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Residente Opens Up About What Saved Him from Suicide

The singer got emotional during an interview with YouTuber Chente Ydrach

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Residente revealed that it was a phone call with his mom that stopped him from jumping off the balcony of a 25th-floor hotel room. In an emotional interview with YouTuber Chente Ydrach, the Puerto Rican artist opened up about one of the hardest moments of his life.

“I was in Mexico, going through a lot, and I had those thoughts… I thought about jumping, so I told myself, ‘If my mom answers, I won’t jump.’ Thinking about it, realizing I wouldn’t see my brother, my family, or my son again…” he shared, his voice breaking as he paused, admitting he didn’t want to cry.

“I was lucky my mom answered. I remember telling her I didn’t want to be here, though I didn’t know how to explain what I was feeling. In that moment, you’re not thinking clearly,” he said, expressing gratitude for how his mom calmed him down. “I don’t know if she understood what I was going through, but she spoke to me like everything was normal, really calmly,” he said, adding that it’s something she always does in stressful situations.

The next day, before a concert he was scheduled to perform, Residente met with the families of the 43 missing students from Ayotzinapa Rural Teachers’ College in Iguala. “I had to give hope to parents who lost their children in Mexico,” he said. It was in that moment he realized he could never put his own family through something similar.

René

To keep his thoughts from spiraling, Residente called a friend from Costa Rica to spend the night with him. The sofa bed his friend slept on, once unfolded, blocked the balcony door. Thankfully, the next morning, Residente woke up feeling different. That’s when he began writing what would become one of the most powerful songs of this century. And possibly one of the most memorable in music history: ‘René’.

In ‘René,’ he opens his heart and reflects on his life with raw honesty: the nostalgia for his childhood, his mother’s sacrifices for him and his siblings, the loss of dear friends, and the lies and pressures of the music industry that had left him feeling empty and sad, even with his global success.

This 7-minute song, both emotional and deeply sincere, connected with people around the world, earning more than 374 million views on YouTube. It’s more than just music—it’s a hug for the soul. A reminder for anyone struggling that they’re not alone and that others have felt the same way.

From one of his darkest moments, Residente created a gift for the world: one of the most heartfelt and moving songs ever written. It’s a testament that there’s always a way forward, and with hope, we can turn our pain into something that not only heals us but also brings comfort and strength to others who need it.