Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

Fans Step In To Help Lewis Capaldi Sing 'Someone You Loved' As He Fights Off Tourette's Tics

Lewis Capaldi
Harry Durrant/Getty Images

The crowd at the 2023 Glastonbury Festival belted out the singer's popular tune after he struggled to sing due to a bout of tics brought on by his Tourette's Syndrome.

When Scottish singer/songwriter Lewis Capaldi struggled to sing mid-performance at Glastonbury Festival 2023 due to his Tourette's syndrome tics, his fans stepped in to sing along.

Last year, Capaldi revealed he had Tourette's syndrome–a neurological condition that causes unwanted sounds and involuntary spasms.


But instead of giving into despair, the good-humored 26-year-old said he was relieved to hear his diagnosis was not "some horrible degenerative disease" instead.

He told Sky News:

"I have Tourette's. I've always had it, apparently. I do a shoulder twitch quite a lot. It's a new thing."
"The worst thing about it is when I'm excited, I get it."
"When I'm stressed, I get it. Some days it's more painful than others. It's not a big a deal. It looks a lot worse than it is."

At Glastonbury Festival, which ran from Wednesday through Sunday in England, the 2020 Brit Award for Best New Artist recipient started experiencing the tics when he started the set.

They started to intensify when he sang his 2019 UK Singles Chart topper, "Someone You Loved."

The keyboardist continued playing as Capaldi took a moment to fight off the uncontrollable spasms in the middle of the song,

After a long period of silence from the vocalist, the audience cheered and started singing the song until he was able to resume and join them.

You can witness the uplifting moment in the clip below.

Social media users were moved by the evident connection Capaldi has with his fans.





BBC journalist Shilpa Kannan was especially moved after viewing the clip as it was personal to her.

The Glasgow-born singer said on Instagram Live that his condition was "not a big a deal" but that some days are "more painful than others and is given botox injections to help stop the tics.

When his set at the high-profile event finished, he told the audience.

"Glastonbury, I'm really sorry. I'm a bit annoyed with myself."
"I feel like I'll be taking another wee break over the next couple of weeks. So you probably won't see much of me for the rest of the year, maybe even."
"But when I do come back and when I do see you, I hope you're still up for watching us."

He added that performing at Glastonbury was a dream and said before walking off the stage:

"If I never get to do it again, this has been enough."

Following the performance at the festival, Capaldi informed fans he was "taking a break from touring for the foreseeable future."

He wrote on Instagram:

"I used to be able to enjoy every second of shows like this and I'd hoped 3 weeks away would sort me out."
"But the truth is I'm still learning to adjust to the impact of my Tourette's and on Saturday it became obvious that I need to spend much more time getting my mental and physical health in order, so I can keep doing everything I love for a long time."

He continued:

"I know I'm incredibly fortunate to be able to take some time out when others can't and I'd like to thank my amazing family, friends, team, medical professionals and all of you who've been so supportive every step of the way through the good times and even more so during this past year when I've needed it more than ever."

He added:

"I'm so incredibly sorry to everyone who had planned to come to a show before the end of the year but I need to feel well to perform at the standard you all deserve."
"Playing for you every night is all I've ever dreamed of so this has been the most difficult decision of my life."
"I'll be back as soon as I possibly can."

An outpouring of love and support filled the post's comments section.

@lewiscapaldi/Instagram

@lewiscapaldi/Instagram

@lewiscapaldi/Instagram

@lewiscapaldi/Instagram

@lewiscapaldi/Instagram

@lewiscapaldi/Instagram



Previously, the singer opened up about his recent performing struggles with The Times.

He said:

“My tic is getting quite bad on stage now. I’m trying to get on top of that."
"If I can’t, I’m f*cked. It’s easier when I play guitar, but I hate playing guitar. I know, I’m a walking contradiction."
"It’s only making music that does this to me."
"Otherwise, I can be fine for months at a time. So it’s a weird situation."

Capaldi added:

"Right now, the trade-off is worth it.”

More from Entertainment/music

Alex Cooper singing 'Take Me Out to the Ballgame'
@MBDChicago/Twitter (X)

'Call Her Daddy' Host Alex Cooper Gets Brutally Booed At Wrigley Field After Painfully Off-Key Singing

If there's one thing that all baseball fans can come together about, it's the importance of their traditions—and songs.

In the seventh inning at Wrigley Field during a match between the Cubs and the Cardinals, popular Call Her Daddy podcast host Alex Cooper was invited to sing "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" and brought two backup dancers with her.

Keep ReadingShow less
Linda Yaccarino
Patrick T. Fallon/AFP via Getty Images

X CEO Resigns Day After AI Chatbot Grok Praised Hitler In Alarming Series Of Antisemitic Tweets

Linda Yaccarino—the former NBC Universal executive who later took the reins at X—stepped down as CEO of billionaire Elon Musk's platform after two years on the job just a day after Grok, the platform's AI chatbot, went on antisemitic rants and openly praised Adolf Hitler.

Grok issued deeply antisemitic responses on Tuesday following a reported software update that encouraged the bot to embrace what developers described as the “politically incorrect.” Taking that directive to heart, Grok responded with a series of disturbing posts that included praise for Hitler and even a statement expressing its aspiration to become a “digital version” of the Nazi leader.

Keep ReadingShow less
Black and white photo of a falling spider.
Photo by CHUTTERSNAP on Unsplash

People Divulge Their 'Rare' Phobias That People Refuse To Believe

I am a SEVERE claustrophobic.

I have struggled with this issue for decades.

Keep ReadingShow less
Ted Cruz
Kayla Bartkowski/Getty Images

'The Onion' Rips Ted Cruz With Brutal Headline After Yet Another Vacation During Texas Disaster

The satirical news site The Onion had social media users cackling with its brutal headline mocking Texas Republican Senator Ted Cruz for once again being out of the country when Texas was hit by another deadly natural disaster.

Cruz faced considerable national backlash after he flew to Cancún while millions of people went without food and water as a result of the February 2021 Texas power disaster. At least 246 people were killed directly or indirectly; some estimates suggested as many as 702 people were killed as a result of the crisis.

Keep ReadingShow less
Elon Musk and Grimes
Kevin Tachman/Getty Images for Vogue

Elon Musk's Ex Grimes Calls X Platform A 'Poison' And 'Theatre' After Social Media Hiatus

Claire Boucher—who performs and creates under her stage name Grimes, but prefers her birth name or just "C" offstage—recently returned to her musical persona's social media accounts after taking a hiatus for her own well-being.

Once extremely active, she noted on X in April:

Keep ReadingShow less