CHICO, Calif. – A Christian punk singer is coming to Chico this week, aiming to shine a spotlight on mental health. Grace Graber shared her personal story, revealing that she faced a tough time as a teenager and even had to change schools due to bullying by her peers.
She credits music with saving her life and hopes to continue serving others through her work. “I became suicidal because of that. And, actually, an old Christian rock band named Hawk Nelson, one of their songs popped into my head the night I was planning on taking my own life and told me that I was not alone.”
Graber has been a professional musician for 4 year, but says music has always been a passion. “It’s always been the thing that has kept me sane and alive and has reminded me in so many moments of my life that I’m not alone and that someone understands,” Graber said.
Graber also discussed the challenges of expressing herself within her church community, particularly when it came to discussing mental health struggles.
“It helps express a part of me that felt like in church I would never be understood if I spoke up about something. I remember first going on medication for depression and being told ‘you don’t wanna tell people that’,” Graber explained.
“We’re all going through trials and I feel like music is that that thing that can get us to understand without saying the word,” said Graber.
The concert is scheduled for June 19 at Aldersgate United Methodist Church on Cohasset Road in Chico. It starts at 6 p.m., and it is free to attend. *AI assisted with the formatting of this story. Click here to see how Action News Now uses AI (https://www.actionnewsnow.com/site/ai.html)*