2026 Grammy Winner - Lola Young - "Messy"

0:03 Caalaroga, Shark Media, I'm Garrett Fisher. And on February first, twenty twenty six, at the Grammy Award, Lola Young stepped onto the stage to accept the award for Best Pop Solo Performance. She hadn't prepared a speech. She never expected to win. Oh my, an f bomb slipped past the CBS censors. Sorry, sorry, sorry, it's MESSI. You know what I mean. The audience laughed. Lola froze for a second, profusely apologizing, before managing to thank her team and get off stage. It was the most lowly young moment possible, unpolished, real, a little chaotic, exactly what MESSI is all about. The win itself was significant. Messi beat Justin Bieber's Daisies, Sabrina Carpenter's Man Child, Lady Gaga's Disease, and chappelle Ron's The Subway, huge names, massive songs. But what makes Lola's Grammy win truly remarkable isn't just that she won. It's that she won four months after collapsing on stage mid performance and canceling everything for the foreseeable future to work on herself.

1:20 This is a story about mental health, resilience and a song that became a cultural phenomenon precisely because it refused to pretend everything was fine. Let's start at the beginning. Lola Emily Mary Young was born January fourth, two thousand and one, in South London. Her mother is English, her stepfather Jamaican Chinese and a professional bass player. Music was in the household. Her mother encouraged piano lessons early. Lola taught herself guitar. Later, at age eleven, she started writing songs. By thirteen, she was playing pub gigs. At fifteen, she was accepted to the brit School in Croydon, the legendary performing arts academy that produced Adele, Amy Winehouse, Leona Lewis, and Kate Nash. At Bright School, Lola attracted attention from two people who would change her career, Nick Shamansky and Nick Huget. Shamansky was Amy Weinehouse's former manager. He'd retired from the music industry, but when he saw Lola perform at a local gig, he came out of retirement. Huggett, who signed Adell, followed suit. That's the kind of talent Lola had, the kind that makes industry veterans think I can't let this one Pass. At sixteen, Lola won the under sixteen category of Open Mic UK, beating over nine thousand competitors with an original song called Never Enough. She also reached the finals of the BBC competition Got What It Takes, footage that would resurface on TikTok years later

2:51 when she became famous. She signed with Island Records at eighteen, right after graduating brit School in twenty eighteen. But here's the thing, Lola's journey to MESSI wasn't a straight line. It was messy. Her debut single, Reason to Stay, came out in October twenty nineteen, then came epas intro renaissance after Midnight good Music, not breakthrough music. In November twenty twenty one, Lola got a major opportunity. She recorded a cover of Together in Electric Dreams for the John Lewis Christmas Advert, one of the most prestigious commercial placements in the UK. She performed it on The Late Late Show with James Corden. She was nominated for the brit Rising Star Award. This should have been her moment, but it wasn't.

3:39 Not yet, her debut album, My Mind Wanders and Sometimes Leaves completely came out in May twenty twenty three. The title was a reference to her Schitzo effective disorder, a mental health condition she'd been diagnosed with at seventeen. Schitzo effective disorder includes symptoms of schizophrenia and a mood disorder like depression or bipolar. Lola has been incredibly open about it. In twenty twenty two, she wrote on Instagram, I have crazy fucking highs, mania and immense lows and even both at the same time. It's like breaking a leg. It's physical and it hurts. Society just isn't at a place to understand that yet. She also told The Telegraph it runs in my family. My paternal uncle had schizophrenia and my mother's brother had depression, and they both died. That kind of openness is rare, especially for someone trying to build a pop career, but for Lola, honesty isn't optional.

4:36 It's survival. The album failed to chart, though one track, Don't Hate Me, went viral on TikTok. Lola kept working. Between September twenty twenty three and May twenty twenty four. She released singles Conceited, Wish You Were Dead, Fuck, and Messi. Messi came out May thirtieth, twenty twenty four, as the sixth single from her second album, This Wasn't Meant for You Anyway, released June twenty first, twenty twenty four. And this is where things get interesting. Lola has said she wrote MESSI the night before a video was taken on November twentieth, twenty twenty three. She played it for her friends that night, didn't even know anyone was filming. The song was written after she was diagnosed with severe ADHD.

