Music and Personal Well-being in the Life of a Rap Musician

This study evaluates the role of music in the personal well-being of a musician by looking at the example of a selected performer, the Czech rap singer Meiton, who has publicly discussed his mental health issues and their reflection in his music. According to the concept of personal well-being and PERMA model (Seligman 2011), people can improve the quality of their lives through activities that lead to positive emotion, engagement (flow), meaning, accomplishment and positive relations. Through qualitative research based on Meiton’s song lyrics and interviews with the singer, I used the method of narrative, thematic and phenomenological analysis to explore how music-making helps create personal well-being in his life in relation to the concept of positive psychology. The findings demonstrated the ways in which music-making contributes to different aspects of health, as defined by the PERMA model, and develops his personality. Through making music, Meiton processes the adverse experiences and aspects of his life, which helps him to cope with the pressure of life and reduce his level of anxiety. In this regard, ventilation of emotions, acceptance and attentional deployment have proven to be the key adaptive mechanisms of emotion regulation. Keywords: case study, well-being, PERMA model, emotion regulation, rap music