Marcus Mumford has revealed that he hired a trauma specialist to look over his new music, out of fear he would trigger listeners through the raw lyrics.
The Mumford & Sons frontman, 35, has previously shared that he was sexually abused – opening up about the traumatic ordeal through his debut solo album, Self-Titled.
Opening up about the process of writing such an honest album, the musician also recalled ‘breaking down in tears’ during the recording of song Cannibal – which details the sexual abuse he suffered through a range of hard-hitting lyrics.
‘I didn’t want to trigger anyone’: Marcus Mumford, 35, has revealed that he hired a truama specialist to check through his new music… which starkly details his experience of being sexually abused at the age of 6
During a recent chat with The Guardian, Marcus spoke candidly on the process of making the album and his reasons behind it.
Admitting he was cautious of presenting the lyrics from Cannibal in the right way to listeners, the singer shared that a trauma specialist checked them over before it was released.
‘I didn’t just want to hang traumatic stuff out there and activate or trigger people,’ explains Marcus – admitting he also ‘broke down in tears’ while recording the song.
Cannibal depicts the singer’s childhood trauma through fury and emotion – including lines such as ‘you f***ing animal’.
Careful: ‘I didn’t just want to hang traumatic stuff out there and activate or trigger people,’ explains Marcus – admitting he also ‘broke down in tears’ while recording the song
Despite the extremely personal lyrics, Marcus explained that it ‘felt like a natural and helpful part of my process’ to release them to the world.
The singer has previously shared that talking about the abuse had helped relieve years of shame, and echoed this as he continued: ‘I was less engulfed in shame. Taking these intimate thins, these private moments and publicising them as widely as possible – it’s just a f***ed up thing to do.
‘But there’s magic in it, I think, because you offer the opportunity for people to connect through it,’ he shared.
Marcus’ distraught mother, Eleanor, only learned of the abuse 30 years later when listening to the lyrics of his new album was released.
Speaking to GQ Magazine last month on the abuse, he recalled how he played Cannibal for his mother, who came back to him two days later asking what the song was about.
Song: Marcus has revealed his distraught mother Eleanor only finding out when she heard the lyrics to his solo track 30 years later (pictured with his parents Eleanor and John)
Couple: Marcus is married to actress Carey Mulligan and the pair share two children (pictured in May)
Eleanor was shocked when he revealed he had been abused, with Marcus reflecting on the trauma his mother must have experienced learning about the abuse via the ‘f***ing hilarious’ medium of song.
Opening up for the first time on the abuse, he continued: ‘Like lots of people – and I’m learning more and more about this as we go and as I play it to people – I was sexually abused as a child.
‘Not by family and not in the church, which might be some people’s assumption. But I hadn’t told anyone about it for 30 years.
Acclaimed: Marcus, who has played in the folk rock band since 2007 alongside Ben Lovett, and Ted Dwane, confirmed the band will continue on as a trio after banjoist Winston Marshall (end left) quit the group in June 2021
Devastating: Marcus said the abuse was ‘not by family and not in the church, which might be some people’s assumption. But I hadn’t told anyone about it for 30 years’ (pictured performing in 2018)
Marcus’ parents John and Eleanor were international leaders of neocharismatic evangelical Christian denomination, the Vineyard Churches.
He added: ‘And for some reason, and I can’t really understand why, I didn’t become a perpetrator of sexual abuse – although I’ve done my fair share of c**tish behaviour.’
Marcus, who shares two children with wife Carey Mulligan, detailed how he was at ‘rock bottom’ after finishing touring Mumford & Sons’ 2018 album Delta, with his loved ones recognising he was not acting right and urging him to seek help.
Despite the release of his solo album, Marcus remains a part of Mumford & Sons – and hopes for the band to reconvene next year.