5:23 She's called it an ADHD anthem, that feeling of being too much and not enough at the same time, too messy for some people, too clean for others, never quite right for anyone. The lyrics perfectly capture that experience. Okay, so yeah, I smoke like a chimney slash, I'm not skinny and I pull a Brittany every other week slash, but cut me some slack. Who do you want me to be than the hook a thousand people? I could be for you and you hate the fucking lot. It's a middle finger to the self help industrial complex, to the idea that you need to optimize yourself into someone acceptable, to the pressure to be enough for the world. Lola told nmy I feel like MESSI is a song that symbolizes how we all feel. I feel it speaks on just like being a messy human being and not being enough for you know, the world, and that's how a lot of us feel a lot the time, and how I felt a lot of the time. That's why I think it related. The song was produced by Jared Solomonophonic, Solomon Monsoon, Carter Lang, and will Manuka Brown. Interestingly, three of those four had worked on as is A's Saturn.

6:36 There's a sonic connection to that era of confessional slightly left of center pop. Lola has said she specifically sought out Solomonophonic after hearing his work with Remy Wolf. They had jam sessions in Los Angeles, and she appreciated that he didn't interrogate her lyrics or ask probing questions. He just let the music happen. I've had people in the studio before asking what do you mean by that? How are you feeling? You don't know me well enough to ask that, she told enemy. With Solemnonophonic, they created something unconventional, synth heavy, a bit odd, emotionally raw. When Messi was released in May twenty twenty four. It didn't immediately explode.

7:19 It was a slow build. The album came out in June, Lola toured. She supported Billie Eilish on two Paris dates in June after Billy personally invited her. Then in November twenty twenty four, TikTok happened. On November twenty eighth, influencer Jake Shane and model Sofia Ritchie posted a clip of themselves dancing to MESSI, except it wasn't really dancing. It was finger guns, a half shimmy vibing, nothing elaborate. It went viral immediately. Kylie Jenner posted herself lip syncing to the song. Over two hundred and fifty thousand videos used the sound. The song achieved three point nine million official on demand streams in the United States in one week.

8:02 Suddenly Messy was everywhere. Lola told British Vogue, I would say the tiktoks are the least exciting part about it, if I'm honest. I think what's really exciting is that the song's in the top forty UK charts and global charts. That feels like a milestone. I've had Kylie Jenner use my sound before I've had a viral moment on TikTok before, although obviously this does feel slightly different. The song entered the UK Singles Chart on November twenty first, twenty twenty four. It climbed number fifty five, number forty one, number thirty five, number eleven, then it hit number one and stayed there for four weeks. Outside the UK, Messy top charts in Australia, Belgium, Croatia, Ireland and Israel. It peaked in the top ten in Austria, Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, Latvia, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Sweden and Switzerland. In the US, it reached number fourteen on the Billboard Hot one hundred, Lola's first top forty hit as a solo artist. It also topped the Pop Airplay chart. By early twenty twenty five, Messi was the second most stream song in the UK.

9:17 Lola appeared on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon in January twenty twenty five, making her USTv debut with a performance of Messi. She performed it at the brit Awards in March and went viral again when her reaction to losing the brit Award for British Popact to Jade was caught on camera. People loved her for being visibly disappointed but gracious. She was also featured on Tyler the Creator's track Like Him from his album Chromacopeia, released October twenty eighth, twenty twenty four. That collaboration brought her even more attention. Her third album, I'm Only Fucking Myself was released in twenty twenty five, with singles in including One Thing, which debuted at number twenty five UK. Not Like That Anymore, Daylor and Spiders. Everything was happening fast, maybe too fast, because what the public didn't fully see was what Lola was dealing with behind the scenes. Throughout twenty twenty five, her performances became increasingly difficult. At Coachella in April, she ran off stage wretching mid performance. At Capitol Summertime Ball in June, her innear monitors failed and she broke down crying on stage. In July, she canceled an appearance on the Tonight Show. In September, she was welfared out of a performance at a Prudential Center charity concert. Her team had hired a sober coach because Lola wasn't just dealing with mental health challenges, she was also battling cocaine addiction.

