To be a popular music artist, is to perform and entertain with a curse. At least that’s how it comes across.
Think about it. That old archetype of the artist engulfed in tragedy, surrounded by suffering, yet using that strength to create something beautiful, something memorable, something that will be talked about for years, if not decades to come.
Now, I think it’s insanity to think that an artist, of any kind, should suffer to produce great art. But it is a very common trend. Case in point, the Croydon-born popstar Lola Young, who has seen a remarkable surge in popularity over the last couple of years. But that mounting pressure came at a cost.
In September 2025, the same month when her stellar third studio album “I’m Only F**king Myself” released, Lola Young played at the All Things Go festival in New York. During her set, Young collapsed and had to be helped off stage. The collapse came as a result of a severe cocaine addiction and the ever-increasing pressure from her sudden rise to stardom.
It prompted tour cancellations, as well as Young stepping away from the eye of the public as she sought out help with her addiction and mental health struggles. And, thankfully, it appears that in 2026, Lola Young has come out stronger and sharper than ever, she returned to performing in January, and at this year’s grammy awards, Young won her first Grammy, for best pop solo performance for her hit single ‘Messy’. A truly triumphant return for an artist who was at her lowest not too many months ago
In preparation for the upcoming festival season, Lola Young announced a small tour across the UK, starting with two nights at the Apollo in Manchester. I can’t speak for her first night, but i certainly can for her second night performance.
The air and general feeling in the Apollo, and during Lola Young’s performance, was of triumph, of celebration and the realisation of the strength we hold as people. Young’s drummer donning an Arsenal Jersey was befitting of that champion sentiment, the same can’t be said for the fan at the barricade in an Alpine F1 jersey, but there was a pink theme going on so i can forgive them.
Lola Young comes out to rapturous applause and cheers, before kicking the set off with ‘Sad Sob Story’, a performance so brilliant and towering that it made you forget that this was someone who went through a hard time. Lola’s vocals engulfed the venue with sheer quality, and sometime the audience joined in to deafen the place, like during the chorus of ‘Dealer’ and the hit single ‘One Thing’.
During the set, Lola Young red out the “Manchester Mantra”. Intended to change it for every show, but she forgot to change it for night two so we ended up with the same message as the night one goers. The general thesis was about the strength we as people hold within ourselves, and how we need to realise and seize our own power. It’s a very fitting message for an artist who needed that lesson herself.
If I could try to encapsulate Lola Young’s performance in one word, it would be buoyancy. Even during the slower songs, Lola Young always had a swagger and joy when performing, the fast-paced vocals of ‘Big Brown Eyes’ or the ear-shattering sing along of fan favourite ‘Conceited’, and the way Young would sway on stage and move about with such supreme confidence in herself and image is the hallmark of someone who’s realised their own strength.
The best part of the setlist came with two of my favourites performed back to back, that did not disappoint. First, was ‘Post Sex Clarity’, a brilliant song about Young’s confusion over having strong feelings for someone even after seemingly casual intercourse, and it’s belted out in full flow. The second, my personal favourite song by Young, the excellent ‘SPIDERS’, about confronting one’s own insecurities and demons, a riff that ripples through the venue, and a powerful performance to match.
After the track ‘Not Like That Anymore’, which was a groovy and upbeat way to close the main set out, Lola Young comes back out for two final songs in the encore, first a recently released single called ‘From Down Here’, a song about her recent sobriety and her shift from leaving her previous addictions, it’s a touching song that hints at a new direction. But at the end, the crowd gets what they want, with ‘Messy’ closing things out, the song that put Young in this spotlight to begin with, a song about the flaws we all have, something I’m sure every one of the 3,500 people in the Apollo that night can relate to.
At the end of the set, there was a girl, who had a very noticeable glowing crown, like it had been made of LED lights. She hugged her mate for a solid 10-20s after the show was over. It stuck with me because it showed just how much Lola Young’s music means to so many people. I hope Lola Young knows just how loved she is, and how brilliant of a performer she is.
