"Mi Gente" singer J Balvin refuses to shy away from discussing his mental health battles in hopes of letting others who suffer from anxiety and depression know that they're not alone.
Speaking with Becky G on the "En La Sala" podcast, the Colombian reggaeton singer opened up about the darkest moment in his life.
MORE: Why Bad Bunny's Billboard Music Awards performance with Ivy Queen and Nesi was so important to Latinas"I was just crying for no reason," the 35-year-old admitted of the time before he was professionally diagnosed with depression. "[I] didn’t want to wake up, didn’t want to eat, didn't even want to live."
"I remember that I was in bed for, like, five days and I was just waiting to die," he recalled, adding that "my whole family was devastated" watching him struggle. "You lose hope and you feel strange at every place you go. You feel like you are outside of your body."
Balvin said he was diagnosed with depression and anxiety seven years ago, but he believes he suffered from both since he was young.
MORE: Selena Quintanilla's former husband, Chris Perez, reflects on her death 25 years later: 'I wish I had amnesia'As for why he's being so candid about his mental health, he said it's to help kids understand that asking for help is not a sign of weakness.
"I want to tell the kids don't be afraid to be who they are and this comes with everything: sexual identity, beliefs, religion, who you want to be as an artist, your career ... don't compare yourself to anybody else," he said. "To me, everything, for real, is to have health and mental health and peace."
