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Being a rising music artist involves continually improving one’s abilities. This includes utilizing social media (a must-have skill) and mastering the art of surviving on only Greggs’ vegan sausage rolls (economically challenging in the music industry). Along with these, there is now the expectation to take selfies with two fans’ phones simultaneously during a live performance, while also sharing personal and vulnerable thoughts before singing a song.
Lola Young, a 23-year-old singer-songwriter from South London, impressively balances multiple tasks onstage. She confidently holds two strangers’ phones in the air while simultaneously capturing the crowd in the shot. Despite being bombarded by more devices from the audience, she manages to take a double selfie and take a moment to catch her breath. She introduces her next song, “Intrusive Thoughts,” released just two weeks before, describing it as a reflection of her personal struggle with schizoaffective disorder. The song, a mellow ballad, directly addresses her thoughts and their dangerous tendencies, with Young pleading for them to behave. In the quieter moments of the song, the audience can even hear the whirring of two large fans on top of the mixing desk.
Music has always been an alchemical process, often turning singer-songwriters’ suffering into something beautiful. But we are now firmly into an age where artists of all kinds are opening up about trauma and mental health. Young’s underrated “project” of last year – My Mind Wanders and Sometimes Leaves Completely – owes as much to the tender generational musings of Arlo Parks as it does to Young’s more obvious antecedents.
In approximately 2020, Young made her debut and many people were quick to compare her to Adele and Amy Winehouse. She is a frank Londoner with a powerful voice and writes bluntly about troubled relationships. Like Adele and Winehouse, she also attended the Brit School. Young is currently under contract with Island, the same label that represented Winehouse, and is managed by Nick Shymansky, who also managed Winehouse, and Nick Huggett, the man who signed Adele. (According to reports, Shymansky had previously declared that he would not manage any other artists after his struggles with getting Winehouse to enter rehab, until he discovered Young.)
However, an interesting phenomenon has occurred with this musician who has also faced struggles with cysts on her vocal cords: she appears to have undergone reverse aging. Young entered the scene as a fairly refined mainstream artist, and in 2021, she was featured as the voice in the John Lewis Christmas advertisement. All in all, she seemed like typical, predictable fodder for major labels.
She is now younger than before. As My Mind Wanders… was approaching, the polished piano performances were replaced with swearing, facial piercings, and exaggerated false eyelashes. This could be referred to as “authenticity”, although this term is not entirely accurate.
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On Mind…, a pissed-off and confused young woman delivered a set of songs packed with zingers about sub-par relationships and self-obsessed men. Spiritually, these tracks had a lot in common with CMAT’s excellent album about toxic love, Crazymad, for Me (2023). For context, My 21st Century Blues, Raye’s also very real 2023 album about abuse and faltering mental health, just won its maker six Brit awards.
A number of standout moments from the show “My Mind Wanders…” were featured on the opening night of Young’s brief tour in the UK, before she moves on to the US and Canada. Particularly touching were the songs “Revolve Around You,” where Young laments her flaws and expresses her desire to be more lovable, and “What Is It About Me,” a doo-wop tune that showcases Young’s powerful vocals, reminiscent of Adele. She performed in a unique outfit, rocking a mix of a fashion-forward hairstyle, a classic Fred Perry top, and loose-fitting denim shorts.
There is a forthcoming album in the works, according to Young, but the release date has not been announced. Over the past few months, we have seen a slow release of new songs, reviving and reinventing her musical style. These latest releases showcase her guitar band as the main focus, with an indie rock sound taking over her usual electronic R&B-inspired pop sound.
In January, the boldly direct song “Wish You Were Dead” was released, featuring a lively beat of drums and slow paced guitar. The lyrics depict a dramatic scene between two people, where they pretend to be in love but eventually reach a breaking point when one throws a punch and the other throws a phone out the window, attracting attention from the neighbor and potentially causing a visit from the authorities.
These new treatments aren’t always such good news. There’s a slight skank to Big Brown Eyes, an unreleased tune that may charitably recall Lily Allen but doesn’t quite land on first hearing. A couple more unreleased tracks are similarly soupy.
Reworded: The 80s pop-rock of Messy is much more enticing as it highlights Young’s imperfections. These flaws make her relatable: she smokes heavily, is not thin, and has breakdowns like Britney on a regular basis.
There is a small possibility that Young could continuously reintroduce herself with a self-deprecating list of flaws, potentially leading to self-criticism. However, she showcases her charm and boldness brilliantly in Conceited, blending R&B with guitar and the catchy sounds of Arctic Monkeys’ Why’d You Only Call Me When You’re High. The song builds up to an energetic climax, with Young dancing gleefully. She sings from the heart, mixing half-rapping into the lyrics where she stands up for herself. This demonstrates that she is capable of handling any challenges that love or the music industry may bring her way.
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Listen to the best new music on the Observer’s Best of 2024 Spotify playlist. Tracks updated weekly by our team of critics.
Source: theguardian.com
