Get to know more about 'Messy' singer Lola Young
She's cancelled her tour
Last updated 3rd Nov 2025
It's fair to say that Lola Young is making some pretty big waves in the music industry right now. With a powerful voice, and knack for blending genres such as pop, soul and R&B, it's no surprise that her huge track 'Messy' has been pretty much TikTok's soundtrack for a while now! Want to know more about the London-born singer/songwriter? We've got you covered.
Famed for her relatable, all-too-real lyrics and addictive personality, join us as we delve into Lola Young's musical journey, and the impact she'd already had on the music industry. From John Lewis Christmas ad soundtracks, to a Platinum-certified Number 1 single, BRIT Award performance AND nomination, here's everything you need to know about one of the most exciting talents on the scene, Lola Young...
How old is Lola Young?
Lola is just 24-years-old! The singer/songwriter was born on 4th January 2001 - making her a Capricorn.
Where is she from?
She is from London, having grown up in the Beckenham area (Greater London). Her father is Jamaican-Chinese, and her mother is English.
Lola grew up in a musical home, and began to grow her passion for the arts from a young age. With her step-dad being a bass player, and mother encouraging her musical passions, it's no surprise she began learning the piano by age six, as well as guitar.
Also adding to Lola's creative flare was her great aunt - Julia Donaldson - who is the author of 1999 children's book The Gruffalo.
Whilst also attending singing lessons, Lola was just 11-years-old when she developed a love for songwriting. Following secondary school, Lola attended the famous BRIT school in Croydon.
How did she become famous?
Lola has been working on her music career for most of her life. Learning instruments from the age of six, and writing songs before she was even a teenager, she soon began competing in Open Mic UK competitions. At 15-years-old, she won with her song 'Never Enough' - with the victory bagging her a £5,000 music development grant and a consultation package with Future Music, which ultimately aided in her admission to BRIT School.
In 2016, Lola finished in second place on CBBC's show Got What It Takes?, and it was two years later, in 2018, that she graduated from BRIT School.
By continuing to perform at open mic nights, and perform local gigs, Lola soon caught the eye of industry figures Nick Shymansky, who is Amy Winehouse's former manager, and Nick Huggett, who first signed Adele back in 2006. Both iconic artists were also former attendees of the highly esteemed BRIT School.
Both figures soon became Lola's managers, and it was then in 2019 that she signed her first record deal with Island Records and released her debut single '6 Feet Under'. Her first EP 'Intro' was released that same year, and her next - titled 'Renaissance' - followed in April 2020.
Lola's breakout moment is widely considered to be her cover of 'Together in Electric Dreams', which she performed for the John Lewis Christmas advert in 2021. She performed the cover on The Late Late Show with James Corden, gaining wider recognition, and received a nomination for the BRITs Rising Star Award that same year.
Her debut album 'My Mind Wanders and Sometimes Leaves Completely' was later released on 26th May 2023, through Island Records.
On 21st June 2024, Lola released her second album 'This Wasn't Meant for You Anyway', which included her viral Number 1 hit 'Messy'. On top of that, she also featured on Tyler, The Creator's track 'Like Him', which was released on 28th October 2024 and featured on his seventh studio album, 'Chromakopia'.
Lola's new music 2025
Following the success of 'Messy', Lola has released several songs.
In May 2025, Lola released her banger 'One Thing' which entered the chart at Number 25 in the UK. Fans loved it immediately, with one writing on Instagram: 'I didn't know i could listen to a song so many times in one week 😉🔥😍.' (sic)
She later released 'd£aler' in July 2025, followed by 'Spiders' and 'Post Sex Clarity'.
New album
In June 2025, Lola announced she would be releasing a new album called 'I’m Only F--king Myself', in September. Lola shared the artwork, writing: 'I’m Only F**king Myself
'My ode to self sabotage, my chance to claw myself back from the edge of defeat.
'19/09/2025'.
What are Lola Young's most popular songs?
Although 2024 was undeniably a huge year for Lola, she has actually been releasing music since 2019, when she first signed with Island Records. With three studio albums now under her belt, Lola has an impressive discography of popular tracks under her belt.
'Messy'
Featuring on her second album, 'This Wasn't Meant for You Anyway', 'Messy' is widely considered Lola's most popular song to date, with it aiding the singer in achieving international recognition due to its popularity on TikTok.
Released on 30th May 2024, the track is now certified 2x Platinum, hitting the Number 1 spot in the UK Chart and racking up almost 50 million views on YouTube (at the time of writing, that is).
