Lewis Capaldi has said he may not perform for the rest of the year, following a rapturously-received Glastonbury performance – his first show in nearly a month, after he took a break for mental health reasons.
The Scottish-born singer cancelled all of his commitments earlier this month, saying he was “struggling” following the release of his chart-topping second studio album, Broken By Desire to Be Heavenly Sent.
Appearing on a sun-drenched Pyramid stage at Glastonbury on Saturday evening, Capaldi apologised for his voice “packing in” as he struggled to complete his one-hour set, which came before performances by Lizzo and Guns N’Roses.
The Brit award-winning singer, 26, addressed his problems to warm cheers from the many thousands of people in attendance, who also chanted his name to the tune of the White Stripes’ Seven Nation Army.
Towards the end of the set, Capaldi said he was losing his voice: “We’re gonna play two more songs if that’s okay, even if I can’t sing properly. I’m really sorry before I go any further. You’ve all come out and I’m really apologising. My voice is packing in.”
During a set that featured a surprise fly-past by the Red Arrows, Capaldi admitted his nerves at performing to such a huge audience at the world’s biggest greenfield festival. “I don’t know what to say. I’m quite literally shitting my pants right now. It’s a lot of people, a lot of faces. This is quite a surreal thing.”
After playing through hits including Before You Go, Wish You The Best and Hold Me While You Wait, Capaldi told the crowd he would be taking another break from performing. “I recently took three weeks off,” he said. “It was a break for my mental health. I wanted to come back and do Glasto ’cause it’s so incredible, so I just wanna thank you for watching us. I was shit scared but you’ve really made me feel at ease.”
He added: “I’m really sorry. I hope the Eavises will have me back on, even though it’s been a bit of a shit show. I feel like I’ll be taking another wee break for the next few weeks, you might not see me for the rest of the year. But when I do come back and I do see you I hope you’re up for watching.”
The singer said that his mental health issues were a “direct symptom” of his job. He said “a few panic attacks” and his recent Tourette’s diagnosis were worth it for living the life of a pop star, but admitted that if his mental health worsened he would be forced to give up music.
