Lola Young has opened up about receiving treatment for addiction after collapsing on stage, and revealed that she has been attending AA (Alcoholics Anonymous) meetings.
After years rising up the ranks in the UK music scene, the London-born singer shot to international stardom in late 2024 when her song “Messy” went viral on TikTok.
Around this same period, Young, 25, had also spent five weeks in rehabilitation for cocaine addiction; the following summer, amid Young’s packed festival schedule, her manager said that the former Brit School student had relapsed and gone back to treatment.
Things came to a head in September, one week after the release of her third album, when Young collapsed on stage at All Things Go festival in New York. One week later, the singer cancelled all her tour dates for the foreseeable future, saying that she was “going away for a while”.
In a new interview with Rolling Stone, Young revealed that, following her dramatic moment on stage, she checked herself into a holistic facility for two months, and has since been attending AA meetings and has a sponsor.
“It was a decision… that I had to make, and it was sad that I had to do that,” she said of cancelling her tour dates. “What else was I going to do, die? That was the reality of where my addiction was heading.”
While the experience of collapsing was deeply unpleasant, Young – who has schizoaffective disorder and ADHD – said that she was “very grateful” for it all the same.
“It was, what do you call that? Like, a breaking point which allowed me to then be able to be here today, allowed me to be better for my fans, better for the future, and better for myself,” she said.
Addiction has been a frequent topic in Young’s music, from the self-explanatory “D3aler” to referring to herself as a “dumb little addict” in “Not Like That Anymore”.
“I’m just writing what I’m feeling, and then I’ll realise later, ‘Oh, f***. I shouldn’t have said that I’m a raging drug addict,’” she told Rolling Stone. “Then I’m like, ‘You know what? I am. What the f*** am I trying to hide?’”
After cancelling her string of tour dates, Young returned to the stage at the Grammy Awards in February, where she performed “Messy” and took home the gong for Best Pop Solo Performance.
Last week (4 March), she played her first headline show since collapsing at the London Palladium, and also appeared on the front row at Paris Fashion Week.
If you or someone you know is suffering from drug addiction, you can seek confidential help and support 24-7 from Frank, by calling 0300 123 6600, texting 82111, sending an email or visiting their website here.
In the US, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration can be reached at 1-800-662-HELP
If you or someone you know is suffering from alcohol addiction, you can confidentially call the national alcohol helpline Drinkline on 0300 123 1110 or visit the NHS website here for information about the programmes available to you.
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