John Tyler Reveals Scary Moment That Inspired 'Free Spirit': 'I Really Thought I Was Going To Die'

Baltimore artist and founder John Tyler describes his experience on stage at The Ottobar during the Free Spirit listening party on Dec. 9th. Damon Barnes/NUNAR

During his Free Spirit listening party at Ottobar, John Tyler shared details about an experience that shook him to the core and would inspire his latest project. Earlier this year, the Love Groove founder was awoken in the middle of the night by a sudden and unexpected health scare.

“I woke up in the middle of the night and I was vomiting everywhere. I couldn’t breath and I literally thought I was gonna die. Like, I really thought that was it.” The artist described the scary experience as a wake up call that forced him to see the importance of prioritizing his mental health. “Come to find out, overworking yourself will really put you in a terrible position and terrible mental space.”

I also produced the full project in one day. At the time I was so busy which caused a series of panic attacks from being so overwhelmed in life. I truly thought I was going to die. That experience made me take a step back and I made music for myself again.

— John Tyler (@johntylersounds) December 17, 2021

Tyler experienced a series of panic attack that night and during a stressful period in his life. Panic attacks can be truly frightening but are not fatal. However, the 21-year-old artist and founder said the experience almost killed his ambition for Love Groove entirely. “That messed me up for months. I didn’t really want to do anything for a very long time. I almost walked away from Love Groove and literally everything,” he told the audience.

John Tyler for Free Spirit visual art by Brandon Armstrong (@onlybrandino), art direction by Twiztiee (@twiztiee)

John Tyler made Free Spirit to reconnect with his love of making music for himself, for the love of it. “Making this project was very therapeutic to really find time for myself and create something mainly for me and not for anyone else,” he told the room. In fact, this inward re-focusing was why he named the project Free Spirit––it represents his era of “finding myself and being free.”

John Tyler tells us the therapy gained from the making his new EP can also be gained from listening. He says in a tweet: “Listen to it when you’re calm or need to be calm. It’s not meant to be played in a social setting. The project is for self, especially if you deal with heavy anxiety or any personal/mental issues.”

The new EP Free Spirit is available now exclusively on Bandcamp.