Lisa Hyper determined to move forward - Opens up about mental health, love life

Entertainer Lisa Hyper, who was diagnosed with a mental health disorder, is speaking candidly about her challenges, her path to recovery, her love life, and musical plans for 2023.

"I was diagnosed with psychosis and bipolar disorder, so I still have to visit the doctor for continuous assessment," she shared with THE STAR. Lisa Hyper was recently released from the University Hospital of the West Indies (UHWI) where she was admitted in December.

The former member of Vybz Kartel's Portmore Empire camp who has found success as a solo artiste, added that she has been living with her reality for 14 years, and has been a patient at UHWI, but she has also been "self-medicating".

"I used natural ways of dealing with it and I was also antisocial ... not sexually active. I have a lot of friends, but half of them are fake and the other half are real, but I didn't know who was who, so I kept to myself," she said.

Lisa Hyper admitted that she has also used "weed" because "it takes [her] to a place where she wants to be musically". But it meant that she stopped taking her medication, and that can then trigger a downward spiral.

"I am determined to move forward and ease off the dependency on the weed, because the smoking isn't good for me. It is important that we talk about our challenges, mental health, addiction, and otherwise. There is no shame in it. Right now, I am very healthy mentally ... but I wasn't healthy physically. Music is therapy and my work ethic is incredible, like Hulk; and sometimes I go days without eating or sleeping, and that can be detrimental. You have to have balance," she said.

Additional therapy for the Champion Bubbler singer would be a reconciliation with the love of her life, Dexta Daps. "I pray for it every night," she said.

She recently tattooed the entertainer's given name, Louis Anthony Grandison Jr, just below her right shoulder blade. But she explained that they "haven't spoken for two years now" and that he has blocked her from all his social media accounts. Quizzed as to why she did the tattoo, her answer was to the point: "I love him. Love makes you do crazy stuff.

"Everyone knew that we were dating, but we had an argument and I said something to him that he took seriously. He blocked me from one of his numbers and I told him to block me from the other," Lisa Hyper shared.

She also set the record straight, noting that her name had been called up with other artistes, but she has never had any sexual relationship with them.

"Jah Cure and I are cool. I love his babymother, Kamila, and he respects me for that. I have never slept with Future Fambo, Popcaan, Jam 2 or Gyptian, despite people saying otherwise. I respect Gyptian as a brother," Lisa Hyper emphasised.

Born Felicia Gooden, the singer-songwriter is focusing on her music and has six albums ready for release this year.