South London singer-songwriter Lola Young rose from Croydon open mic nights and the Brit School to global stardom with her viral track Messy, a multi-platinum number one that topped the UK singles chart for four weeks and hit charts across the world. Behind the success ran a turbulent story of schizoaffective disorder diagnosed at 17, a public struggle with addiction and the relentless pressure of modern viral fame.

This episode traces how the industry first tried to mold her into a polished balladeer, from a John Lewis Christmas advert to a debut album that failed to chart, before her unfiltered conversational writing finally caught fire. It also examines the human cost, including her collapse on stage at the All Things Go Festival in September 2025 and her hard reset that followed.

• How her mother’s work for the mental health charity Mind shaped Lola’s early vocabulary for psychological distress
• Why Messy became an ADHD anthem, with a diagnosis that came after she wrote the song
• The setbacks of vocal cord cysts, rehab for cocaine addiction and heartbreaking 2025 live performances
• Her radical accountability, telling Rolling Stone about a residential facility and Alcoholics Anonymous
• Her 2026 comeback, a Brit Award for Breakthrough Artist and the album I’m Only Freaking Myself