New music star wants mental health conversations

Joe Hughes' death at 19 has had a life-long impact on Ren

A rising music star has said people need to talk more openly about mental health and preventing suicide.

In just six months, songs by Ren Gill, in which he describes his own battles with mental health issues, have been streamed more than 20 million times online.

His musical journey has been driven by the loss of a best friend who took his own life aged just 19.

It has prompted him to pay a raw and emotional tribute to the young man in one of his latest releases - and to raise thousands for the RNLI.

Ren Gill was back home on Anglesey for a rare visit after raising cash for the RNLI on the island

Joe Hughes, from Anglesey, died in December 2010.

Despite extensive searches by lifeboat volunteers and friends and family, his body was never recovered from the sea in the Menai Strait.

Ren, 33, said it prompted him to write, sing and rap about issues surrounding mental health and emotional distress.

The artist, who grew up in the small village of Dwyran on Anglesey, said far too often talk about preventing self-harm or suicide has been silenced.

"I think we live in a world that’s quite over sensitised and sometimes these things get bubble-wrapped for the comfort of everybody else," he said.

"The problem is, I think, that when you do that the people in discomfort find it more hard to reach out and ask for help because it’s a bit of a taboo.

"I think to create a space where you can more openly talk about suicide and topics that are more difficult to talk about, you create a safe space for it not to become such a taboo.

"Then people will reach out and find help, which I think is very, very important.”

Part of the conversation Ren wants to have is revealed in the song he put out in June, with the title of Suic!de.

He said it was originally looking at his own mental health issues, but months after finishing the track, he returned to it to add a heart-wrenching tribute to his friend Joe Hughes.

"I was in tears, you can even hear it on the record, I was in tears when I was recording it - but I didn’t want to change a single thing about it," he said.

It also prompted a campaign that brought Ren back to his home of Anglesey for only the second time since moving away to live in Brighton after his friend died.

Off the back of the single release, Ren launched a fund raising campaign to thank the crews of Anglesey’s lifeboat teams for what they did to search for the missing teenager back in 2010.

"I got there about five minutes after it happened,” he recalled.

"I remember the response - the speed with which the RNLI were on the scene.

"We were looking for him up and down beaches for days and the RNLI were always there helping."

The video for Ren's song features a dystopian AI generated world

Now, with almost one million subscribers on YouTube, he decided to put his new found fame to use and raised £21,000 for the crew in Beaumaris.

Ren is now pushing on with his music career - one he is almost shocked to have.

He was signed to a major record label in his early 20s, but became severely ill after contracting the tick-borne infection Lyme disease, which ravaged his immune system.

After years of mis-diagnosis - and being dropped by his record company - he finally received treatment, including an experimental stem cell transplant.

Ren's appearance in Beaumaris saw scores of fans descend on the town to catch a glimpse of this rising music star

As his health returned, so did his passion for music.

"It was almost like a re-incarnation. I thought my dream had gone," he said.

"But then my health starting coming back and I started releasing music.

"It just started connecting and started going viral all over the place. It’s awesome."

For Ren, it leaves him with one last message on the theme of mental health challenges.

"There was a time when I thought nothing could get better," he said.

"So I would say, if I was going to put out a message to anybody who is in a really dark place, who feel like that can’t get out of it, sometimes things can happen that you would never expect that make it worth while holding on."

If you or somebody you know has been affected by this story or are worried about mental health issues, suicide or emotional distress, there is advice and guidance and help available on the BBC Actionline website.