Not only did it hit Number 1 in the UK, but also Australia, Belgium (Flanders), Croatia, Ireland and Israel. To top it all off, as with most TikTok viral tracks, the song acquired its own dance, with Sofia Richie's 'two-second two-step' to thank.
🚨 WARNING: EXPLICIT LANGUAGE USED
'Wish You Were dead'
Released in early 2024, also featuring on her second album, was 'Wish you were dead'. Following suit with Lola's writing style, the track was praised for its raw emotion and candid portrayal of a toxic relationship.
The music video landed on YouTube on 12th January 2024, and has now had over 1.8 million views to date.
🚨 WARNING: EXPLICIT LANGUAGE USED
'Conceited'
With another catchy melody and powerful lyrics, 'Conceited' is another of of Lola's most popular tracks so far, ranking in over 5.5 million views on YouTube since the video's release in 2023. It was certified Silver in the UK by the BPI in October 2025 with 200,000 sales.
WATCH: Lola Young 'Conceited' official music video:
'Don't Hate Me'
With over 1.8 million views on YouTube at the time of writing, 'Don't Hate Me' is another well-known and popular track from Lola. Released back in March 2023, the catchy tune and all-too-real lyrics proved to be another perfect recipe from Lola.
Not surprisingly, a snippet of the 2023 track also went viral on TikTok, further amplifying its reach and global success.
WATCH: Lola Young 'Don't Hate Me' official music video:
'Together In Electric Dreams' (cover)
In 2021, Lola recorded a cover of Philip Oakey and Giorgio Moroder's 'Together In Electric Dreams', with the track used for the highly-anticipated John Lewis Christmas advert - a modern day festive staple.
Lola performed the track on The Late Late Show with James Corden, with the touching ad now having over 3.2 million views on John Lewis' YouTube channel.
LISTEN: Lola Young's cover of 'Together In Electric Dreams':
Lola Young and The BRIT Awards 2025
Lola Young is no stranger to a BRIT Awards nomination, having been up for Rising Star back in 2021. This year, however, not only was she up for Best Pop Act, but she also took to the stage, performing her hit 'Messy'!
In January 2025, it was revealed that Lola was up for Best Pop Act - against the likes of Charli XCX, Dua Lipa, JADE and Myles Smith. At the ceremony on 1st March, the gong went to JADE.
Lola joined an impressive line-up of performers on the night including Sam Fender, JADE, Myles Smith, Sabrina Carpenter, Teddy Swims and The Last Dinner Party.
Has Lola won an Ivor?
Yes! She bagged the Rising Star Award with Amazon Music at The Ivors 2025 in London. Accepting her award on 22nd May, the singer-songwriter said: "Writing songs for me isn't a job. It's never been a job, or a chore and it will never be, because of the simple fact that I need to do it.
"I don't know why, but I don't really bother asking myself that silly question anymore, because whether it's my duty, or an outlet, or a means for me to heal, or a gift, or a blessing, or a curse, or maybe a combination of them all, something inside me just needs to do it. To make sense of things that I don't understand yet, to process my pain, my thoughts, my feelings.
"I write so I can feel and other days I write so the rest of me doesn't have to. And in moments that I really don't remember who the f--- I am, I write so that I can remember.
"Thank you so much, because even though I did not expect this in any way, nor did I ever write songs with any expectation, validation helps to keep me going, and helps to continue to be myself as a person, as a woman, a songwriter and as an artist.
"And for anyone who like me, who at ten years old sat in their bedroom with their curtains drawn writing sad poetry and melodies and strumming badly on the guitar, you'll know just as much as I do that this is more than a job for us."
In her first year of recognition by The Ivors, Lola was up for THREE awards. She was also nominated for Best Album ('This Wasn't Meant For You Anyway') and Best Song Musically and Lyrically ('Messy').
WARNING: THE BELOW VIDEO CONTAINS EXPLICIT CONTENT
Is she on tour?
Sadly, Lola has had to cancel her tour, after she collapsed while on stage at a festival In New York, in September 2025. Lola was set to begin the UK leg of her tour on 6th October in Manchester.
Earlier in 2025, fans were able to see Lola perform at Coachella in April, Parklife 2025 on 14th June, Reading and Leeds Festival the weekend of 22nd-24th August and Glastonbury on Friday 27th June.
Is Lola performing at Glastonbury?
