{"id":227109,"date":"2026-03-30T15:49:07","date_gmt":"2026-03-30T15:49:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/227109\/"},"modified":"2026-03-30T15:49:07","modified_gmt":"2026-03-30T15:49:07","slug":"el-paso-singer-julian-kalel-turns-pain-into-purpose-the-prospector","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/227109\/","title":{"rendered":"El Paso\u00a0singer Juli\u00e1n Kalel\u00a0turns\u00a0pain into\u00a0purpose\u00a0 \u2013 The Prospector"},"content":{"rendered":"

College\u00a0can\u00a0feel\u00a0like a balancing act between classes, jobs, family\u00a0responsibility\u00a0and the pressure\u00a0to plan out for the future.\u00a0Many students quietly carry their emotional struggles that\u00a0others\u00a0may\u00a0not\u00a0see.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

El Paso singer-songwriter Juli\u00e1n Kalel knows\u00a0that\u00a0feeling.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Through his music and honesty about mental health, Kalel is beginning to tell a story that resonates with many young people\u00a0pursuing\u00a0big dreams while struggling internally.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Music has always been a\u00a0part of his life. Encouraged by his mother\u2019s\u00a0love for creative expression and supported by his\u00a0father\u2019s\u00a0belief in him, he began singing and playing instruments at\u00a0a\u00a0young age.\u00a0His parent\u2019s\u00a0support became one of\u00a0his\u00a0most important\u00a0sources of strength, especially when his mental health made the world feel\u00a0isolating.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Kalel said discussing those struggles\u00a0was difficult.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I was diagnosed with depression, I felt alienated,\u201d Kalel said.\u00a0\u201cI saw sharing my feelings as a weakness.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Like many\u00a0adolescents and young adults, he kept much of what he was feeling to himself.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cHigh school\u00a0isn\u2019t always an\u00a0open place for conversations like that,\u201d\u00a0Kalel\u00a0said.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

That silence continued until the summer of 2023.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Kalel was involved in a serious car accident\u00a0and while\u00a0no one\u00a0was injured\u00a0in the crash, he said\u00a0his perspective changed when he\u00a0realized how close he\u00a0was\u00a0to losing everything.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Following the accident,\u00a0he began\u00a0using songwriting to process his\u00a0feelings.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

On Aug.\u00a023, 2024, Kalel released his first song,\u00a0\u201cSurrender.\u201d\u00a0Writing the song\u00a0became the first time he allowed himself to fully confront the emotions he had been carrying.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Kalel later auditioned for the television competition American Idol for the first time, performing \u201cSurrender.\u201d However, during this process he realized he needed to step back and focus on his mental health.\u00a0<\/p>\n

It was\u00a0a difficult decision\u00a0for\u00a0Kalel\u00a0but\u00a0it gave him time to reflect and reconnect with himself.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

During\u00a0this period of reflection, Kalel wrote another deeply personal song.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

On Sept.\u00a01, 2025, he released\u00a0\u201cLone Guitar,\u201d\u00a0which addresses themes of\u00a0loneliness,\u00a0depression\u00a0and realizations that pain does not exist in isolation.\u00a0The\u00a0song\u00a0also\u00a0reflects\u00a0how\u00a0mental health\u00a0challenges\u00a0affect not only the person experiencing them, but also the people who love them.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cLone Guitar came from a period in my life\u00a0where I was at crossroads between, you know, is\u00a0it\u00a0worth it to keep going? Is it worth it to keep carrying this all on my own?\u201d Kalel said.\u00a0\u201cOr is it\u00a0time to think about how this pain can extend through other people that love me?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Thinking about his parents and the people who cared about him helped him see that his life matters far beyond the struggle he was experiencing.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd that was the whole message with this song. Is that whatever\u00a0your\u00a0going through, whatever your experiencing, once you leave you can\u2019t make that decision.\u201d Kalel said. \u201cYou might not feel that pain anymore, but all of it will transfer to the people that love you and need you, and I thought about that,\u00a0I spent a long time thinking about that.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

On\u00a0Feb.\u00a02, Kalel\u00a0auditioned again\u00a0for American\u00a0Idol,\u00a0performing\u00a0\u201cLone Guitar.\u201d\u00a0He\u00a0advanced\u00a0to\u00a0Hollywood Week, marking a powerful moment of resilience.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\"El
\n <\/p>\n

<\/a><\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tJuli\u00e1n Kalel advances to Hollywood on “American Idol,” Monday, Feb. 2, 2026. (Photo courtesy of @juliankalelmusic via Instagram)\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

Beyond\u00a0the music, Kalel used his platform to support his community. In the winter of 2023, he performed at a benefit concert in El Paso supporting migrant families,\u00a0contributing to efforts that\u00a0provide food,\u00a0clothing\u00a0and gifts during the holiday season.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cIt filled our hearts with so much warmth to be able to give out presents to the little kids to be able to provide them with clothes and basic necessities and food and celebrating getting to sing for everyone and getting to hear people\u2019s stories,\u201d\u00a0Kalel said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The\u00a0experience reminded him that\u00a0music does more than entertain;\u00a0it connects people and creates\u00a0space where vulnerability is accepted.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThe benefit concert for the migrants of El Paso was really important for me. My parents and I talked about how we wanted to give back,\u201d Kalel said. \u201cI mean I wouldn\u2019t be here if it weren\u2019t for migrants. I am very connected to my Mexican culture and I have so much love for that, that part of me.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kalel\u00a0shares his story to encourage\u00a0others\u00a0to seek help and speak openly about\u00a0mental\u00a0health.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019d be\u00a0surprised\u00a0what\u00a0staying\u00a0one more day can do,\u201d\u00a0Kalel\u00a0said.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Kalel\u2019s\u00a0message carries\u00a0a simple but\u00a0powerful reminder\u00a0for students navigating emotional pressures:\u00a0vulnerability\u00a0isn\u2019t\u00a0a weakness\u00a0and sometimes the bravest decision someone can make is simply choosing to stay.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Through his music, Juli\u00e1n Kalel has become a guiding light for those struggling in silence, providing\u00a0that healing is possible.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Kayley Murphy is a guest contributor and may be reached at\u00a0[email\u00a0protected]<\/a>.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"College\u00a0can\u00a0feel\u00a0like a balancing act between classes, jobs, family\u00a0responsibility\u00a0and the pressure\u00a0to plan out for the future.\u00a0Many students quietly carry…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":227110,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[12],"tags":[138,140,139],"class_list":["post-227109","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-el-paso","tag-el-paso","tag-el-paso-headlines","tag-el-paso-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/227109","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=227109"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/227109\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/227110"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=227109"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=227109"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=227109"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}