In 2017, Logic released a song named after the phone number of the US National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, “1-800-273-8255.” According to a recent study, the song actually led to a large increase in calls to the helpline.
Researchers, writing in the BMJ, analyzed changes to daily call volumes to the lifeline during periods of high public attention for the song—including after an audience of millions watched Logic perform it at the 2017 MTV Video Music Awards and again at the 2018 Grammy Awards.
The study found spikes in calls reaching out for help, as well as a possible decrease in suicides in the US.
The song, which is about someone struggling with their mental health eventually finding hope, was inspired by Logic’s fans telling him that his music saved their lives.
“In my mind I was like: “Man I wasn’t even trying to save nobody’s life,” he explained in an interview. “And then it hit me, the power that I have as an artist with a voice. I wasn’t even trying to save your life. Now what could happen if I actually did?”
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