On May 10, 2024, Judah & The Lion released their fourth studio album, “The Process.” The moving album features 18 tracks and explores grief: denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance. Released during Mental Health Month, it explores this heavy topic while creating a community of listeners who can rely on one another for support during hard times. This feeling of support is evident when listeners from all over the world stream from home and when fans come together for live shows.
Creating a Community of Support
“The Process” is not the band’s first album to address mental health. Judah Akers, the band’s lead singer, grew up in a household where the discussion of mental health was far from taboo, as his mother was a therapist. This upbringing made it difficult for Akers to avoid the topic, and it eventually led him to open up about the grief process through the new album.
Reliving the heartbreak and mistakes made by Akers was challenging but rewarding when he could share with his listeners going through grief of their own.
“Going through grief can create empathy for other people, and it should,” he said in an interview with The Daily Utah Chronicle.
Music is powerful for several reasons, but Akers said he appreciates it for the connections it forms between fans going through different experiences.
“Music has this way of bringing all sorts of people together from all different backgrounds and belief systems,” he said.
Akers added that you never know what another person is going through, so being able to support his listeners is essential.
Despite the heavy conversations shared in the lyrics, there is an undercurrent of hope throughout. In “The Process,” each step leads a person towards hope and steering away from depression. While Akers is aware that grief is not a step-by-step process, he wants “The Process” to support listeners in steering away from depression and heading towards hope.
Healing Together and “The Process Tour”
“The Process Tour” began on Oct. 4 and is going to 17 cities. Salt Lake City was the fourth show on Tuesday, Oct. 8, at The Union Event Center, an intimate venue. Running a little under two hours long, the concert was a rollercoaster of emotions for many in the crowd. From denial through acceptance, with a few songs from older albums, the listeners became truly immersed in the world of Judah & The Lion.
Performing on tour is, and has always been, special for Akers. Although sharing personal, deep stories with the world can be challenging, Akers expressed the beauty of having a crowd sing it back and connect to you.
“When you get to play these songs live, and these people are singing them back to you,” it creates a sort of “love source” in the room, he said. He describes concerts as a form of healing, and everyone at the venue is there to heal together.
Akers understands that facing grief can be daunting, but he values creating a safe environment where listeners can heal together and let go. no matter how a person handles grief, knowing you are not alone in the process is important. The mental health conversation is difficult, but it must be normalized. Judah & The Lion do just that with their intimate tracks, letting listeners know they are not alone.
