Lola Young review: buoyant return from British pop’s great oversharer

The rollercoaster ride towards international pop stardom seldom runs smooth, but few rising stars have been flung through its loops and freefalls as publicly as south London singer-songwriter Lola Young. In 2024, gen Z anthem Messy became her breakthrough moment, but social media scrutiny surrounding her open struggles with addiction and a stage collapse in New York last year brought live performances to a halt.

When the 25-year-old musician strolls on stage in a baggy black hoodie, she seems relieved to be here; casual though the look may be, she is worshipped as a Y2K style guru, and a blur of bleached mullets and denim jorts cry every word of her single Sad Sob Story!.

"I’ve written a few things I say to myself in the mirror," she explains between her first two songs, pulling up her phone to share what she dubs this evening as her "Manchester mantra": a pep talk that "sometimes you forget your own power".

United Kingdom, South London

lola young, messy, british pop, stage collapse, new york, south london, y2k style, denim jorts, bleached mullets, addiction