Yes! In March 2025 it was announced the 'Messy' singer will perform at this year's Glastonbury Festival in Somerset. She'll take to the stage on Friday 27th June 2025 along with Gracie Abrams and Myles Smith.
What shows has she been on?
Since bursting out onto the music scene, Lola has appeared on many talk shows, as well as giving live performances on TV over the years. In 2021, she appeared on The Late Late Show with James Corden, where she performed her rendition of 'Together in Electric Dreams'.
In January 2025, Lola appeared on The Graham Norton Show, alongside the likes of Renée Zellweger, Leo Woodall, Sterling K Brown, Anthony Mackie and Cyndi Lauper. Lola performed her hit track 'Messy' on the show.
That same month, Lola appeared on The Jimmy Fallon show, where she talked all things 'Messy' and Tyler, The Creator.
She also, of course, appeared on CBBC's Got What It Takes? in 2016 - with clips of the show resurfacing on TikTok following her skyrocketing to worldwide fame in 2024.
Check out these huge pop stars who attended BRIT school:
Amy Winehouse
Before her untimely death in 2011, Amy released two Top 5 albums, she also received a BRIT Award for British Female Solo Artist in 2007.
Katie Melua
Katie Melua has had eight Top 10 albums in the UK and is known for her Number 1 single, 'What a Wonderful World' with Eva Cassidy.
Adele
What a career Adele has had! Since winning the Critics' Choice Award in 2007, Adele has gone on to have three Number 1 albums and won a number of awards, including BRIT Awards, GRAMMYs and Billboard Music Awards.
After a hiatus, Adele delighted her fans when she released her huge track 'Easy On Me' on 15th October 2021. The singer then sent the Internet into a frenzy when she confirmed her new album '30' would be released on Friday 19th November of the same year.
Adele is now performing her Weekends With Adele shows at her Las Vegas residency at The Colosseum at Caesar's Palace.
Jessie J
At the age of 16 Jessie J began studying at the BRIT School and has since gone on to release three Top 5 albums, and have huge success with her singles including, 'Price Tag', 'Domino', and 'Bang Bang'.
Kate Nash
Kate Nash enjoyed success with her debut album, 'Made of Bricks', in 2007, also releasing singles, 'Foundations', 'Mouthwash' and 'Do-Wah-Doo'.
Katy B
Since releasing her debut album 'On a Mission' in 2011, Katy B has had chart success with 'Lights On', 'Turn the Music Louder (Rumble)' and 'Crying for No Reason'.
Leona Lewis
Not only did Leona Lewis attend BRITs School, she also won the third series of The X Factor in 2006. Since her X Factor success Leona has had three Number 1 singles.
Rizzle Kicks
Both members of Rizzle Kicks, Jordan 'Rizzle' Stephens and Harley 'Kicks' Alexander-Sule attend BRIT School and have since two Top 5 albums and released a number of singles including, 'Down with the Trumpets' and featuring on Olly Murs', 'Heart Skips a Beat'.
Ella Eyre
Ella Eyre is best known for her collaborations with Rudimental, 'Waiting All Night' DJ Fresh, 'Gravity', and with Sigala on his singles, 'Came Here for Love', and 'Just Got Paid'.
Freya Ridings
Freya Ridings broke into the music scene in 2019, when her hit single 'Castles' become one of the songs of the summer due to it being played on Love Island. She went on to release her self-titled debut album and continues to storm the charts.
RAYE
Rachel Agatha Keen, better known as RAYE, took the world by storm back in 2016 following the release of breakthrough singles 'By Your Side' by Jonas Blue and 'You Don't Know Me' by Jax Jones, which featured her vocals. In 2020 she dropped her debut mini-album 'Euphoric Sad Songs' and has provided us with huge tracks such as 'Bed' with Joel Corry and David Guetta.
RAYE attended the BRIT School for two years, before dropping out after reportedly feeling "confined, despite learning an extensive amount." It's safe to say she's had a successful career since then.
In 2024, RAYE broke nomination history by being nominated for seven awards in six categories. She went on to win six awards on the night of the ceremony.
Lola Young
'Messy' singer Lola Young attended BRIT School, graduating in 2018. She's gone on to have the viral hit 'Messy' which went on to become a Number 1 hit in the UK, followed by the Top 20 song 'One Thing'.
Now read:
Everything you need to know about The BRIT Awards 2025
Gracie Abrams: Everything there is to know about the 'I Love You, I'm Sorry' singer
Sam Fender and Lola Young final acts to perform at The BRIT Awards