“The Liberation Tour” – Hip Hop Artist ‘Kritikal Powers’ is using music to get people talking about mental health and suicide prevention

A musician from York with Radio Plays on BBC Radio 1 and 1Xtra ‘Kritikal Powers’ has joined forces with Golden Firs, a singer song writer who has supported the likes of James Bay and Emeli Sandé, to create a powerful song with a positive message that ‘it is ok to speak about mental health’.

The song will be available to buy on all online platforms including iTunes and Apple Music to raise money in aid of national UK charity PAPYRUS that exists to give young people hope and to prevent young suicide. The song will be performed live in venues in North Yorkshire as part of “The Liberation tour” which will launch on the 10^th of November 2017 at Forty-Five Vinyl Café in York 7pm-9pm, raising money in aid of PAPYRUS. The artist behind the idea says the main aim of the project is to raise awareness and get people talking about difficult issues like mental health and suicide.

Kritikal Powers said “Suicide is the second leading cause of
death worldwide and in the UK, suicide is the leading cause of death of young people under the age of 35. It is important that we highlight this issue and by expressing my own experiences of mental health, I hope that it will inspire people to share their stories and reach out for help. For too many years the topic of mental health has been pushed into a corner but we have to change that. Mental health, self-harm and suicide are massive issues particularly for young people, we need to talk about it and provide support 365 days a year.”

Kritikal Powers has been
making music for 11 years and often writes about his own pain and experiences in his music. Last year in an interview with Jericho Keys on BBC Introducing York & North Yorkshire, Kritikal talked about the loss of his alcoholic father and how it affected his life, the interview was featured on BBC Radio 4’s Pick Of The Week.

 Kritikal Powers said “It has been great to have my music shared on mainstream radio, but the most rewarding thing for me is how my music can reach out to people, they can relate to it. It gives people hope”.

The project is supported by Inspired Youth, an award winning
not for profit social enterprise who specialise in creating media campaigns that highlight social issues to reduce stigma and raise awareness. The project is also supported by @fortyfiveuk in aid of PAPYRUS.

Said Ottilie Scanlon, PAPYRUS fundraising officer: “Music is a powerful medium to engage with and, indeed, inspire young people. We applaud this wonderful initiative that aims to reach out and engage young people with messages of hope and support. Awareness raising is vital; so too is fundraising, enabling us to extend our reach to more young people struggling with life.”

When asked about how the idea came about for the song
Kritikal said “I have had the idea for ages to release a song specifically about this topic, I am passionate about using music to make a positive impact and it felt like the right moment to share something like this with the world.”

The tour will launch in November at Forty Five Vinyl Café
and will feature a variety of artists and genres, culminating in a live
performance of the song which will also launch virally. Kritikal is looking to hear from local artists and venues who would like to support the project. If you would like to be involved you can contact KritikalOfficial@hotmail.co.uk

You can donate to the project right away via https://www.justgiving.com/account/your-pages/liberationtour

For confidential suicide prevention advice and support call
PAPYRUS HOPELineUK 0800 068 41 41 text 07796 209 697 email pat@papyrus-uk.org

#365 #PAPYRUS #SuicidePrevention