Michelle Williams finally revealed her struggle with depression as she prepares for her latest role on Broadway, an upcoming studio album, and a Destiny’s Child reunion.
Michelle may be busy flashing her gorgeous grin now, but she revealed that some days getting out of bad was a challenge for her.
The singer-songwriter had fame and fortune at a young age with the R&B trio Destiny’s Child, but even she revealed a world of struggles that sent her into a deep depression.
“I’ve dealt with depression,” said the 32-year-old songstress. “I had to choose to get out of bed and do whatever I needed to do to be happy.”
The cloud of depression has been following the gospel singer for quite some time, and she also revealed that she just recently escaped from it a few months ago.
When she was around the age of 15 or 16, Williams opened up about being bullied and other hardships in her life that sent her spiraling into depression.
It was her first time battling such emotional turmoil, but she managed to recovery without the aid of any medication. She did, however, have others help her through her journey and hopes that speaking up about her own depression will encourage others to reach out for help as well.
“We’re taught, ‘Just go to church and pray about it. The Lord is going to heal you.’ Well, in the meantime, I believe God-gifted people, physicians, doctors, therapists – that’s your healing,” Michelle explained. “Take advantage of it. Go see a professional so that they can assess you. It’s OK if you’re going through something. Depression is not OK, but it is OK to go get help.”
Through the help of professionals, friends and family Williams has emerged happily on the other side of her struggled with depression and now has exciting things in her future.
She is currently rehearsing for her latest Broadway show which is a biography activist Fela Anikulapo Kuti who died in 1997.
Michelle’s battle with depression proves that even a huge celebrity like her isn’t so different from the rest of us and that’s something she frequently finds herself reminding people of.
With years of success under her belt, she doesn’t find herself to be any greater than those around her.
In the rehearsal room for the Kuti biography play, she was busy hugging and interacting with all of her fellow cast members in a plain tank top and sweat pants.
“I come from Rockford, Ill. – there’s no divas there,” the Destiny’s Child member said.
The R&B crooner has provided a special element to the play where she will take on the role of Fela’s lover Sandra Isadore.
The tour director, Maija Garcia, felt as if the Destiny’s Child member actually “empowers the musical.”
“Sandra is our key for an American audience to look at Fela and understand a bit more where Fela may have been coming from,” Garcia explained. “And an American audience can very much identify with Michelle Williams because she’s of our time. She really becomes a vehicle for people to learn about Fela and for people to understand why Fela is relevant in the United States.”
Michelle and the rest of the cast will start the 16-city tour at the Shakespeare Theatre Company in Washington D.C. on Jan. 29 – a special date for the singer/actress.
On that same day Destiny’s Child will release “Love Songs,” featuring some of their best hits from back in the day in addition to one new song title “Nuclear” that Michelle helped write.
“We were like ‘We still sound good together.’” Michelle said of her, Beyonce, and Kelly Rowland when they recorded their first song as a group together in many years. “Duh! The bond will never die. We’re always going to be close.”
Speaking of Beyonce, Williams seemed to hold back some information when she was asked about joining Queen Bey on stage for her half-time performance.
“Who knows? We make sure not to go too long without doing something,” she said. Perhaps Feb. 3 will be the day the ladies reunite together on the same stage for the first time in several years? If so, everyone is working hard to keep it a big secret.
For now, however, the down-to-earth songstress did open up about what her real intentions are for her music.
While she found it to be cliché, she admitted that all she really wants to do is inspire others through her story which she tells in her music.
“Sometimes you’re going to wake up on the wrong side of the bed or some situation might have you down in the dumps, but you have to choose to be happy,” she said. “I’m choosing life. And I’m hoping this album makes people want to choose life.”
