Lewis Capaldi says antipsychotic medication ‘changed my life'
Lewis Capaldi says that he is taking antipsychotic medication and that it has changed his life.
The Scottish singer stepped away from the public eye following a difficult performance at the Glastonbury Festival in the summer of 2023.
His fans stepped in to help him finish hit song 'Someone You Loved' during that performance as he appeared to struggle on stage.
Capaldi returned to the hugely popular British festival last month and is embarking on a sold out tour of the U.K. and Ireland in September, followed by a series of dates in Australia and New Zealand.
The 28-year-old singer-songwriter opened up about his mental health struggles in an interview with Theo Von on YouTube.
Speaking on the comedian's podcast 'This Past Weekend,' Capaldi said he'd had 'a breakdown of sorts on stage' at the festival two years ago.
He revealed that an initial prescription for antidepressants made him feel 'numb,' while coming off them made him feel 'really low.'
The shift to antipsychotic medication made all the difference, he said.
'It was really scary when they offered it up,' he said, adding that he questioned the prescription, saying: 'I'm not psychotic.'
He said he takes aripiprazole, which is known to be a treatment for Tourette's Syndrome, as well as other conditions like bipolar disorder and schizophrenia.
'It's changed my life,' he said. 'It's genuinely been a massive, massive help.'
He said he's been having therapy and that he's also made other lifestyle changes: he has cut back on drink, changed his diet and taken up exercise, revealing that he has lost about 28 pounds since January.
'My anxiety levels are so low these days,' he said. 'I don't feel as stressed. I don't know if it's all related to this (the antipsychotics) or other choices – I guess it's an amalgamation of things.'
Glastonbury was a turning point
The performance at Glastonbury in 2023 was 'the lowest moment of my life,' Capaldi said, adding: 'I had this moment where I was on stage, like two, three songs in, (thinking) this is the last time I'm going to play a gig for a long time. I need to try and get through the rest of the show but when I come off I'm done.'
That decision, he said, left him feeling like a 'weight had been lifted.'
There had been a similar episode several weeks earlier in Chicago, which he said was 'way worse.'
'I couldn't come back on stage and finish the song and I was backstage convulsing and having this crazy panic attack,' he said.
'In a weird way it's probably the best thing that's ever happened to me, that moment at Glastonbury in 2023, because… I wouldn't have stopped otherwise.'
CNN's Lisa Respers contributed to this report.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CTV News
4 hours ago
- CTV News
Orléans young violinist wins $25K music prize
Justin Saulnier, 20, plays the violin before a performance at the Carleton-Dominion Chalmers Centre in Ottawa on Sunday, July 20, 2025. (Camille Wilson/CTV News Ottawa) Ottawa's Justin Saulnier, a 20-year-old violinist, has reached the highest level of national recognition by winning a prestigious music award. Saulnier received the Michael Measures First Prize reward of $25,000 from the Canada Council for the Arts. The rising star made his orchestral debut at 12-years-old with the Ottawa Chamber Orchestra. He's performed with major orchestras across Canada, including the Montreal Symphony Orchestra and the National Arts Centre, and won multiple national competitions. He currently studies at McGill University with violinist Andrew Wan. Saulnier will perform as a featured soloist with 91 of Canada's top young musicians at the National Youth Orchestra of Canada on Sunday evening at the Carleton-Dominion Chalmers Centre. This story will be updated
National Post
5 hours ago
- National Post
Performer unfurls Palestinian flag during curtain call at Royal Opera House in London
A performer holding a Palestinian flag touched off a brief scuffle on stage at the Royal Opera House in London as cast members were taking their bows following the season's final performance of 'Il Trovatore.' Article content Images posted on social media show what appears to be a member of the chorus holding the unfurled flag in front of his chest while the lead singers bask in the audience's applause on Saturday night. Article content After a few moments, someone backstage tries to grab the flag, but the performer holds onto it and snaps back into place. Article content Article content 🎥 Performer unfurls Palestinian flag in Royal Opera House protest (Credit: sydcas/X) — The Telegraph (@Telegraph) July 20, 2025 Article content 'The display of the flag was an unauthorized action by the artist,' the opera company said in a statement on Sunday. 'It was not approved by the Royal Ballet and Opera and is a wholly inappropriate act.' Article content Article content 'Il Trovatore,' which translates as 'The Troubadour,' is an 1853 opera by the Italian composer Giuseppe Verdi. Director Adele Thomas' production reinterprets the story of desire and an all-consuming curse, the opera said. Article content
CTV News
7 hours ago
- CTV News
Former wrestler Jacques Rougeau kicks off one-man show after hard times
Former wrestler Jacques Rougeau is putting on a one-man show after falling on hard times. (Christine Long/CTV) Former wrestler Jacques Rougeau was a winner in the ring for decades, but has fallen on hard days. Now, he's getting back in front of a crowd in a new way. He's taken some big hits lately and is trying to get 'off the ropes' in his personal life, says Rougeau. He says the glory days of wrestling and the world-famous Rougeau Family were very good years. 'My father always told me, 'Save your money. Save your money for the hard days,'' he says. 'I looked at my dad. I said, 'There's never going to be hard days! That money is always going to come in.' I was so confident, so arrogant. And then? Then, now, life hit me.' His troubles began when pandemic regulations shut down Rougeau's wrestling school and cancelled his public appearances. 'When they closed all the venues down, I didn't have any insurance or nothing,' says Rougeau, but things got worse when his wife Nathalie Thibodeau was diagnosed with cancer. Rougeau didn't leave her side through two years of treatments. 'So I decided to neglect my business. And then from then on, it just got worse and worse financially. And I dug myself a big hole,' says Rougeau. Jacques Rougeau and Nathalie Thibodeau Jacques Rougeau and his wife Nathalie Thibodeau have been working on his one-man show. (Christine Long/CTV) His business is now $70 thousand in debt. Rougeau says he's one knee down — but he's not out. 'I'm 65 years old. Just this week I've gotten my first old man's pension check, which is fantastic. I got money appearing in my bank account! Yay!' he says. Rougeau says he's working on his finances and his sweetheart is in remission. 'So mentally, I'm good now that she's OK. And she is. She's my rock,' he says hugging Thibodeau. These days, Rougeau has a one-man show revisiting the glory days in the ring. 'Nathalie is with me and she puts the videos on the giant screen and the pictures. And I bring in the stories from backstage, things that people don't know,' he explains. 'And I mean, the funny things, the weird things.' He says he going to win this battle just like all the others. 'I'm definitely going to get back on my feet!' he says.
