WATCH ‘AGT’ Singer Break Down About Depression & Anxiety In Act That Will Give You Chills
NBC Anna Clendening was led onto the stage by Nick Cannon during her season 9 America’s Got Talent audition. Then just 20 years old, Anna was very open about suffering from anxiety and depression. Watch her very moving audition below that had everyone in tears watching at home.
Singer Anna Clendening Shared Her Story On ‘AGT’
“I suffer from anxiety and depression disorder,” she said in her interview before her ‘AGT’ audition. “About like two or three months ago I was bedridden and I hadn’t left my house in months.” She went on to say that at the age of 14 she “was diagnosed with anxiety disorder.” This led her to have panic attacks and not leave her house. “Most days, I couldn’t leave my room. I couldn’t even get out of bed. It felt like my mind had given up on me.” She felt very depressed and not want to be here anymore. “With therapy, I became better and about four months ago is when it hit me the hardest its ever hit me before. I just felt so bad about myself” she said.
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“I didn’t like who I was I didn’t know how to bring myself about of it,” she said through tears. Anna’s parents also were interviewed and said that they felt “helpless” when trying to give Anna the best support system possible. “Music found her,” her father said. “Being here today is incredible. I remember I couldn’t step out of the bed. I didn’t want to face the world and now I’m facing thousands of people” she said before walking onto the stage.
Howie Mandel Related To Her On A Personal Level
Howie Mandel also personally related to Anna because he also suffers from an anxiety disorder OCD. He said he knows exactly what it is like to live with it and commended her for showing up to the audition. “There isn’t anybody alive that at some time doesn’t need help coping and the world is here for you and I just want to see what you have to offer us,” he said. She began to sing her rendition of Jeff Buckley’s “Hallelujah.” After her performance, Howie went up on stage to give Anna a hug. “Life is filled with peaks and valleys. We have seen and experienced a lot of valleys. Tonight young lady you are on a peak” he said of her performance.
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Mel B said that she has a “very interesting voice.” Heidi Klum thanked her for sharing her story with everyone. “The emotion that you were feeling you were able to take it, put it into your voice and make me feel something,” Howard Stern said. She made it into the quarterfinals but was later eliminated.
Where Is Anna Clendening Now?
Anna’s audition went viral and now has over 30 million views. But where is she now? Anna now has over 707,000 subscribers on her own YouTube channel where she posts her own original music. She recently put out a video to accompany her track “Sorry I Do That” that is definitely worth checking out.
She has also long been an advocate for mental health awareness and urges her followers to get involved and is using the platform ‘AGT’ gave her to do so.
She also filmed her music video for the song “Get Me” during the coronavirus pandemic.
In an interview she said one thing that helps her overcome her anxiety and depression is working out. “I was feeling very up and down and very angry and working out was a way for me to throw weights around and run around and scream” she said in an interview. “It was also a good community too. It was just a nice way to get out of the house for an hour and not worry about anything but moving weight on a bar, throwing a ball in the air, or running a certain distance.”
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It definitely looks like Anna has even further developed her artist identity especially now as she continues to release solo music. Her ‘AGT’ audition showed people that it’s ok to not be ok sometimes and that you should go out and achieve your dreams because so many people can relate to you.
