The topic and discussion of mental health awareness, is both important and necessary.

Today, (May 16th 2025) , in honor of Mental Health Awareness Month, The Lael Project will release ‘Insidious’, via True Groove Records, the third posthumous single from New York soul/pop artist Lael Summer, whose deeply personal lyrics and powerhouse vocals drew early praise from publications such as EarMilk, The Big Takeover, Kings of A&R, PopDose and Soul Tracks before her tragic death by suicide at age 24. The song continues her legacy of encouraging open conversations about mental health, suicide and eating disorders. 

In September 2024, writer and artist Marla Mase founded The Lael Project to pay tribute to her daughter’s life and music and to carry out Lael’s wish to ‘help just one person’ by fostering open discussions about suicide, eating disorders, depresson and other mental health challenges. Marla believes that the sharing of stories, music and experiences are a gateway to healing.

By sharing Lael’s story / our story (mental illness is a family ‘disease’), we hope it will give others the inspiration and courage to share their own. To let them know that they are not alone and that it is OK to open up, to speak and that there is no shame or judgement in what they are experiencing. There are billions of u out here ready to listen and to connect and that perhaps together we can pave a way towards healing. I am a firm believer in the power of storytelling. It is a path, I am sure, out of the darkness”, says Marla Mase.

Written and demoed on her iPhone just weeks before her death, ‘Insidious‘ is an intimate and unflinching look inside Lael’s lifelong battle with depression, suicidality and eating disorders. The track, produced and mixed by Tomás Doncker and James Dellatacoma, features Lael’s raw vocal extracted from that original iPhone demo, now restored thanks to the advancement of recording technology. The result is an impassioned plea that sheds light on the pain and confusion that those with mental health illnesses endure.

You can listen to , “Insidious” on Spotify Here and on Apple Music Here

Discussing the creation of the single, Tomás Doncker says, “We built a track that supports Lael’s vision. She already had all of the lyrics when we started writing the tune, and the mysterious and darkly brooding atmosphere was already quite evident. Lael was surely no stranger to intens as far as her lyrical/melodic choices were concerned – always choosing to approach the subject matter of all her songs head on. Fearlessly.”

“Insidious”, has a beautiful soulful melody, that is coupled with a flawless vocal performance from Lael Summer

 On her thoughts on the song’s subject matter Lael’s Mother Marla explains, “‘Insidious’ is not just a song, it’s a call for compassion and a mirror for the millions who struggle with the emotional instability and unreliability that comes with having a mental illness. I believe those struggling with mental health will see themselves in this song. You feel you have it under control and then suddenly you don’t. It’s back, full force. Lael would call this insidiousness ‘the murderer’ living in her brain. It helped her personify it, to understand that it was not ‘her’, it was the illness. One of the symptoms of mental illness is to isolate, to make you feel hopeless and defective, a burden, and this song is outing those lies. Lael was not afraid to sing about what she was dealing with, she needed to do it, to express all her fears. She was fearless in that way – brutally honest lyrics about her experiences. She did it for her survival and she did it with the hope that her story would help others recognise themselves, know that they aren’t alone and to seek help.

You can learn more about The Lael Project- Here