How a New York City mother turns to her daughter’s art to cope with loss with The Lael Project

The death of her daughter left her speechless — but not for long. Marla Mase knew something was wrong when she heard someone had jumped off Manhattan’s George Washington Bridge on July 26, 2017 — and at the same time — hadn’t heard from her 25-year-old daughter, Lael Summer.

Lael had struggled with depression, eating disorders, and suicidal thoughts since the age of 13. Relief swept over Mase, who lives in Brooklyn, after Lael’s first attempt to take death into her own hands in her Los Angeles apartment some years earlier failed.

Unlike many who suffer from debilitating mental health problems, Lael was vocal about her struggles — literally. As a thriving pop/soul singer, who performed all over the country, Lael poured her story all over her lyrics, unapologetically.

Lael Summer.

“You can literally ask someone if they’re suicidal,” Mase, who founded The Lael Project in 2020, told amNewYork, noting that so many people shy away from asking their loved ones the question directly due to shame.

“It brought acceptance for her,” Mase said about her daughter’s decision to highlight her fight for her mental health, in hopes that others would find solace in her transparency.

Mase launched The Lael Project when she got tired of being silent about her pain. In addition to encouraging conversations about suicide, mental illness, eating disorders, and depression, the project also has a musical component.

Photo courtesy of The Lael Project

The organization is committed to launching an ongoing series of releases featuring Lael’s original songs and covers recorded over her short but significant music career.

In honor of Suicide Awareness Month this past September, and to commemorate the occasion, The Lael Project released a posthumous remix of Lael’s shimmering cover of the Daryl Hall and John Oates classic ‘Do What You Want, Be What You Are’, which can be found on all streaming platforms. Longtime producers Tomás Doncker and James Dellatacoma bring new life to one of Lael’s most celebrated performances, and a song that, a decade later, embodies her spirit of raw honesty, courage and vulnerability.

The reality, Mase emphasized, is that just because someone’s honest and up front about suicidal thoughts, doesn’t mean they won’t go through with the act.

But “talking about it, listening to someone’s story, having compassion” for those fighting this fight — and music can help other families navigate the pain of it all more easily.

For more information on The Lael Project, visit www.thelaelproject.com.