10:50 In November twenty twenty four, she'd spent five weeks in drug rehabilitation. She's been open about this too. In an interview with The Guardian published in September twenty twenty five, she said, I've had to be away for a bit while battling with things, but it teaches you a lot being addicted to substances. It makes you more empathetic about other people that have gone through that. It's just a constant journey. Then came September twenty seventh, twenty twenty five, the All Things Go Music Festival in New York. Lola was performing at Forest Hills Stadium. She told the crowd she'd had a tricky couple of days. She got through Wish You Were Dead, she got through spiders. During conceded, she gestured to someone backstage and pointed to her head.

11:38 Then she took a few steps backward and collapsed. Crewmembers surrounded her immediately and carried her off stage. Remy Wolf, who performed after Lola, told the crowd, I really quickly just wanted to say that my friend Lola is backstage and she's okay. She's getting good back here, so we're all good okay. Hours later, Lola posted on Instagram, hie for anyone who saw my set at All Things Go today. I am doing okay now. Thank you for all of your support, Lola xxx. Two days later, she canceled her scheduled performance at the festival's Washington, d C. Stop. Then, on September thirtieth, the announcement I'm going away for a while.

12:21 It pains me to say I have to cancel everything for the foreseeable future. Thank you for all the love and support. I'm so sorry to let anyone down who has bought a ticket to see me. It hurts me more than you know. Obviously, you will be entitled to a full refund. I really hope you'll give me a second chance once I've had some time to work on myself and come back stronger. Her manager, Nick Schaimansky added, Lola is very open about her mental health, and there are very occasionally days where myself and my team have to take protective measures to keep her safe. She is an incredible person and always takes her fans career and performances. Seriously, I can only send huge apologies for the inconvenience cause.

13:04 Lola disappeared from the public eye. Some sources attributed her collapse to exhaustion. Others pointed to the cumulative effect of schizo effective disorder ADHD and addiction recovery. The truth was probably all of it. A twenty four year old woman whose star was rising faster than her ability to cope, whose mental and physical health were screaming for a pause. Three months passed, no performances, no appearances. Then in late December twenty twenty five, Lola broke her silence. She posted on Instagram, I just wanted to express gratitude to everyone who has given me time and space to gather myself and get my head in a better place. I felt so much love and support from you all, and it has helped more than you will ever know. I am hoping to gradually get back to performing and continuing pursuing my dreams. By then, the grad SEMy nominations had been announced.

14:02 Messi was nominated for Best Pop Solo Performance. Lola was also nominated for Best New Artist. In January twenty twenty six, she resumed performing and on February first, twenty twenty six, she was at the Grammys. She performed Messi as part of the Best New Artist nominee showcase, a stripped down version on piano, emotionally raw, her voice filling the arena. It was her return to the spotlight after the collapse, a statement that she was back. When her name was called for Best Pop Solo Performance, the room erupted. She hadn't won Best New Artists that went to fellow brit School alum Olivia Dean, but she won this. Beat Justin Bieber, beat Sabrina Carpenter, beat Lady Gaga, beat Chappelle Roan, and she led an F bomb slip because she was overwhelmed and honest and exactly who she'd always been. Backstage, she explained what MESSI meant. I feel like Messi is a song that symbolizes how we all feel. I feel. It speaks on just like being a messy human being and not being enough for you know, the world, and that's how a lot of us feel a lot at the time, and how I felt a lot of the time. That's why I think it related. That's it, That's the whole thing.

15:22 The song connected because it told the truth in a world of curated Instagram feeds and perfectly filtered tiktoks and celebrities pretending their lives are aspirational perfection. Lola Young wrote a song that said I'm a mess I smoke too much, I'm not skinny, I have mental breakdowns. I can't be whoever you want me to be, and millions of people said yes, same, Thank you for saying it. The Grammy win for Messi is significant beyond just Lola's career. It's a signal about what pop music is rewarding right now. Raw over polished, specific over universal, honesty over aspiration. The fact that a song called Messi, written by someone who publicly discusses schizo effective disorder and ADHD and addiction could beat pop superstars says something about where culture is. We're tired of the self help narrative. We're tired of being told to optimize and improve and become our best selves.

