Logic’s song 1-800-273-8255 helped lower suicide rates, according to study Peony Hirwani December 15, 2021·1 min read
Research suggests that Logic’s 2017 song “1-800-273-8255” has helped decrease suicide rates among teenagers.
Named after the US National Suicide Prevention Lifeline (NSPL) phone number, the song and its video depicts what it feels like wanting to commit suicide.
A new study conducted by BMJ reveals that Logic’s song has been the “broadest and most sustained suicide prevention messaging directly connected to a story of hope and recovery”.
The lyrics go: “I’ve been on the low /I been taking my time/ I feel like I’m out of my mind/ It feel like my life ain’t mine/ Who can relate?”
The song’s video portrays the problems faced by a high school student who struggles with his sexuality. He’s bullied to the point of considering suicide but controls himself after calling a suicide hotline to speak with someone.
When Logic – whose real name is Sir Robert Bryson Hall II – performed the song at the 2017 MTV VMAs and the 2018 Grammy Awards, the study notes that NSPL saw a 6.9 per cent increase in calls, while the suicide rate decreased among 10 to 19-year-olds by 5.5 per cent.
The track which features Khalid and Alessia Cara has been streamed by over 400,000,000 people around the world.
“To know that my music was actually affecting people’s lives, truly, that’s what inspired me to make the song,” Logic told CNN.