Q+A: Jack Rua talks mental health in lockdown, 'Isolation' video

Jack Rua's latest single, 'Isolation', revolves around something many of us were faced with in lockdown. Unable to see loved ones, we all had to find different ways of remaining connected. Rua – who was in the beginnings of a new relationship when the pandemic hit – channeled his frustration into art, and it resulted in something beautiful.

It must have been difficult to be separated from your boyfriend during the first lockdown.

It was, but I don’t want to revel in the 'suckiness' of it, because I’m sure everyone was in a similar boat. The song was pretty expressive of that feeling for me, but I also wanted to make it a universal thing that people could relate to. I tried to say everything that I was feeling, which was not only missing my boyfriend, but also missing physical and sexual intimacy.

What did you do to keep in touch during the worst of it?

We would try to FaceTime every day, and text all the time. But the thing about texting is that I find it quite draining, because I don’t find it to be the most authentic form of communication. The tension of the whole situation made it really difficult to maintain a new relationship.

It’s impossible to give other people advice on how to maintain their mental health, but what else do you do for yourself, to keep a healthy mindset on a day-to-day basis?

I was working full time before Ireland went into lockdown, and I was rehearsing for all these gigs, and I had a schedule. All of a sudden, in the space of a few days, that schedule was taken away and everything was up in the air.

So I tried to schedule myself. I would wake up at 9am, regardless of when I went to sleep, or if I had anything to do the next day – which was very unlikely because I wasn’t going out.

The best thing I did was build that schedule for myself. I would also write two pages of freehand writing in a journal every morning, which was a good way for me to verbalise my feelings. And then to remain pragmatic and useful, I was learning to record my own vocals and produce. Those were the things I used to keep my mental health in check. I needed my brain to be operating on a productive level.

I’m a big fan of journaling...

It’s great for me. I read this book called The Artist’s Way back in 2016, and they call it ‘the morning pages’ – journaling whatever’s going on in your head, even if it’s complete nonsense. It’s a good way of exercising your brain.

Watch the video for 'Isolation' below.