James The Heartist To Release Album Next Month
James ‘The Heartist’ Ablitt is planning to launch his new album, A Beautiful Mind at an event next month at the Musicians Association of Gibraltar club.
The event promises to be more than a live performance as those attending dive deep into James’ highly personal work which is shaped by life experiences, open reflection, and vulnerability.
The ten original pieces, “centred in the key of hip-hop music”, explore “mental health, masculinity, personal transformation, spirituality, and the complexities of the human experience" inspiring conversations about topics that are often not openly discussed.
We caught up with James ahed of the launch.
“The album, A Beautiful Mind,” he explains, “draws its inspiration from the movie of the same name, which brilliantly depicts the true story of a mathematician called John Nash and his experience with symptoms of schizophrenia. For those who know the movie, I wanted to make a subtle connection, as, like the film, my album is about navigating mental illness and finding meaning within the complex and profound.”
James says his life experiences have fed into the album: “Emotionally, I take an honest dive into my journey before, during, and after shamanic initiations with ayahuasca, which is a powerful psychedelic medicine from the Amazon basin, a period in my life when neurological pathways in my brain opened up to unusual phenomena.”
“A Beautiful Mind is a deeply personal body of work,” he continues, “that documents direct experiences. It was written during one of the toughest periods of my life, following a psychotic breakdown at Christmas 2024. During this time, I was accessing some of the deepest and most vulnerable parts of myself, and had to find the bravery to confront them.”
He says that putting these experiences into rhyme became a way for him to “process and make sense” of what he was experiencing, before “finding the courage to disclose” what he had discovered.
He adds that it is common for men to keep quiet about their mental health: “Being a man suffering in silence can feel like learned behaviour. Society, and particularly men, often teaches us to put on a brave face and rarely talk about what lies underneath. After 10 years of psychosis and suffering in silence, it was time to face the music and accept I might need help. I had to confront the possibility that what I was experiencing might not be spiritual, but rather a manifestation of the mental illness underlying it.”
He also says that music and poetry have been a “lifeline” for him during tough times. “At its core, it is time spent with myself, exploring myself. Creativity is the result, but it is not the intent. The intent is the discovery of Self, and of what is most alive within my experience that may need expressing.”
Writing, making music and getting your experiences and feelings down on paper are a crucial part of the healing process, he says: “One thing I will recommend is journalling, as I have found that the process can become a great teacher. When you read over your entries, you naturally read between the lines, as if there is an awareness running through each sentence, sending a message to yourself that you didn't even know you were writing.
“Try it. See what you discover, and let me know how you get on.”
He ends by looking forward to the event: “It has been an absolutely transformative experience creating this body of work, and on September 18, the day finally arrives when I can share it live in its entirety. It feels like a gift I have given to myself, and my hope is that those who listen will connect with it and feel something of what I have experienced through making it. I’ll be emotional, I am sure.”
Attendees will have the unique opportunity to purchase A Beautiful Mind directly from James. Before its wider release, this event will be the only way to own the album.
The event takes place on Friday 18th September at 8pm at the MAG Club, 14 Wellington Front. Tickets are available via: https://www.buytickets.gi/events/james-the-heartist-1313
