Lewis Capaldi has made the difficult decision to cancel his upcoming commitments ahead of his Glastonbury performance to give himself time to “rest and recover”.
The Forget You singer apologised to his fans in a statement posted on social media explaining that he is “struggling” after a busy few months, which have seen him releasing his second studio album Broken By Desire To Be Heavenly Sent and embarking on a world tour.
Writing on social media, Lewis began: “This is a really difficult message and one that hurts me a lot to have to type. But I’m really sorry to say that I’m going to have to cancel all commitments from now until I play Glastonbury on 24 June.
“It’s been such an incredible time leading into this new album, and seeing all of the support from everyone has been beyond anything I could have ever dreamed of.
“That said, the last few months have been full on both mentally and physically, I haven’t been home properly since Christmas and at the moment I’m struggling to get to grips with it all.”
He continued: “I need to take a moment to rest and recover, to be at my best and ready for Glastonbury and all of the other incredible shows coming up so that I’m able to continue doing what I love for a long time to come.
“I need to take these three weeks to be Lewis from Glasgow for a bit, spend some time with my family and friends and do normal life things that are an important part of me feeling better. I hope everyone understands.”
Lewis went on to add that he was “extremely sorry” for the impact the announcement will have on those who have booked travel or hotels for his gigs.
“The fact you’re willing to come out and spend your time, money and love on these shows is beyond comprehension and I feel incredibly lucky”, he said.
“I’m getting all the help and support I need from the incredible people around me who I’m so grateful for.”
“I take none of this for granted and can’t wait to be back doing it again,” he concluded, signing off the message with “all my love”.
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 career as a pop star if it meant he was in a position where he could not perform live due to his panic attacks.
“I think on this album in particular I talk a bit more about my mental health, which has taken a beating over the last little while,” he said.
“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.”
Lewis had been due to perform in Leeds on Tuesday evening, with appearances at Neon Fesitval in Norway and a gig at Wembley Stadium having also been cancelled.
He is scheduled due to perform on the Pyramid Stage at Glastonbury on 24 June, before Lizzo and Guns N’ Roses. He’s then got tour dates lined up in Asia and Australia.
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.