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Lola Young has spoken out for the first time after collapsing and being ‘carried off stage’ during a festival in New York last year.
The Messy hitmaker revealed that her addiction was behind the frightening moment at All Things Go Music Festival at Forest Hills stadium last September.
Lola collapsed while singing Conceited and was carried off stage by the tech team. She later cancelled all her concerts for the ‘foreseeable future’ as she focused on her recovery.
Speaking about the criticism she faced, Lola told Rolling Stone: ‘There was a bunch of hate, but you know what? F**k it.
‘[Going away] was a decision that I had to make . . . What else was I going to do? Die? That was the reality of where my addiction was heading.’
She continued: ‘I chose to hurt myself and self-sabotage, and I also chose to get onstage and perform.’
Despite the traumatic incident, Lola said she is ‘very grateful that it happened’ because it was a turning point that allowed her to recover to have a ‘better future and better herself’.
The singer also revealed that she was overwhelmed by supportive messages from fellow stars including Katy Perry, Elton John and Lady Gaga.
The British star has previously checked into rehab to tackle a cocaine addiction.
Earlier this year, Lola was nominated for five Brit Awards earlier this year and last month picked up her first Grammy for Best Pop Solo Performance for her hit Messy.
After the win, the star revealed she planned to celebrate without alcohol and was spotted drinking an energy drink as she partied with icon Shania Twain at the star-studded Universal bash.
She said: ‘I am going to have an In-N-Out burger with my manager and everyone. I don’t drink, but it’s going to be fun anyway.’
Lola revealed in 2022 that she had been diagnosed at the age of 17 with schizoaffective disorder.
She said in an Instagram post: ‘I cant find the words to describe how much this diagnosis has affected my entire life, and my outlook on the world around me.
‘I have struggled immensely learning to accept this part of myself, and I am still learning.
‘I have to remind myself that I am a regular f****** person, I am human and I am, like everyone, capable of incredible things, my mental health condition does not define me. It is my superpower.’
Schizoaffective disorder is a mental health condition that is marked by a mix of schizophrenia symptoms, such as hallucinations and delusions, and mood disorder symptoms, such as depression, mania and a milder form of mania called hypomania, as per the NHS.
She made the discovery aged 17 after having suffered with what she thought was clinical depression and bipolar disorder.
She explained that she had an uncle on either side of her family who also had schizophrenia and who had both tragically died.
Lola believed that the condition may in part have been triggered by smoking cannabis as a way to manage childhood trauma, which she chose not to disclose the details of.
She said she can usually sense an oncoming manic episode when she starts getting strange thoughts, but is usually able to medicate to keep things under wraps, though she has previously been taken by surprise and ended up being sectioned.
Lola admitted the unpredictability of her illness makes touring difficult, and she sometimes has manic episodes that last a month and doesn’t sleep for several days on the trot.
Lola said that her illness can present her with a lot of guilt and shame, and that she often feels ostracised after incidents in which she has been unwell in front of people.