Tonight at the 2018 Grammys, Logic, Khlaid, and Alessia Cara sang their suicide prevention song, “1-800-273-8255”. As they belted out the heartfelt lyrics, they were joined onstage by suicide attempt and loss survivors.
The song has been nominated for Song of the Year and Best Music Video, which you can watch below.
The singers also performed this song in August of last year at the MTV Video Music Awards. At the end of the performance, Logic said in an emotional statement, “I just want to take a moment right now and thank you all so much for giving me a platform to talk about something that mainstream media doesn’t want to talk about. Mental health, anxiety, suicide, depression and so much more that I talk about on this album. From racism, discrimination, sexism, domestic violence, sexual assault and so much more. I don’t give a damn if you’re black, white or any color in between. I don’t care if you’re Christian, you’re Muslim, you’re gay, you’re straight, I am gonna fight for your equality because I believe that we are all born equal, but we are not treated equally and that is why we must fight. We must fight for the equality of every man, woman and child regardless of race, religion, color, creed and sexual orientation. So I say here and now if you believe in this message and my message of peace, love and positivity and equality for all, then I demand that you rise to your feet and applaud not only for yourselves but for the foundation we are laying for our children.”
The impact the song has had has been astounding. John Draper, the director of the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, tells CNN, “On the day the song was released, we had the second-highest call volume in the history of our service.” Calls to the hotline were also reportedly up about 33% from the same time last year.
Speaking to CNN, Draper continued, “We can certainly attribute and have seen call increases relative to tragic events and alarming portrayals of suicide in the media — anywhere from (musicians) Chris Cornell and Chester Bennington’s suicides, and (the Netflix show) ’13 Reasons Why,’ ” Draper said. “But here’s what’s really important: Logic is generating calls with a song about getting help and finding hope. It’s not focusing on tragedy or suicide. In fact, he’s starting conversations about suicide prevention, as opposed to suicide.”
Logic, born Sir Robert Bryson Hall II, is a rapper, singer, songwriter, and record producer. He was born in Maryland and began exploring music as a teenager. In 2009, he released Logic: The Mixtape. In 2013, after releasing three more mixtapes, he signed a recording contract with Def Jam Recordings. In 2014, he released his debut studio album, Under Pressure. Last year, Logic released his third studio album, and it debuted at No. 1 in the US.
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Watch: Stars Perform with Suicide Attempt and Loss Survivors at Grammys