Big Sean is releasing a book in October, ‘Go Higher’.Photo:Simon Element; Brian Ziff
Simon Element; Brian Ziff
Big Seanfirst opened up in 2019 about his mental health struggles, including depression and anxiety and now he’s coming out with a book to help others, too.
Sean, born Sean Michael Leonard Anderson, never meant to be an advocate. “I remember when I spoke up about it, how big of a deal it was,” he tells PEOPLE. “I didn’t even realize. I thought I was just keeping it real with my audience and, like, how I felt…You know, life is full of ups and downs, and that’s the beauty of it all.”
Then someone said to him, “This could be a book.”
“I was talking toJay Shettyon his podcast [in 2022],” he recalls. “At the end of it, he just pulled me to the side and was like, ‘You’ve got to write a book, bro.’ Even after the interview, he kept texting me like, ‘Yo, man. Let me know when you got the book coming.'”
Big Sean’s new book ‘Go Higher’.Simon Element
Simon Element
“The stuff that I really needed when I needed help, that I was able to get came because I had a great family of scholars,” he explains. “My mom, my grandma, they gave us books and encouraged us. I feel like my book summed up of a lot of those books I read.”
The artist says he journals and meditates at the beginning of every day, for about 15 minutes of meditation and another 10 of “journaling and just, like, writing down my feelings.”
Sean says the book also includes his own personal stories: “Things that I’ve learned along the way, how I have applied them, how they’ve worked for me and worked for others as well.”
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“The point of this book really is how to have a foundation to build upon for wellness, for your mental, for spiritual, spiritually,” he continues. “How to have a piece of armor for the tough times that you may have to endure. You know, a lot of us wait until we’re in the darkest place to start praying or to start working on ourselves.”
Big Sean.Brian Ziff
Brian Ziff
One of the lessons in the book, Sean says, will be just that: How to cope with the challenges of life that “can make you or break you.”
But the relatively new dad also says there’s a lot to be learned from the happy moments, like the birth of his son, Noah. “He’s coming up on 17 months,” Sean says.
Big Sean and Jhene Aiko.Kevin Mazur/Getty
Kevin Mazur/Getty
He shares Noah with his partnerJhene Aiko— who has a daughter, Namiko Love, 15, from a previous relationship. Sean and Aiko first met in 2012, and the pair has dated on and off throughout the years. They released their collaborative albumTwenty88in 2016 and welcomed Noah in November 2022. Sean says he loves being a dad and is open about how much Noah has brought to his life.
“He’s changed me in so many ways, honestly. But one of the ways that has really been a lesson that I’m still learning is to be even more intentional with everything,” he says. “And just being in the moment. Even in nature. Like, on our walks. It’s definitely a learning process. I’m only 17 months in.”
Sean says he now sees the world through Noah’s eyes. “It’s funny how they end up being the teachers. Even though you’re there to guide and teach them, they teach you. That’s something I really appreciate.”
Big Sean performing at Hollywood Park Grounds.Scott Dudelson/Getty
Scott Dudelson/Getty
“My mom was crying and dancing watching it,” he says. “It’s easy for people lose perspective of how far we’ve come, how we are all trying our best out there to survive and to exist. You know what I’m saying?”
And in addition to the book, new music is on the way. “I’m actually finishing things up right now. All I can say is that it’s coming this year.”
source: people.com
