Korn guitarist Brian ‘Head’ Welch has spoken about reaching a point where he no longer wanted to live, despite achieving his dreams with the band. He posted on Instagram about how depression, addiction, and unresolved trauma left him feeling broken until his Christian faith helped him find healing.
Welch discussed the gap between achieving success and finding peace. He explained that reaching his dreams with Korn did not address the deeper issues he was facing, and that he struggled with mental health and addiction even as his career flourished.
“So I got to the place where I really didn’t want to live anymore, you know?” Brian ‘Head’ Welch said. “And I felt like I was ungrateful for having my dreams come true and being a sad person, you know? I’m just like, I’m a whiny, weak man, you know?”
“But I was depressed, and I had mental health issues, and I had addiction issues,” he continued. “And we’ve seen— we’ve lost so many people in the music industry, you know, from addiction or suicide or whatever. Like, just because you’re handed your dream does not fix everything. It does not fix the trauma that’s inside.”
Welch described his path to recovery through faith. “And so Christ coming in is the only thing that’s worked in my whole entire life, and I’ve tried everything,” he said. “And He’s the healing balm that comes to take residence inside of the broken human soul and heals, heals all of that, you know, to bring what? Contentment. Contentment.”
He spoke about the value of finding contentment rather than chasing more. “Does anybody just want contentment in life? Just— but how about if you just are not anxious and you’re just satisfied in life? You know what I mean? That’s what I found in Christ, you know?”
Welch’s comments reflect his own experience with the limits of external success in addressing internal struggles.
Welch’s battle with addiction and depression began during Korn’s rise as pioneers of nu metal. In 2005, after years of touring and using crystal methamphetamine, he experienced a spiritual awakening that changed his life. He found Jesus and was delivered from substance abuse with minimal withdrawal symptoms. He left Korn to focus on recovery and chronicled his journey in his 2008 book “Save Me From Myself: How I Found God, Quit Korn, Kicked Drugs, And Lived To Tell My Story.”
Welch rejoined Korn in 2013 and has since become vocal about mental health and addiction in the music industry. In January 2024, he announced a partnership with Atlantic Behavioral Health, a treatment center in Massachusetts and New Hampshire that addresses mental health disorders including anxiety and depression. He also launched Zivel, a performance and recovery facility designed for touring musicians, with locations in Bakersfield, California, and Nashville, Tennessee, with additional facilities planned for the future.
The recovery suite was created to address the physical, mental, and emotional toll that constant touring places on musicians. Welch’s work with both Atlantic Behavioral Health and Zivel reflects his commitment to helping others in the music industry find the kind of healing he discovered through his faith. His openness about his own struggles has made him an advocate for addressing the mental health crisis that affects performers worldwide.
