With her recent album, This Wasn’t Meant For You Anyway, and the latest explosion of her song ‘Messy’, UK’s own Lola Young is quickly becoming a well-known name for Gen Z and beyond. As she continues to rise, here are the most important things to know about Lola so that you can firmly cement your status as a new listener.
1. She has an extensive discography despite only being 23
Alongside her two albums, TWMFYA (2024) and My Mind Wanders and Sometimes Leaves Completely (2023), Lola has had an impressive singles run. Since releasing her debut in 2019, she’s racked up 27 singles. And that’s not even mentioning her two mini albums, from 2020 and 2021 respectively. With her R&B-rooted, stylistically dynamic sound, there is something within her catalogue for everyone.
2. She’s got a long list of inspirations
Like many up-and-comers, Lola has a wide pool of inspiration. Her primary ones, however, are Joni Mitchell, Frank Ocean, Adele, Prince and Anderson .Paak. What a variety!
3. She’s already been up for some big awards
In 2021, Lola was nominated for the Brit Award for Young Rising Star. Past award recipients have included Adele, Sam Smith, and Griff – so she’s in some impressive company. She also attended the famous BRIT school – a very well-known institution for artists, many of who have a similar sound to what Lola now embodies.
4. She’s been on tour with Melanie Martinez
In 2024 on July 31, Lola opened for electropop artist Melanie Martinez, on her recent Trilogy tour. Martinez has a strong fanbase, so no doubt this venture would have exposed Lola’s music to a fresh new audience. Recently, it’s also been announced that she’s going on an extensive tour of her own, across North America, Europe and the UK.
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5. Her family is very musical
Despite saying in an interview that she didn’t “pop out the womb” with natural talent like Beyonce, Lola’s family is still super musically inclined. Her dad played bass professionally, and her mum always had tunes on around the house. From age 6, Lola was enrolled in singing, piano and guitar lessons – all of which have paid off now, it’s fair to say.
6. She was signed early
Lola signed to Island Records at 18, but as a result of her time at the BRIT school, she had already been playing gigs for a few years. She considers that time of her life to be particularly eye-opening, especially as the head of BRIT doesn’t consider it a place necessarily to become a star – rather find the skills that help artists further hone their craft. It’s by no means a guarantee to success, but Lola struck gold.
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7. She still lives locally
Lola grew up in Croydon in the UK, and still lives in the same area, close to her family. It’s unknown yet whether she will end up relocating as she continues to get a more mainstream audience, but she’s spent time in Los Angeles writing before too, especially for her 2022 project My Mind Wanders And Sometimes Leaves Completely.
8. She’s very candid about her sonic evolution
Upon releasing her recent project, Lola has been super candid about how much she’s evolved. She said in an interview that she believes “being an artist is about knowing what you want to say” but also being aware that you don’t always need to be right. This approach comes through clearly in her unfiltered, unapologetic style of songwriting – her recent album is especially confessional and raw.
9. Her music has blown up on TikTok lately
While her song ‘Don’t Hate Me’ was released over a year ago, Lola’s breaking further into the mainstream with the help of TikTok. A snippet has recently gone viral, especially the second chorus which says ‘you think I’m really f**king boring / well that’s rich coming from you.’ A universally applicable lyric, perhaps?
10. She won a national open mic contest at 13
Lola ended up in the BRIT school in a super impressive fashion, winning the UK Open Mic competition at 13. That became her ticket to the school, which of course was the first step to her now-stardom.
11. She’s been compared to some impressive artists
Lola is managed by Nick Shymansky and Nick Huggett, the former of who managed Amy Winehouse. It’s drawn many comparisons to the late icon, hinting at very promising signs that eyes should be on Lola as the next UK phenomenon. Shymansky came out of retirement to work with her, while the latter was the first to sign Adele to XL in 2006.
Get familiar and listen to Lola Young’s best hits below!
