‘I was left paralysed by rare autoimmune disease overnight’ says music star Mason

From DJ’ing in front of a huge crowd, Mason was on a complete high – but days later, he was left paralysed. The chart topper, whose real name is Iason Chronis, became a global star with the Noughties hit, Exceeder, with Princess Superstar, but weeks before the world went into lockdown, his entire world changed.

In 2019, the 46-year-old was embracing a busy schedule, on stage in front of thousands of fans each night. But all of a sudden, he started to collapse, despite having no previous symptoms. The musician, who was born and raised in Amsterdam, was diagnosed with Guillain-Barré Syndrome, a rare but serious disorder in which the immune system attacks nerves, leading to rapid weakness of the muscles and often paralysis.

So rare is the condition that it affects approximately 1 to 2 people per 100,000 worldwide each year. “I was partially paralysed and couldn’t walk or anything, it happened overnight,” Iason said. Chatting to the Mirror from his studio in his first interview about the condition, he added: “I was DJ’ing in Taiwan and all of a sudden, I started to collapse a few times, and then in a few days, it got worse.

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“I suffered for two years before I recovered. For me, running was a logical step in recovery. I couldn’t walk to the end of the street, so I ran slowly to the first mile.” But he didn’t have any symptoms prior to his collapse. “All of a sudden, I fell unexpectedly, I stood somewhere and was falling over,” he said, adding: “I felt my legs couldn’t hold my weight, it was really strange.

“I made an appointment with the doctor back home for when I would be back home a few days later. But by that time, I’ve gotten worse, and every day became twice as bad. It was scary – the question was ‘How far is this going to go?'” Iason said that had his condition continued to deteriorate, he would have been in a worse state, but “at some point” he stabilised.

But while some people who suffer from GBS can be left with issues relating to their lungs or being able to swallow, Iason was different. “I think I had a medium version which still took a few years to recover from,” he said. But while he was left at home due to the Covid lockdown, he says this helped as he didn’t have to cancel shows.

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“I was just recovering; the whole period was a bit of a blur,” he commented. Around ten people in the Netherlands suffer from the condition at the same time. Speaking about the medical process of getting a diagnosis, he said: “They were looking at bigger things first, like ALS or maybe if I had a tumour on my spine.

“These were kind of scary scenarios; they were investigating because they put me through loads of tests, which were kind of scary. Doctors were talking about all kinds of nasty recoveries for decades. It took two or three weeks for them to figure it out.” Iason was sent home for his recovery.

“The good thing is, mentally, I was fine, I could write music,” he said. Iason said that when he focused on his recovery, he knew he was determined to get on the right path and focused on running. “I’m quite disciplined,” he said. So much so, this weekend, he’s taking on an ultra-marathon, a 100km route from London to Brighton, finishing at the Brighton Music Conference, in aid of Inflammatory Neuropathies UK.

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“They threw a bit of a curveball at us,” he laughed after seeing the weather forecast. Parts of the nation are expected to hit 29 degrees on Saturday. “I was mentally preparing for it, but now there’s something extra on top,” he laughed. He added, “I’ve done 60 marathons in my life; this is an extra marathon, but in theory, it should be fine.

“I have no idea how it’s going to be. I have a friend pacing me, who’s coming halfway, and the cool thing is finishing at Brighton Music Conference.” Now, 25 years into his career, Iason says in his younger years, he looked at a career in music as linear, but it’s far from this. “A long music career is a spiralling thing, taking you to all sorts of interesting alleys,” he said, adding: “That’s what makes it interesting and fun. You’d be bored if you did exactly the same thing for ten years.”

He explained that the “cool” part of a long career in music is experiencing a busy period, which could include writing a film score, writing for pop artists our touring. “I don’t feel industry pressure to only climb, I just want to make stuff for myself, which also means that some of the stuff is for a smaller audience; I cherish it all,” he said.

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Iason says that as long as he can live and carry on his career, he counts his blessings. But he didn’t expect to still be in the same position a quarter of a century later. He says of musicians achieving a long career: “I think everybody who does sort of stick around for a long time does have to kind of keep working at it. You know, you can’t sort of sit still.

“It’s really competitive, and nobody’s waiting for you. You always have to stick your neck out and do better and improve.” However, he acknowledges that some artists cannot always handle the pressure of a “jealous” and “complicated” industry. “You need to have a mindset to maintain and sort of keep your cool,” he advised.

One track he never expected to take off was Perfect (Exceeder), released in 2007, initially a B-side to a song Iason says people don’t really know nowadays. The track was mashed with an a cappella version of Princess Superstar’s hit, “Perfect.” “The B-side started to explode,” he said. The track was actually made in Iason’s kitchen when he was moving studios.

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And it came at the right time, with its genre-defying track, the record was played at events in multiple tents, including the house and techno tents at festivals. “It was the right record in the right moment, a little bit in between genres,” he said. Following the release of Saltburn, the track found a new fanbase and was once again catapulted to global fame on TikTok.

“18-year-old TikTok followers, they had no idea or might not have known the song,” he laughed. He added: “It was all people looking at Saltburn and reminiscing about nostalgic feelings from when they were clubbing. But there were people who had never heard the song, and for them it was something new, that was a really big presence.”

The track’s resurgence happened overnight during the Christmas period, with record label bosses Iason and his manager seeing huge Spikes in its popularity. “Every day it doubled,” he said, adding that the record label instantly had people back in the office to push new remixes. None other than David Guetta and Jax Jones released remixes, with Iason saying he watched the “snowball starting to roll”.

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While he’s incredibly in demand, Iason says that he approaches collaborations in different ways. And while some people suffer from writer’s block, he is on the other end of the scale. “I always write s**t loads,” he laughed, before explaining that he sees writing music as a muscle and the need to train it. “When I go into sessions with people, there are always 20 directions; this could be a starting point,” he said.

He added: “I’ve also grown a bit – a few years ago, I would stick in my lane saying ‘I’m a producer, beat maker and vocalist’ and the vocalist is the one writing lyrics, but I’ve become more involved in songwriting myself. I’m trying to develop myself in that way. The cool thing is that everyone comes from a different background – whether it’s classical-trained musicians or rappers coming from street life, they approach music differently, and it all contributes.”

However, he says there is no “formula” to creating music, and it’s only right when it feels right. “You tweak and tweak, and something matches, you have to wait for that moment,” he said, explaining that it feels “strange” to start with an empty canvas in the morning with another musician before producing a track – something Iason cannot wrap his head around.

Over the course of his career, though, Iason admits he’s learned several lessons about himself. He commented: “I think to really focus on process and the fulfilment of creating the music I want to be making and not feeling pressure from industry or peers. At the end of the day, people might flick on a record I made a few times – I need to listen to that stuff days in a row.

“I’d rather make the music I want to listen to days in a row, everything that happens to it afterwards, I cherish, and I’m thankful for. At the end of the day, it needs to be my journey where I’m fulfilling myself.”

You can donate to Iason’s JustGiving page here.

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