Cara Delevingne says new music was inspired by getting sober
Cara Delevingne says her first songs draw on sobriety, overthinking and mental health struggles. She says music gives her a healthier way to release anger and emotion.
Intelligence analysis by GPT-5.4 Mini
Cara Delevingne says her debut music is rooted in her first year of sobriety and the mental health issues she has discussed publicly. She is trying to use music as a serious, cinematic outlet rather than lean on the self-deprecating persona people may expect from her.
Cara Delevingne made songs about feelings in her head and getting better after drinking problems. It is like turning a storm inside into music that other people can hear.
Analysis
What she said
Cara Delevingne told BBC Radio 1's Jack Saunders that her new songs were shaped by getting sober and by the mental strain she has worked through. Her two debut tracks, I Forgot and Out of My Head, were released last Friday.
She said Out of My Head grew out of her first year of sobriety and the internal conflict, disassociation and overthinking she experienced. She described the song as a daily effort to get out of her own head. I Forgot, she said, was meant to capture how mental health can feel raw and overwhelming, while also giving her a place to release anger in a healthier way.
How she is presenting the music
Delevingne said she has had to take music more seriously because listeners may bring preconceptions about her from modelling and acting. She said she wanted the work to show that she is “a person, I’m flawed and I’m a human,” and that music can connect people through pain and suffering.
The release is packaged as a cinematic seven-minute video for both tracks. It was directed by Jessica Lee Gagné, a lead cinematographer on Severance. Delevingne said Gagné initially turned the job down because she was busy, but later agreed after hearing the music and relating to it.
The video moves through several settings, starting with Delevingne falling through the sky, then shifting from a film set to a forest and then an office. The presentation matches the song's personal and reflective tone, and also shows how deliberately she is trying to launch this part of her career.
Key points
- Cara Delevingne says her debut songs were inspired by sobriety and mental health challenges.
- She says Out of My Head reflects her first year of sobriety and daily overthinking.
- I Forgot was written to capture the raw side of mental health and a healthier way to release anger.
- The release comes with a seven-minute cinematic video directed by Jessica Lee Gagné.
- Delevingne says she wants the music to show she is a flawed human being, not just a public persona.
If the music connects, it could give Delevingne a credible second creative path beyond modelling and acting. Her songs may also help listeners who relate to sobriety, anger or mental health struggles feel less alone.
Public attention could stay focused on her celebrity name and past image instead of the songs themselves. If the music is judged mainly through her personal story, the work may struggle to stand on its own.
