EL PASO, TEXAS (KFOX14\/CBS4) \u2014 Julian Kalel may have wrapped up his American Idol journey, but the El Paso singer-songwriter says his mission is far from over.<\/p>\n
After making it to the Top 14 on American Idol, Kalel returned home with a larger platform, and he says he wants to use it to help people who may be struggling with their mental health.<\/p>\n
\u201cAfter coming off the show, I was lucky enough to make the right connections in Nashville. And everyone that I was meeting was telling me the same thing, that I needed to be there, that that was a door I needed to walk through, and I walked through it.\u201d Kalel said.<\/p>\n
Kalel says his time on American Idol opened new doors for his music, including opportunities to work with people in Nashville and record new songs. But music is only one part of what Kalel is focused on.<\/p>\n
He recently performed and spoke at \u201cWhen Life Gives You Teenagers,\u201d a mental health convention for adults who work with young people in Dallas, Texas. With September being Suicide Prevention Awareness Month, Kalel says it is a time to have conversations that can sometimes be uncomfortable.<\/p>\n
One of the issues he wants to bring more attention to is men\u2019s mental health.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019re always hearing men don\u2019t cry, keep it inside, power through. But I feel there is just so much more strength in vulnerability and honesty.\u201d Kalel said.<\/p>\n
For Kalel, mental health advocacy is also about everyday actions and how people treat one another.<\/p>\n
\u201cBefore we even talk about telling people to be more vulnerable, be more open, be more honest, it just starts with genuine human kindness, human connection, spreading love, being there for one another, brotherhood.\u201d Kalel said.<\/p>\n
He says something as simple as acknowledging another person can make a difference.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s why everywhere I go, I try to keep that positivity. I try to smile at any stranger that walks by, open doors for people, you know, just doing decent things because smiling at someone is suicide prevention.\u201d Kalel said.<\/p>\n
That message is also woven into Kalel\u2019s music. He says his songs are meant to represent people who may feel like they do not have a voice.<\/p>\n
\u201cI knew that I was there to represent just a different group of people, people that needed a voice, people that needed to be held up and seen.\u201d Kalel said.<\/p>\n
And Kalel says the people connecting with his music come from all different walks of life.<\/p>\n
\u201cFrom kids as young as elementary school ages to veterans and older folks, you know, we\u2019re all going through the same thing. We all need connection, we all need love.\u201d Kalel said.<\/p>\n
Kalel says he continues to see the stigma around mental health changing, but believes there is still a long way to go.<\/p>\n
\u201cI feel like so many people can agree with me when it comes to that stigma and that, I guess that feeling of just not feeling safe enough to talk about your feelings and be vulnerable.\u201d Kalel said. \u201cI think it\u2019s very masculine to show those,” emotions.\u201d<\/p>\n
Now, Kalel is putting that message into a new song.<\/p>\n
His upcoming single, \u201cI Feel Alone,\u201d that will coming out later this month was written during a time when he says he was struggling with loneliness.<\/p>\n
\u201cI wrote that song during a time when I couldn\u2019t ignore how alone I felt.\u201d Kalel said. \u201cWhat\u2019s striking a chord within me is knowing that there are so many people out there that feel just as I do, but they don\u2019t realize, they don\u2019t realize that there\u2019s other people that feel as alone, just as lost.\u201d<\/p>\n
As Kalel continues his career after American Idol, he says his message to anyone struggling is simple.<\/p>\n
\u201cAll it takes is just staying one more day, really taking it day by day, not living so much in the past or the future and just taking in the present as best as you can.\u201d Kalel said.<\/p>\n
And above all, he wants people to know they are not alone. <\/p>\n
\u201cWhatever you\u2019re experiencing, especially loneliness, especially during a month like this, I believe loneliness kills.\u201d Kalel said. \u201cBut what we fail to think about is that it\u2019s millions of us that are feeling the same way.\u201d<\/p>\n
For this El Pasoan and former American Idol competitor, the goal now is to keep using his voice \u2014 both through his music and his advocacy \u2014 to remind people that their struggles deserve to be heard.<\/p>\n
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