Caleb Hearn’s songs have always let us in on his personal experiences by narrating stories of joy, heartbreak and everything in between. His latest track, “Klonopin,” is another, but it is his most personal song yet. Klonopin is the name of a medication used to treat anxiety and panic disorders. This song dives deep into him using this medicine in order to ease his mental health struggles, but also finding himself becoming reliant on it. He’s aware of how unhealthy his relationship with Klonopin has become, with lyrics comparing the need for it to a child’s need for a present father. Writing this single has become a therapeutic outlet for Caleb because it's allowing him to express and release all of his feelings, and recognize the importance of him overcoming his dependency on a temporary fix for his anxiety.
The slow tempo, strong vocals, use of the guitar and how heartfelt this song sounds coming from Caleb, makes it sound incredibly emotional. It’s one of the most personal songs I’ve ever come across. It’s straight from the heart, as he’s being honest and detailed about his mental health struggle and the symptoms. It feels very intimate. He begins by describing how the anxiety comes about so unexpectedly while driving and the confusion affecting him so much that he’s unable to tell if this is what death feels like: “I pull to the side of the highway. I can’t feel my hands on the wheel. I don’t know if I'm dying, but I think that this must be how it feels.” He continues, singing directly to the Klonopin that controls the anxiety, and compares his need to it to other important needs: “And you numb the pain. Cause I just wanna feel okay. I need you like, I need you like water. A man in the desert. I need you like a child needs a father. You hold me together like a sitch in my skin.” His dependency on the medication is displayed here, but being able to admit that is hard. However, recognizing this, and how unhealthy it is, is one step closer to overcoming the reliance, and working on becoming triumphant over this struggle: “It’s almost a fix ‘til I bleed again.” The lyrics are very heartbreaking, but powerful because of how honest he’s being, with lyrics pleading how he wants to feel normal again, and for it to all stop: “God I miss feeling more than a heartbeat," and “When will it end? [...] Make it end.” Fortunately, after the song was released, Caleb shared a statement that told how he was aware of the dependency because Klonopin can be addictive, and acknowledged that it really was just a temporary fix. However, he also shared a positive update on his journey and a message for those that may be experiencing the same thing: “I’m doing much better with it but writing a song like this was extremely therapeutic and difficult at the same time. I want people to feel like they’re not alone in this and I think this song screams that message.”
Caleb Hearn is a 23 year-old singer-songwriter born in North Carolina, but currently based in Nashville. “Klonopin” is one of the songs featured on his forthcoming debut LP that's releasing later this year! This track comes after his single featuring ROSIE, “Little Bit Better,” that has over 23 million Spotify streams since its release back in February. Caleb’s been featured on many Spotify playlists, such as New Music Friday, Pop Rising, New Pop Picks, Fresh & Chill, Folk Pop, Chill Pop, and more. He currently has 4 million monthly Spotify listeners, with most of his songs collecting millions of streams. Keep up with Caleb Hearn by clicking on his social media links below, and check out, “Klonopin,” out now!
Written By Sneet Efrem
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