Last week, Cole gave us some insight into the writing process behind Born Sinner. And today, he sits down with SC to be a part of their mental health campaign, #OKNotToBeOK. In the clip above, Cole speaks on his experiences with depression and the pressure that surfaced during the time he took to craft his upcoming album.
When you listen to the album you’ll notice how it flows from darkness to light, from hell to heaven, depression to happiness. It literally was a way out… I’m writing my way out of a negative place, a darker place. When I say darker place, there’s no suicidal thoughts. You’re talking to a person who’s mind is strong. I had nothing but positive thoughts – and you’ve got to have the balls to move from Fayetteville to New York, not knowing nobody, just because you feel like you’re gonna make it in the music business. And then for that to actually happened… And then you get signed.
There’s a mentality that I had that was never shaken, it was quiet, it wasn’t outspoken, it was all in [my head]. The minute that changes and now I’m dealing with a mindstate I’ve never had to deal with before – which is fighting all these negative thoughts – that’s the dark place I’m talking about. My self-conscious kind of shattered, you know what I mean? Trying to fight against that, writing my way out of it. This whole album is writing my way out of that place. Because I had never had to deal with that before. I was a happy kid, I wasn’t a down kid. I observed life and I saw it for its positives and negatives, but I wasn’t a depressed child. So when I had to deal with that type of mindstate I wasn’t speaking on it…
You know, I was fucked up for this whole album. I was doubting myself this whole time. It was real to me. Pressure is real.
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