Felix Jaehn and his fight for mental health

The news was a shock for many fans: “I’m sorry to let you down, but for the moment I have to cancel all shows until further notice,” Felix Jaehn announced on Instagram. “I feel too vulnerable to perform,” said Jaehn. The words also came as a surprise because the global star had already spoken about mental health problems in the past – and recently assured that he was feeling well again.

“I am much more confident. I feel much more grounded and know better who I am and what I want,” said Jaehn last summer after a long break. And only four months ago, Jaehn came out as non-binary. “I prefer to use the name Fee at the moment because I have joined the non-binary people and want to have a gender-neutral name,” said Jaehn, adding that he still wants to make music as Felix Jaehn.

Felix Jaehn suffered from panic attacks at an early age

“It would be far too complicated to change all that. But if you address me, you can say Fee,” said Jaehn. Jaehn also said that he prefers the non-binary pronoun “dey/denen” in German – based on the English “they/them”.

It is not known whether coming out made his mental health problems worse. However, Jaehn spoke last year about experiencing homophobia: “I have been verbally attacked very often because I am queer. Most recently, even when I went out, unfortunately.” In 2018, Felix Jaehn first publicly identified himself as bisexual.

Back in 2019, Felix Jaehn emphasized on Markus Lanz’s talk show that it is important to take good care of your psyche. “One cause that is often underestimated is our mind, our head, our thoughts. I am truly convinced that our mental well-being is directly linked to our body,” said Jaehn. The musical talent had to experience this first hand. Success came almost overnight when Jaehn suddenly landed a number 1 hit in 55 countries in 2015 at just 20 years old.

“Cheerleader” was the name of the remix with which Jaehn even became famous in the USA. “Unfortunately, I was not ready for the extent of it and could not cope with it when it suddenly happened,” Felix Jaehn told star later about the success. The first tour went around the world, but with it came problems. “First of all, the pressure of headaches and back pain made itself felt. Then came the panic attacks. During this time, I only went out to fulfill my mandatory appointments. I didn’t even go to the supermarket anymore because I was afraid to leave the house,” Jaehn described it in the star-Conversation from 2021. The loneliness on tour had exacerbated the mental problems.

What helped Felix Jaehn most at the time was meditation, sometimes up to three hours a day. He also did sports, ice showers and regularly put his cell phone in flight mode. At times, the world star even relaxed in a monastery.

Now Jaehn has apparently sought therapeutic help. “I didn’t even realize the extent of the pain until I finally got professional help,” he said on Instagram about the concert cancellations. However, there is a small consolation for all fans: Even though Jaehn will not be performing for the time being, new music will still be released. Felix Jaehn announced this in an Instagram story and thanked the fans for their support.