Lewis Capaldi has announced he’ll be taking a break from touring for the foreseeable future.
Over the weekend, the Someone You Loved singer was one of the most-watched acts on the Glastonbury stage, and while he struggled with parts of his set due to issues with voice and Tourette’s tics, he received a wave of support both from the festival crowd and those watching at home.
Prior to the festival, Lewis took a break from his work commitments to focus on rest and recovery, and said on stage: “I feel like I’ll be taking another wee break over the next couple of weeks. So you probably won’t see much of me for the rest of the year, maybe even.
“But when I do come back and when I do see you, I hope you’re still up for watching us.”
Posting on social media on Tuesday morning, the chart-topping singer thanked his supporters for their well-wishes, writing: “First of all, thank you to Glastonbury for having me, for singing along when I needed it and for all the amazing messages afterwards. It really does mean the world.
“The fact that this probably won’t come as a surprise doesn’t make it any easier to write, but I’m very sorry to let you know I’m going to be taking a break from touring for the foreseeable future.
“I used to be able to enjoy every second of shows like this and I’d hoped three weeks away would sort me out. But the truth is I’m still learning to adjust to the impact of my Tourette’s and on Saturday it became obvious that I need to spend much more time getting my mental and physical health in order, so I can keep doing everything I love for a long time to come.”
He continued: “I know I’m incredibly fortunate to be able to take some time out when others can’t and I’d like to thank my amazing family, friends, team, medical professionals and all of you who’ve been so supportive every step of the way through the good times and even more so during this past year when I’ve needed it more than ever.”
To those with tickets for the remaining dates on his Broken By Desire To Be Heavenly Sent tour, Lewis said: “I’m so incredibly sorry to everyone who had planned to come to a show before the end of the year but I need to feel well to perform at the standard you all deserve.
“Playing for you every night is all I’ve ever dreamed of so this has been the most difficult decision of my life. I’ll be back as soon as I possibly can.”
Earlier this year, Lewis opened up about the impact of fame on his mental health in his Netflix documentary, How I’m Feeling Now.
Just last month, he told Rebecca Judd on her Apple Music show that he would give up his music career if it meant he found himself in a position where he could not perform live due to his mental health.
“I’m managing it better now, but I think in 2020 I was kind of glad when we got put in lockdown because I had done my first arena tour in the UK, and we had just done an Australia and Asia tour before that, and I was in a bad way where I was just having panic attacks every single day on stage and I was just shy,” he explained.
Help and support:
- Mind, open Monday to Friday, 9am-6pm on 0300 123 3393.
- Samaritans offers a listening service which is open 24 hours a day, on 116 123 (UK and ROI - this number is FREE to call and will not appear on your phone bill).
- CALM (the Campaign Against Living Miserably) offer a helpline open 5pm-midnight, 365 days a year, on 0800 58 58 58, and a webchat service.
- The Mix is a free support service for people under 25. Call 0808 808 4994 or email help@themix.org.uk
- Rethink Mental Illness offers practical help through its advice line which can be reached on 0808 801 0525 (Monday to Friday 10am-4pm). More info can be found on rethink.org.