Lola Young reduces schedule to help with recovery

Lola Young has cut back on her schedule and learned how to say no to help with her recovery.

Lola Young has learned how to say no since undergoing treatment for addiction.

The Messy singer stepped out of the spotlight after collapsing on stage at the All Things Go festival at Forest Hills Stadium, New York, in September and subsequently checked into a “holistic facility” to seek help.

Since leaving the clinic, Lola has deliberately cut back on her schedule in a bid to help with her recovery.

She told the Sunday Times Style magazine: “[Part of being in recovery is] being self-aware and knowing when to stop, and knowing when to say no.

“I am now in a position where I can do things I couldn’t have done before. Doing it slower, more intentionally, but doing it in a way I feel is good for me.”

The 25-year-old star has stopped reading the comments on her social media posted because of how they impact on her, as she was getting particularly frustrated at being dismissed as a “nepo baby” because she is related to the Gruffalo author Julia Donaldson.

She said: “As artists we are public-facing figures. We get scrutiny, we get people calling us out, we get people not liking our bloody outfits — we have to deal with all of it. And even though from the outside it may look like we are doing fine, sometimes we’re not…

“[Looking at the comments is] just too bad on my mental health.”

Asked when she made the decision, she added: “Particularly around the nepo baby stuff. I keep saying I’m not gonna comment on this again. But like, how dare someone comment on something they know f*** all about? It just is insane to me.”

Lola made her return to the public eye at this year’s Grammy Awards, where she received the Best Solo Pop Peformance accolade for Messy, but she admitted it was hard to know when would be the right time to get back into the spotlight.

Asked if she’d always planned to return for the Grammys, she said: “If I’m honest with you, I think I didn’t know. You never know when the right time is, as an artist, when you’ve taken a break. It was a hard decision to make — I cancelled a whole tour that I was really excited to do.”

The One Thing singer received the award from Charli XCX, who has been very supportive.

She said: “Charli sent me a really sweet message during my break. She just said that she supports me and she’s there for me.”

Lola noted her recovery is an “ongoing journey” and stressed others struggling with addiction should know they are not alone.

She said: “I would like to say that this is an ongoing journey. You have to be kind to yourself. You have to always remember that you are not alone. You are not ever, ever alone.”