A GROUP of young Aberystwyth residents have released a hip-hop song to encourage conversations around mental health and remind people “things can definitely get better”.

Mental Health Monster, a Community Interest Company dedicated to tackling mental health issues, funded and created the new track, entitled Hold On.

The track includes four artists, three of whom are local, “sharing their personal stories and encouraging mental health conversation”.

Nathan Jackson, founder and co-director of Mental Health Monster, said: “We wanted to create this track because we recognised that people were feeling a bit under the weather, especially with the impact of the Covid-19 restrictions, uncertainty and the general slump that many people often face at the beginning of a new year.

“Subsequently, a message was born in that we figured out what people needed to hear. They needed to hear that things can definitely get better, if they’re just willing and able to hold on.

“I didn’t think there was a better way to share this message than to share real experiences through the wonderful voices of the young talent that we have in Ceredigion and beyond. This is what we’re all about at Mental Health Monster, and the fact that we were able to harness the power of music to share such strong experiences and messages on our platform means the world to us!”

Nathan founded Mental Health Monster in November 2019 after struggling with “grief, mental illness and times of poor mental health”.

“I did a lot of self-teaching, attending CBT and supporting others with their experiences and I felt as though everyone deserved a similar education,” he said.

“Therefore, I took it upon myself to try to break down the barriers to accessing such vital information, such as stigma, for example.

“Consequently, Mental Health Monster was born.”

Hold On includes vocals from rappers Joe Pinnegar (Jojoidris), David Hossington (Curly) and Rory James (RD). It also includes vocals from Danielle Johnson (Dani) who is the only non-Ceredigion resident of the seven people involved in the project.

Hold On was officially released on 12 February 2021 and is available on all streaming platforms, including Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music, and Tidal.

To listen to the track, go to https://bit.ly/3rVcXwZ