Mabel kept her anxiety secret because she felt "ashamed".
The ‘Don’t Call Me Up’ hitmaker didn’t want to open about her feelings at first because she worried people would judge her.
She told The Sunday Times’ Culture magazine: "We had a session booked, but I was so low, I couldn’t get out of bed. As usual, I felt ashamed of myself. I mean, what do I have to be down about? I’m in such a privileged position. In my head, I had two options – put on make-up and pretend to be fine, but know I’m wasting everyone’s time, or cancel.
"Then a magical third came to mind. How about I go in and be honest about how I’m feeling? So I did, and the song poured out in a few hours, me telling myself that it’s OK not to be OK. Ever since, I haven’t been embarrassed by myself. I talk about my anxiety instead of beating myself up and feeling alone. As soppy as it sounds, I hope that song helps people to be kinder to themselves, because it honestly changed my life."
Mabel previously confessed she used to throw up before she went on stage to perform as she got uncontrollable nerves.
She said: "I would love some No 1s. I would love some Grammys and all of that stuff but I want to do it on my own terms. We’re just making the best music in the world right now. There’s a strong wave, especially young female R&B artists. It’s important we encourage each other and we’re all really different, so there’s no sense of competition. I used to throw up before I went on stage but now I just love it. All the magical stuff happens just past fear."
Mabel’s secret anxiety
