


Hanging out with friends, and even with my wife, I had a notepad that I would write things down on. Trevor Powers: I had situations like my brother would come to town from Seattle to hang out and we would go to bookstores and I would have to text him when I'm standing right by him. This interview has been edited for length and clarity. At times he wondered if his primary instrument, his distinct and magical sounding voice, would ever come back. A season that gave him a deeper appreciation for his home in Boise, Idaho but also pushed him to his limit. Powers is a musician who performs under the name Youth Lagoon, and his newest album Heaven Is a Junkyard chronicles this difficult season of his life. Eventually it became impossible to speak, let alone sing, which was devastating. He went to multiple specialists and no one could give him a clear answer. "Because did this thing with my digestive system where it completely flipped everything upside down." Powers says his stomach turned into a geyser of acid, which came up as a mist and coated his vocal cords. "The word insane is such an understatement," Powers says.

He was prescribed an over-the-counter medication and expected it to clear up in a couple days. Trevor Powers went to the doctor in October 2021 for a minor stomach ache. If you or someone you know may be considering suicide, contact the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline by dialing 9-8-8, or the Crisis Text Line by texting HOME to 741741.
