing that I would have gone through, I would pretty much advise them to get out of that situation as much as possible, or as quickly as possible, because there’s definitely somebody out there that’s going to take the time to appreciate you. There’s somebody that’s going to be there for just simply you.”
He added that he thinks this ongoing problem of heartbreak and longing for someone is harmful to men’s personal well-being and they should all find means of escaping and focusing of the growth of their selves.

“I think staying in that sort of situation is pretty much harmful to a person emotionally, as you constantly second-guess yourself. You wonder if you’re good enough. So, I pretty much advise adult men of all ages, whether they’re young adults or older adults, to get out of situations like that because it’s really not worth it.”
Meanwhile, he had shun light on some verses that he wrote which signify this.
“One of my lyrics would clearly state, ‘This should be a crime, you’re wasting my time, I’m so scared to lose you, you ain’t even mine,’ Crawford stated drawing reference to the intense feeling of heartbreak men feel at times.
Crawfords album is going to be a total of five songs.
Guyana’s Suicide Prevention Plan focuses primarily on improving mental health services and raising awareness for underlying issues that can lead to suicide like depression, alcohol misuse, and access to poison, which, according to the government’s plan, accounts for more than 65 percent of suicide deaths in Guyana.
That plan pledges to increase the number of mental health professionals as part of an overall effort to decrease suicide mortality and attempted suicide rates in Guyana by at least 20 per cent by 2020. (Mishael Henry)