For many teens, the holidays don’t feel joyful at all. Anxiety, depression, and loneliness spike this time of year, and the numbers are alarming. A group of young influencers and singers, along with a Central Florida nonprofit, are trying to reach those struggling with a message of hope.
This group of Gen Z singers and influencers came together to record “Wish It Felt Like Christmas.”
While it is a holiday song, it’s not about cheer. Instead, it reflects the reality that for many young people, Christmas and the holidays feel very different now.
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“This song was specifically made to raise awareness for mental health among Gen Z. It brings comfort and stands as a reminder that you’re not alone in this season,” said Chloe Adonna.
The singers are part of a new mental health initiative called Breaking Thru", founded by Andrae Bailey, who says the crisis he’s seeing among teens is unlike anything we’ve faced before.
“Breaking Thru” was really founded upon this mental health crisis that we’re seeing with Gen Z in particular… more young people are struggling with depression, anxiety, and even worse than we’ve ever seen before," Bailey said.
Despite living in a year of opportunity, Bailey says today’s teens are drowning in pressure. Some of that pressure was tragically evident recently when three high school students in Seminole County took their own lives in the same week.
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“It’s amazing that in 2025, although there’s so much prosperity… so many of our young people are struggling with a record amount of anxiety and depression. We’ve seen stats recently that say as many as one in five of our teens and twenty-somethings wake up every day feeling depressed, feeling anxious,” Bailey explained.
For singer Savannah Graham, the message feels painfully true.
“Not every day is going to feel magical this Christmas season… but holding onto hope and working together reminds us we’re not alone,”she said.
Bailey says the heavy emotional pressure is exactly why the song was written. It was inspired by a moment when someone close to him admitted they felt nothing at all.
“We were looking at the Christmas lights and she turned and looked at me and said, ‘It just doesn’t feel like Christmas this year.’ And instantly I heard, ‘I wish it felt like Christmas this year,” Bailey said.
Maddie Lee Ann said she understands that feeling.
“My great-grandma recently passed, so this Christmas feels different. This song gives me a sense of hope and peace and reminds me we all have these feelings sometimes.”
Gabby Murray said her own experience with mental health made joining the project non-negotiable.
“I’ve dealt with anxiety and depression my whole life. There were times I felt isolated. This song shows people you are not alone,” Murray said.
The urgency is real and backed by some of the most troubling numbers in recent history. According to the CDC, suicide is the second-leading cause of death for kids ages 10-14 and the third-leading cause of death for ages 15-24. In just one year, the CDC recorded 1,952 suicide-related deaths among high-school teens ages 14-18. Nearly 1 in 5 teens say they’ve seriously considered suicide.
Bailey says Breaking Thru hopes to meet young people where they actually are: online.
“Social media isn’t going anywhere. If we’re wanting to reach out to them and say, ‘It’s okay if you don’t feel good, and we want to love you and help you,’ we’ve got to do it through these platforms,” Bailey passionately explained.
This season, the message is simple and more needed than ever: just because the lights are bright and twinkling doesn’t mean you have to pretend everything is okay.