Commencement speaker, identified in the transcript only as "Commencement speaker," told the Berklee School of Music graduating class of 2025 that art can be "medicine" and urged graduates to keep "telling your truth" as they begin careers in the arts.

The message was framed around the speaker's personal story: "This is a true story. I did a concert at my hometown of Eureka, California," the speaker said, noting they were presented a key to the city with their name spelled incorrectly. They described a childhood marked by bullying and long-standing anxiety, saying, "I was always standing on a trap door that I couldn't figure out and I was always afraid of falling." The speaker said music provided stability: "Music became my home because it was the opposite of a trap door. It was solid earth. It was steady and infinite, and I could trust it completely."

The speaker linked that personal experience to the graduates' chosen path, calling creativity and truthful expression a kind of medicine. "Art as medicine, truth as medicine, you and me as medicine," they said. The speaker encouraged graduates to persist despite uncertainty in creative careers and new technological pressures, saying, "there is very little stability and a lot of doubt and a lot of rejection and a lot of almosts. There's new technology that's trying to replace artists."

The address referenced cultural moments to make the point that the world is unpredictable: "They sent Katy Perry to space, y'all. **** is weird right now." The speaker also joked about expecting a surprise appearance: "I also was waiting for Lady Gaga to jump out of a speaker somewhere. I don't know. Is she here? Is she coming up?"

On a practical and personal note, the speaker acknowledged receiving mental-health treatment: "I take a little bit of Lexapro, and that really helps too." They urged graduates to use honesty and vulnerability in their work across roles — "Whether you're a songwriter or an engineer, a teacher, a coach... or a barista who just plays unbelievable records while you make oat milk lattes. Whatever you do, keep telling your truth to the world."

The speaker closed by celebrating the graduates' accomplishment and reiterating the central metaphor: "That is what makes you an artist because it's medicine. It's your unique medicine. I am the doctor, but you are the medicine. Congratulations."