LA-based musician Courtney Paige Nelson drops her new single “Self Medicate,” an honest confessional from the heart of an introvert. With a bubbly, atmospheric synth pop sound and classic pop vocals, Nelson draws from the anxiety and pressure felt during social situations to create a song brimming with beautiful juxtaposition. It’s a song that deals with contradictions and serves as a raw account of a human experience that targets everyone just as much as it’s a self reflection.
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”This song represents the inner thoughts I have when I go out to parties and social situations, when I really just want to sleep all day because my mental health isn’t up to par,” notes Nelson of the lyrics. “I struggle a lot with my mental health but most people don’t know that because I’m the happy goofball in public. Yet really inside I’m struggling to function or leave my house.”
“Self Medicate” holds nothing back and turns outward, the internal, droning monologue of someone who suffers from social anxiety. While Nelson notes she can be sociable, she also feels an immense pressure during social situations, especially when her mental health is out of balance. Knowing the pandemic exasperated her feelings of anxiety and mental distress, she releases this song, hoping others can find solace in it — that they aren’t alone even if their anxiety and depression makes them feel that way.
”I want people to hear this and feel less alone and isolated from their anxiety knowing an artist who is social also struggles really hard,” says Nelson.
Courtney Paige Nelson hails from San Francisco, but is currently located in Los Angeles. Formerly a contestant on America’s Next Top Model (placing 4th in the show’s 23rd cycle), Nelson built on her platform for herself to explore her true passion, music and songwriting. Integral to Nelson’s music is a focus on mental health and exploring the things not often talked about through honest and raw lyrics. Her debut EP dropped earlier this year with a follow up EP slated for February, 2022.
Words: Patti Sanchez
For more on Courtney Paige Nelson, make sure to visit her website and follow her on Instagram and Twitter.
