She’s performed to crowds on Glastonbury festival’s Woodsies stage; collaborated with hip-hop artist Tyler, The Creator, and received an outpouring of critical acclaim for her 2024 sophomore album ‘This Wasn’t Meant For You Anyway’. In other words, the last few years have been something of a career catapult for her.
Fast forward a year or so, and Young announced via social media that she would be cancelling all future tour dates until further notice, following a tough fainting experience on stage at All Things Go festival. The post read: “I really hope you’ll give me a second chance once I’ve had some time to work on myself and come back stronger”, which I must admit, made my heart sink a little. I’m only a few years younger than the singer myself, and I know all too well the desperation to be liked in your twenties. To feel so when the eyes of the world are watching can only be terrifying.
No matter how we sugarcoat it, the music industry is a tough world. It’s a job that requires giving your all to the creative process, to put your heart and soul into the art while simultaneously strengthening it as a product to be sold. In fact, a 2019 study conducted by the Swedish digital platform Record Union found that 80% of independent musicians in between the ages of 18-25 reported struggles with mental illness. This was due to a mix of irregular working styles, relentless touring and sexual harassment, faced largely by young women in the industry. Multiply this on a larger, label-led scale, and the patterns become even more evident.
If there’s one singer that Lola Young earns a great deal of comparison to, it’s the late, great soul artist Amy Winehouse, for her refreshingly candid lyrics and alternative looks. Following the latter’s tragic death in 2007, many of us were forced to confront that our idea of the tortured artist may not be as healthy a comfort as we liked to perceive. Winehouse struggled with a lifelong battle of depression, eating disorders and addiction, and channelled this pain into her heartfelt music. But like many women in the public eye, she faced nothing but vitriol for her appearance and an exhausting schedule from management. Tabloids of the 00s, both British and American, were cruel to anyone who dared to be different. They just wanted a piece of you, regardless, even if they didn’t like you very much.
Upon watching Asif Kapadia’s beautifully made 2015 documentary simply titled Amy, I broke down in tears during the final montage. A life of pain didn’t give Winehouse her talent; that came from a deeper place within. The suffering just happened to her, and hurt. Lola Young herself has been open about dealing with both ADHD and a Schizoaffective Disorder. Scrolling through comment sections, I’ve seen vile words on her body and appearance. Her US tour schedule was nothing short of exhausting, jumping across the country in back-to-back fashion.
We can’t continue to push our emerging artists to breaking point for art’s sake, because at the end of the day, there’s no humanity in the act. You can’t devour people for your own media consumption, and we aren’t anymore noble for doing it to ourselves, either. I hope more than anything that Young can take that time for herself, something that, sadly, Amy Winehouse and many others like her will never get to do.
I’ll leave you with a quote by one of my favourite directors of all time, which has always stuck with me. Regarding suffering for your art, David Lynch said:
“People might bring up Vincent Van Gogh as an example of a painter who did great work in spite of, or because of, his suffering. I like to think that Van Gogh would have been more prolific and even greater if he wasn’t so restricted by the things tormenting him. I don’t think it was pain that made him so great, I think painting brought him whatever happiness he had.”
Sofia Neal
Image: Eliana Shymansky
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