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Lewis Capaldi says therapy played 'massive part' in musical comeback

Lewis Capaldi says therapy played 'massive part' in musical comeback

BBC News07-07-2025
Lewis Capaldi has said therapy played a "massive part" in his musical comeback, following his triumphant and emotional return at Glastonbury last month.The Someone You Love singer performed a 35-minute set on the Pyramid stage, two years after he was unable to finish his set on the same stage when he struggled to manage the symptoms of Tourette syndrome.He announced a break from touring shortly afterwards but was welcomed back warmly at this year's event.During a conversation with one of his best friends, released to mark the singer's new partnership with the BetterHelp online therapy platform, Capaldi reflected on how the 2023 performance was "literally the worst moment" of his life.
"It was a big, big, big old gig," he said. "Second song in I was probably just like 'this has to like... I can't keep doing this to myself and other people as well'."People were coming to gigs, and I was like 'that's not how you want to watch a show'."As far as I was concerned, I was like, 'I'm done, indefinitely'."Capaldi also said that he had felt anxious, "wasn't living in the moment at all" and was "catastrophising".He said: "Therapy has been such a massive part of my last two years, a massive part of the reason that I'm able to be a musician again."He announced that, in partnership with the BetterHelp charity, and "to reflect my experience of therapy and the importance I feel it has in my life and other people's lives," they were giving away 734,000 free hours of therapy.He added: "The importance of that number is that it's 1,000 hours for every single day... since I last played on stage [before his year's Glastonbury] and I feel like, if I can be a part of sharing that with other people, why not?"He said that when he had previously had therapy, he had been "lying" to the therapist and "telling them what I thought they wanted to hear".He said he now found therapy difficult but it was worth it."I really struggle with it, it's not fun. I don't have a fun time there."I feel amazing after. Sometimes it can be really difficult, but I think I do it because I realise how important it is for me to continue to feel good, because I've felt the best I've felt in a long time through therapy. I would say that has been the cornerstone of why I feel how good I feel now.He added: "A big thing I've noticed or found, is that different therapists work for different people."So I think it's all about giving the time to therapy as well, also not expecting that quick fix. I'm someone who likes instant gratification... so I think coming to terms with that was a big thing."Capaldi is best known for his such as Forget Me, Wish You The Best and Hold Me While You Wait, recently released his first new music since 2023 and will tour later this year.
Capaldi said he thinks he will "always be an anxious person"."I think accepting that that's always going to be there for me is a big thing."It's about how I respond to anxiety and how I respond to a lot of stuff in my life."It's how I, I don't like this phrase, but 'show up for myself'."I have neglected to look after myself in the past, both mentally and physically, and I have made promises to myself that I haven't kept."I think for me, it's accepting that I'm always going to have this stuff there, it's about how I... respond, what steps I take to... remain at base level."Capaldi said he had performed "secret gigs" that were "warm-up shows" in Scotland to "ease in" before doing Glastonbury this year.At his first warm-up show in Edinburgh, the star said he felt a "rush of adrenaline" before managing to calm himself."Before I did the last song, I was just explaining to everybody who was there how grateful I was that they had shown up and come along and I think I didn't realise how much I actually missed being on stage and then I just started to cry," he said.During this year's Glastonbury show, Capaldi performed his new track Survive, which has since gone to number one on the singles chart.
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From awol to A-lister: how pop stars from Charli xcx to Addison Rae found the fun in fame again
From awol to A-lister: how pop stars from Charli xcx to Addison Rae found the fun in fame again

The Guardian

time29 minutes ago

  • The Guardian

From awol to A-lister: how pop stars from Charli xcx to Addison Rae found the fun in fame again

