Music industry Mental Health & Addiction Specialists Sam Parker, Matt Thomas, and Chula Goonewardene Launch New Podcast Series

11 July 2024 - Press release

‘Empathy For The Devil’ explores legendary lives, deaths and legacies and seeks to address the many issues still faced by the contemporary music industry.

Co-hosts of ‘Empathy for the Devil’ Matt Thomas, Samatha Parker & Chula Goonewardene

‘Empathy For The Devil’, a compelling new podcast series from three music industry veterans, delves into legendary artists’ lives, exploring their psychological struggles and untimely deaths.

This groundbreaking series also offers new insights into what are still ongoing challenges for today's music industry.

Produced by acclaimed podcast company Message Heard, ‘Empathy for the Devil’ is co-hosted by Sam Parker, Matt Thomas, and Chula Goonewardene, who bring a wealth of personal experience and professional expertise in the fields of mental health, addiction, trauma, and recovery. Their diverse and highly individual perspectives provide fresh, relatable insights into these complex narratives.

In today’s post-COVID music industry, high-quality support is far more accessible than it ever has been but some artists and professionals continue to grapple with mental health and identity issues. This series highlights these ongoing struggles by examining the stories of iconic artists such as Brian Jones, Whitney Houston, and Lil Peep.

By analysing the lives of these artists from a variety of angles – their childhood, cultural and social environment, issues they may have faced early in life, and dynamics that may have affected their behaviour - listeners are helped to understand their struggles and encouraged to substitute judgment with empathy. By connecting the past and present, the presenters discuss why these tragedies might have occurred, and highlight valuable lessons that can go some way towards preventing similar mistakes being made by artists and those who represent them.

Season One of ‘Empathy for the Devil’ features six weekly episodes starting July 11th, which are available as video content on YouTube, Spotify, and Apple Podcasts.

Matt Thomas, co-founder of Attune, a dedicated provider of mental health and well-being services said, "This podcast has enabled us to transform our passion and insights into a culturally relevant body of work. The issues we discuss remain all too present, and some have even gotten worse due to things like social media and the ability to travel further, quicker, and faster. We aim to foster greater connection, understanding and empathy for the current generation through these deeply human and relatable stories from past generations."

Jake Warren, founder of podcast production company Message Heard added, ""Empathy For The Devil shows that you can make a podcast that is deeply compelling without playing to the gallery – respecting the lives and dignity of the people at the heart of these stories and being curious and intentional in the approach. We’re so fortunate to have partnered with Sam, Matt and Chula, whose personal experience so viscerally informs their attitude and insights."