Lola Young Opens Up About Her Struggles with Addiction and Onstage Collapse
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Lola Young’s recent challenges came to a public zenith last year when she collapsed on stage during the All Things Go festival. This incident marked a turning point in her career, and now she has shared her experiences leading up to that moment.
In a Rolling Stone cover story published Wednesday (March 11), the British singer-songwriter reflected on the tumultuous period before her onstage fall, describing it as her “breaking point.” As her popularity surged with the Billboard Hot 100 hit “Messy,” Young found it increasingly difficult to cope with her cocaine dependency and schizoaffective disorder, both of which she has discussed previously.
“You want to say yes to everything because everything’s on the table, but then you also have to balance that with your mental health,” Young stated. “When somebody is going through addiction, or struggling in any capacity, it’s hard to know how much a person can do … I chose to hurt myself and self-sabotage, and I also chose to get onstage and perform.”
According to an interview with Young in The New York Times in August 2025, she had spent time in a treatment facility for substance issues in November 2024 and again in the summer of 2025 following a relapse. The collapse at the All Things Go festival occurred just a month after that article’s publication, prompting Young to inform fans that she would be “going away for a while” to focus on her well-being.
Following her collapse, Young re-entered treatment, spending two months in a facility on “lockdown” without her phone, and incorporating therapy into her addiction program. She now regularly attends Alcoholics Anonymous meetings and has a sponsor.
Reflecting on her journey, the vocalist expressed gratitude for the challenges she faced, stating that they motivated her to improve for her fans. “There was a bunch of hate, but you know what? F–k it,” Young shared regarding her decision to pause her music career. “What else was I going to do, die? That was the reality of where my addiction was heading.”
Young also expressed appreciation for fellow artists, including Elton John, Katy Perry, Charli XCX, Kesha, and Lady Gaga, who reached out during her struggles. “That was pretty mad,” she remarked. “And that made me feel safer.”
Since embarking on her recovery, Young has returned to public performances, including a notable appearance at the Grammys in February, where she celebrated her return by winning best pop solo performance for “Messy.”
See Young on the cover of Rolling Stone below.
