“Can we normalise being honest and vulnerable?”
Talented singer-songwriter from Kariega, Charmy De Ridder, wrote on Facebook when she shared her latest song, Flawed.
The song is emotion-filled, with raw and honest lyrics that hit deep, capturing the dark reality of what life is really like living with a mental illness—and that at the youthful age of twenty-five.
Flawed tells the story of the singer’s current reality: accepting the fact that she will be on medication for the rest of her life and confronting the shame that comes with admitting to having a mental illness, as well as the daily struggle of simply getting through each day.
It being the most honest song she has written to date, the singer expressed that, “It made me feel lighter to be so open and honest. Hiding things or sweeping them under the rug makes me feel more ashamed and embarrassed. So, I decided that people should know, and those who have something to say or maybe don’t understand can just scroll on.”
After receiving an outpouring of positive feedback on social media, after she posted her first original song, which shared the message that it is okay not to be okay, she decided to continue writing and sharing songs that honestly talk about mental health. Her goal is to offer hope to those struggling with mental illness, reminding them that they are not alone on their journey, but also to be a mouthpiece for those struggling with mental illness and to educate those who may have misconceptions about mental health disorders.
The twenty-five-year-old’s battle with mental health began shortly after high school, with what was initially thought to be depression, but over the years, only grew more intense. Her turning point came when she experienced a psychological breakdown during her time in the Netherlands, which led to a three-week hospitalisation. After numerous visits to psychologists and a psychiatrist, she was diagnosed with bipolar disorder in 2023.
Since then, music has been her anchor, helping her to navigate through the challenging times and she mentioned that the Lord knew she needed music to let it out.
“We placed a band-aid on a bullet hole with the antidepressants. I am now hopefully on my journey of recovery. Bipolar cannot be cured, but it can be treated,” a hopeful De Ridder said.
De Ridder’s debut album, Meraki, was released in 2017 after winning Luister FM’s ‘Pink Pen’ songwriting competition in 2016 with her song, Lang gras — a song that spoke about losing a loved one.
“I want people to be able to relate to my lyrics so that they can feel less alone in their circumstances. And that mental illness is a reality and not something that is made up in our heads,” De Ridder added.
Since the release of Flawed, followers of De Ridder’s music have flooded the comments section with thank you notes for creating such an honest song about a topic many are often ashamed to talk about.