On Lorde's 2021 album Solar Power, the New Zealand pop star ditched fame. She threw her phone in the sea, sang 'if you're looking for a saviour, well, that's not me' and advised looking to nature for answers instead. But her sun-bleached third album proved divisive, so much so that just a year later, she placated fans by promising she was making 'bangers' again. This April, her comeback single What Was That returned to the incandescent synth-pop of her beloved 2017 album Melodrama; her new album Virgin opens: 'It's a beautiful life so why play truant? / I jerk tears and they pay me to do it.' Lorde was back roaming the streets, swapping Auckland fishing trips for New York Citi Bike rides, addicted to her phone again, playing Glastonbury at 11.30am and then disappearing to get high at Four Tet. Where Solar Power was introverted, Virgin is hungry for experience and connection, sticky with sweat and other bodily fluids. But it's also still preoccupied with the cost of finding fame at the age of 16 and how to carry it at age 28. The erratic album has divided critics again: is the sometimes spindly sound and lyrical status anxiety another attempt by Lorde to push listeners away? Or are the intermittent Melodrama 2.0 bangers her giving in to expectation? Ever alert to her own myth, she said recently: 'I just am this person who's meant to make these bangers that fuck us all up.' While Lorde is figuring out her relationship to celebrity, an emerging group of pop stars are striking straight for its jugular – hungry for success and toying with its aesthetics – no matter what cautionary tales previous generations of superstar have been telling them about the perils of your dream coming true. Just a few years ago, Billie Eilish and Taylor Swift dialled down the intensity of their work as they've sought privacy and reckoned with wounds sustained from lifelong visibility. Justin Bieber has stressed how negatively media invasion has affected his life. After her Vegas and Munich residencies, Adele has split the scene. And the revelations about the abuse of Britney Spears prompted a host of documentaries in which 90s and Y2K pop stars including Robbie Williams aired their damage. These stories are in stark contrast to the playfulness of the current moment. Unsurprisingly, Brat parted the waves. In the video for lead single Von Dutch, Charli xcx led a bloody fight against a paparazzo stalking her around an airport – something unlikely to have happened to the still not-quite-mainstream pop star before the release of her sixth album. Then Brat became a phenomenon and Charli a household name. Commanding, spontaneous and feckless, she made being a celebrity look like a monstrously good time that she couldn't get enough of. 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BBC star leading the race to replace John Torode on MasterChef – after star is ‘asked to step down' from show
BBC star leading the race to replace John Torode on MasterChef – after star is ‘asked to step down' from show

The Sun

time34 minutes ago

  • The Sun

BBC star leading the race to replace John Torode on MasterChef – after star is ‘asked to step down' from show

