Key Takeaways
Amaia Montero, the original voice of La Oreja de Van Gogh, withdrew from public life in late 2022 after publishing a deeply troubling message on social media. Verified reports confirm that she spent roughly one month in a mental-health clinic in Navarra for exhaustion and anxiety. Speculation extended the stay to “a month and a half,” but no official confirmation exists.
Her crisis was fueled by the pressure of her solo career, relentless public scrutiny, and the aftermath of a 2018 concert in Cantabria that became a viral controversy. Allegations of alcohol misuse remain unproven and were denied by the artist.
By 2024 she returned to public life with a tone of gratitude and renewal, and in 2025 she reunited with her former band, symbolizing both recovery and reconciliation.
Story & Details
The Post That Sparked Concern
In October 2022, Amaia Montero uploaded a black-and-white photo to Instagram with the caption:
“If hope is the last thing to die and I haven’t lost it yet, what’s the use of life?”
The phrase twisted a familiar Spanish proverb into despair. It was a cry of exhaustion rather than a logical reflection, and followers flooded her account with messages of worry. Soon afterward, she added a single word — Destroyed — confirming her distress.
Inside the Clinic
By December 2022, Spanish media including El Debate and ¡Hola! reported that Montero had entered a private clinic in Navarra to treat stress and anxiety. The stay lasted about a month, though some later articles rounded it up to six weeks.
Upon leaving, she told reporters that it was “not a moment of celebration,” adding that the press had been “pretty heavy” with her and her family. She declined to give further details, choosing silence over sensationalism.
Years of Criticism and Fatigue
Since leaving La Oreja de Van Gogh in 2007, Montero faced a harsh spotlight. Critics often compared her solo work to her years with the band, while social media mocked her appearance and performances. In a 2019 interview with El Mundo, she admitted, “I’ve had to read very ugly things about myself, and that leaves a mark.”
These pressures built slowly until they reached a breaking point in 2018 during a concert in Cantabria — an episode that would shadow her for years.
The 2018 Concert in Cantabria
That night, technical chaos unfolded on stage. Faulty monitors and tuning issues left Montero visibly frustrated. Audience videos showed confusion among the musicians and her exclaiming that it was “an absolute disaster.” Some spectators accused her of being intoxicated.
She later explained that the concert suffered from sound failures, not alcohol, telling El Español: “I’m reading terrible things — that I was drunk as a skunk — and it’s not true.” She added that she kept singing “out of respect for the audience.”
A short video of that evening remains publicly available on YouTube:
Watch: Amaia Montero – Pruebas de Sonido (Renedo de Piélagos 2018)
Rumors and Denials
Following the incident, speculation about alcohol use persisted, but Montero consistently rejected it. In an older interview she stated that she no longer drank. No medical reports or credible testimonies ever indicated addiction. The confirmed struggle was emotional exhaustion, not substance dependency.
Return to Light
By 2024 her tone shifted. In a public note she wrote, “Today my message is of hope for everyone going through a difficult time.” The following year she announced her reunion with La Oreja de Van Gogh, reflecting on the years away as a process of “shedding the idea of myself to become me.”
Her return was both symbolic and restorative — a reminder that recovery often moves quietly before it shines again.
Conclusions
Amaia Montero’s journey shows how fame, scrutiny, and private pain can collide until the mind demands rest. Her temporary retreat to a clinic was not weakness but survival. The unfounded rumors about addiction faded as her recovery became visible.
In her comeback, she transformed despair into empathy, proving that artistic rebirth can follow even the deepest silence.
Sources
- RTVE – Amaia Montero alarms fans with her latest Instagram post
- El Debate – Amaia Montero reveals reason for her stay in a mental-health clinic
- Divinity – First words from Amaia Montero after leaving the clinic
- Vanitatis – Amaia Montero criticizes media harassment after her admission
- HuffPost Spain – Amaia Montero: “My message today is hope.”
- El Mundo – Interview with Amaia Montero (December 2019)
- Heraldo – Controversial concert in Cantabria (2018)
- Europa FM – Amaia Montero defends herself after the Cantabria show
- YouTube – Amaia Montero – Pruebas de Sonido (Renedo de Piélagos 2018)
Appendix
The Proverb of Hope
The saying “Hope is the last thing to die” is deeply rooted in Spanish culture. Montero’s reversal of it — questioning life even with hope intact — revealed the paradox of emotional collapse: when hope exists in theory but feels unreachable in practice.
Meaning of the 2018 Episode
That night in Cantabria became an emblem of how technical failure can be mistaken for personal failure. The scene was recorded, dissected, and multiplied online, showing how quickly judgment replaces empathy in the digital age.
Broader Reflection
Montero’s path illustrates how the entertainment industry magnifies vulnerability. Yet it also shows that recovery is possible, that silence can be a form of therapy, and that music often becomes the final language of healing.
My Diary - Leonardo Cardillo 