16:19 Sometimes we're just trying to survive. Sometimes we're messy and that's okay. Lola Young's win also highlights the brit School phenomenon. She and Olivia Dean both attended brit School. Both one Grammy's the same Night Ray, another brit School graduate, won the Harry Belafonte Best Song for Social Change Award that weekend. There's something about that school's approach to artist development. They teach craft, they teach music history. They don't just teach you how to be famous, They teach you how to be an artist. And the artists who come out of there tend to have substance. They write their own songs, They have something to say. For Lola, specifically, what happens next will be fascinating to watch. She has five BRIT Award nominations on February twenty eighth, including Artist of the Year.

17:16 Messi is still the second most stream song in the UK for twenty twenty five. Her third album I'm Only Fucking Myself peaked at number three in the UK. But she's also someone who just spent three months recovering from a complete breakdown, who's managing multiple mental health conditions, who's in recovery from addiction. The music industry doesn't have a great track record with artists like this. Amy Weinhouse, whose manager now manages Lola, died at twenty seven. The industry tends to chew up and spit out people who can't keep up the pace. Will Lola's team protect her better? Will she protect herself better? The fact that she took three months off, that she prioritized her health over her career momentum, that she came back on her own terms, those are good signs, and the Grammy win matters because it validates that choice. It says you did the right thing.

18:11 Taking care of yourself didn't end your career, it made your story more powerful. There's also the legal drama worth noting. In late twenty twenty five, Lola filed a lawsuit against producer Carter Lang over songwriting credits on Messi and three other songs. She later withdrew the lawsuit. The dispute was messy, appropriately, but it shows Lola is willing to fight for her work, for accurate attribution, for her integrity. The TikTok virality of Messi is interesting too. Unlike some viral moments that feel manufactured or rely on elaborate choreography, the Messy Dance wasn't really a dance. It was just vibing, being yourself, not trying too hard. That's thematically perfect for the song. You can't fake authenticity. You can't choreograph, genuine emotion. Jake Shane and Sophia Richie just felt the song and move to it, and millions of people related to that feeling. No gimmick needed.

19:12 Looking at the Best Pop Solo Performance category specifically, it's notable that voters chose emotional rawness over technical perfection. Lady Gaga's Disease is a masterclass in pop production. Sabrina Carpenter's Manchild is witty and polished. Chappelle Roams the Subway is ambitious and well crafted, but messy one because it felt unavoidable. It felt like the cultural moment. There's a reading of this win that's about mental health awareness, about destigmatizing conditions like schizo effective disorder and ADHD, about creating space and pop culture for people who don't have it all together. And there's another reading that's simpler. It's just a really good song that connected with people. Both can be true.

19:58 Lola Young is twenty four years old. She's won a Grammy. She's a survivor of mental illness, of addiction, of an industry that could have destroyed her. She's brutally honest in her music and her life. MESSI will be her signature song for years. The question is what comes next? Can she sustain success while protecting her health? Can she keep making honest music without it costing her everything? I hope so, because we need artists like Lola Young. We need people willing to say the uncomfortable truths. We need songs that reflect reality, not aspiration. The Grammy was presented on February first.

20:38 On February twenty eighth, she'll find out if she wins any of her five brid awards. The momentum is there, the recognition is there, But more importantly, Lola is there, still standing, still making music, still being messy in the best possible way. Her manager, Nick Schimansky, who watched Amy Weinhouse struggle and ultimately die, said Lola is someone who always takes her fans, career and performances seriously. But he also said his team takes protective measures to keep her safe. That's the balance. That's what gives me hope. Because MESSI isn't just a song about being a mess. It's about accepting the mess, about saying this is who I am, Take it or leave it, About refusing to contort yourself into something palatable. When Lola stood on that Grammy stage, accidentally cursing on live television, apologizing profusely being herself. That was the message of MESSI in action, not perfect, not polished, just real, And in twenty twenty six, in an era of AI generated content and perfectly curated personas and influencers, selling you happiness real is revolutionary. Lola Young and Messy from a song written in one night to a four weeks UK number one to a Grammy win, from collapse to comeback, from mess to masterpiece, or maybe the mess was the masterpiece all along. That's our Grammy winner. Spotlight

22:11 on Lola Young's Messy winning Best Pop Solo Performance. Sometimes the most powerful thing you can do is stop trying to be enough for the world and start being honest about the chaos. I'm Garrett Fischer. Stay Messy,