A popular BBC star is the front runner to replace John Torode on MasterChef. Australian star Torode, 59, has been asked to step down from his long-running role on the show after an historic accusation of racism, which he has no memory of and denies ever happened. 4 4 The claim against him emerged as part of an investigation into his shamed former co-star Gregg Wallace that saw 45 of 83 allegations of bad behaviour upheld against him. While food critic Grace Dent has already led the celebrity version of the show and is a favourite to present the amateur version too, Saturday Kitchen's Matt Tebbutt is also being lined up. It's believed he has already landed the job fronting MasterChef: The Professionals. A TV insider said: 'Both Grace and Matt are well thought of at the Beeb and the one thing they want in the wake of the show's recent crisis is familiarity and safety. 'They're also conscious that having a male and female pairing is a welcome break from it being fronted by two blokes.' Meanwhile, Torode was cited — but not named — in findings published over a racist remark he allegedly made during a private conversation. Torode, who has hosted the BBC1 cooking show with Wallace since 2005, was shocked to be told of the allegation — which did not receive a complaint at the time but had been raised with investigators. In a farcical turn of events, the BBC was unable to specify the time or date of the allegation, narrowing it down to '2018 or 2019'. Shockingly, sources said the BBC and production company Banijay asked John to resign from the beleaguered show last week and claim he had mental health problems — to which he refused. He issued a statement to The Sun confirming he was the individual in the Wallace investigation who was 'alleged to have used racial language on one occasion'. However John — married to actress and ex-Celebrity MasterChef contestant Lisa Faulkner, 53 — believes it never even happened. The dad of four said: 'The allegation is I did so sometime between 2018 or 2019, in a social situation, and the person I was speaking with did not believe it was intended in a malicious way and I apologised immediately afterwards. "I have absolutely no recollection of any of this, and I do not believe that it happened 'However, I want to be clear that I've always had the view that any racial language is wholly unacceptable in any environment. 'I'm shocked and saddened by the allegation as I would never wish to cause anyone any offence.' 4 It is understood to be the only issue involving him in the report, though a source close to him said he is 'absolutely devastated to have been pulled into this mess'. They went on: 'He was at drinks after filming when he is alleged to have used an inappropriate racial term. "The witness said he apologised instantly, and he was mortified. 'The witness even stated he didn't use the term as a slur. 'No one complained at the time, but it's been brought up during the inquiry. "Shockingly he was only made aware of the incident two weeks ago and was only informed on Friday that it would be upheld." The BBC called John on Thursday night, followed by an email on Friday, asking him to step back. He was told to have his answer by Monday. A source claimed: 'They ambushed him, and it was suggested he quit due to the stress and scrutiny of the furore around the show. 'Obviously he was absolutely shocked and appalled and told them quite firmly he didn't have any mental health issues. "To try to use mental health as a get-out clause seems incredibly low — and is also deeply unfair to those with genuine mental health trauma. 'John absolutely loves MasterChef, and doesn't want to lose his job because of an investigation into his co-star."

Oasis fan with no ticket claims he snuck in to see the band using VERY ingenious plot
Oasis fan with no ticket claims he snuck in to see the band using VERY ingenious plot

Daily Mail​

time35 minutes ago

  • Daily Mail​

Oasis fan with no ticket claims he snuck in to see the band using VERY ingenious plot

A major Oasis fan who failed to bag a ticket to the band's iconic reunion tour claimed he managed to get in using a very ingenious plan. John Spilsbury, 42, was determined to join the 80,000 strong crowd on Friday night as the rock band took to the stage in Manchester for the first time in 16 years. After racking his brain for a way in, the super fan decided to pose as a little picker so he could walk straight up to the front - and claims it worked. The transport planner said he wore a yellow hi-vis vest, carried a litter picker and held a bin bag before strolling up to the gates at Heaton Park, The Sun first reported. After being waved through, Mr Spilsbury said he got right to the front standing section using his smart disguise. Living up to his persona of the night, the fan claimed he carried out a '30 minute shift' of litter picking before removing his outfit to enjoy the show. Mr Spilsbury, from Alfreton in Cheshire, posted on social media: 'No Ticket No Problem. 'When you can't get a ticket for Oasis so take a hi viz and grabber and pretend to be a litter picker then walk straight into front standing.' Viewers praised the transport planner for being a 'legend and a genius', while others joked there will be '6,000 litter pickers' turning up to the next concert. The band's shows at Heaton Park - a 600-acre public park in Bury and Manchester - are the only UK concerts held outside a stadium, with the others taking place at the Principality Stadium, Wembley and Murrayfield. Oasis opened their set with Hello from their 1995 second album (What's the Story), before playing Acquiesce. Fans were treated to Morning Glory, Some Might Say, Cigarettes and Alcohol, and Supersonic before Noel's acoustic set. Giving his brother a hug, Liam then headed off while Noel played Half The World Away and Little By Little. Other songs included D'You Know What I Mean, Cast No Shadow, Stand By Me, Whatever and Rock N Roll Star. After Rock N Roll Star, Liam said: 'Thanks for sticking with us. I know we are difficult, but you want to try being in the band,' before they left the stage. As chants of 'one more song!' echoed through the crowd they strolled back on to stage to play fan favourites Don't Look Back In Anger and Wonderwall. Oasis ended the night on Champagne Supernova with fireworks being set off from the stage.

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