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Lewis Capaldi opens up about his mental health battle and return to music
Aug 16, 2025
Lewis Capaldi joins Mark Wright and Olly Murs for this special interview. Off the back of his legendary return to Glastonbury in June, and releasing his new single 'Survive', Lewis opens up about what it was like taking a two year hiatus after 'the worst day of his life' and how he managed to come back bigger and better than ever. #LewisCapaldi #Survive #SomebodyYouLoved Subscribe for regular entertainment! http://bit.ly/1qyfc2T Watch videos in full + exclusives here: https://thisisheart.co/heartglobalplayer Honest Celebrity Interviews: https://thisisheart.co/honestinterviews Music Artists: https://thisisheart.co/3YVm8wN Film and TV Stars: https://thisisheart.co/filmandtv _ We're the UK's biggest commercial radio brand creating memorable moments with the most recognised names in entertainment!
View Video Transcript
0:00
I've really aged like a warm glass of milk in the hot sand, haven't I
0:03
You've got so many songs. Yeah, it's good and financially really lucrative
0:08
I'm ordering all these drinks and I'm like, this is everybody again, and then I put my card in and it never worked
0:15
But it really felt at one point that I wouldn't be able to do it again. I wanted the first time people saw me again on stage
0:21
to be the last place they saw me fail. I was floods of tears at the end
0:26
because I didn't realise how much I'd missed it. Plus I was contractually obliged to play an hour and a half
0:37
Louis Capaldi. Hello. The legend. It's good to see you, man. Welcome to Saturday Breakfast with me and Amersi
0:42
Thanks very much, lads. Cheers for having us on. It's great to have you. Yeah, I'm buzzing. Good to be back
0:46
I asked Holly a question the other week, and I want to know it from you, because I love watching performers perform
0:51
and I love to see the audience reaction. And I said to him, does it ever become a job
0:55
like you're looking out to all these people, they're singing their songs back to you? And he said, yeah, sometimes it does
0:58
But having two years out, has it now reset and made it feel like it's new again
1:04
Yeah, the novelty is definitely back again. And that sort of feeling of like, oh, this is..
1:10
You sometimes forget, I think, how lucky we are to do it
1:14
because you do it every single day and it becomes like... I'll say it, it became monotonous at times
1:21
And I found myself, what do you call it, like tuning out and sort of not really being present on stage stuff
1:28
And now I just feel like I'm just soaking every minute in
1:32
So it's been amazing. I'm so buzzing to be back. We've only done like three or four little gigs here and there
1:39
But we're going on tour in September and I'm absolutely over the moon
1:43
and I can't wait to get back to it. Is it true that you did a secret gig where no one could have their phones
1:48
Yeah, yeah, we did. So before, I felt like coming back to Glastonbury
1:53
like clean break would be absolutely mental. after taking time off on my mental health
2:00
So we did three little warm-up shows in Scotland where it was with Cam, the charity
2:08
and we had announced, it was Tom Walker, Nina Nesbitt, Brad Simpson, Declan McKenna, and Nathan Evans and Katie Baser
2:16
We had announced those shows, and then I came on as a secret headliner after that
2:21
But the thing is, people having no phones at shows, I thought it would be like
2:26
I thought I'd feel more relaxed and calm because no one's filming anything
2:30
but I actually felt more because they're just staring at you yeah they're just like looking at you and you're like
2:34
somebody tweets something you know what I mean look into your phone
2:38
yeah exactly was you also worried that actually someone might have a phone yeah I wasn't too worried
2:43
because we had like it was these little pouches that you had to thing on the way in but like people's Apple watches
2:48
were being like covered up and thing like yeah I love that hang on I wouldn't go to a gig
2:52
if something they were like you can't take your phone I'm out and I'm gone could be the Beatles reformer i wouldn't be uh i wouldn't be interested but uh lewis is the main reason for that because
3:00
you wanted a just in case things went south again and you want to be able to relax and not have that
3:06
moment filmed it wasn't even that it was like i i felt so ready to come back i was i knew this isn't
3:11
gonna i know this isn't gonna go wrong this time because i've done all the things i needed to do
3:15
i've been looking after my mental health and all that stuff so i was it was more that i wanted the
3:20
first time people saw me again on stage from a wider perspective to be the last place they saw me
3:27
stale i guess but i cried um the first night we did those warm-up shows in edinburgh i was
3:34
floods of tears at the end when i was thanking everybody because i didn't realize how much i'd
3:38
missed it like i i had been away from it for so long i kind of got used to not doing it and i know
3:43
i've heard seen people some people online being like it was only gone for two years that's just
3:48
a normal time to like go away and write an album but it really felt at one point that i wouldn't be
3:52
able to do it again so to come back and get it it was just um it was really really really special
3:56
okay so at what point over the last two years did you go right i've got to start writing music again
4:01
because i suppose in your back of your mind you wanted to be back at glastonbury yeah and obviously
4:05
next year glastonbury wouldn't have been on yeah yeah exactly so was that really hurried me along
4:09
no but did you what point did you go i'm ready now to start writing music because we all know
4:14
writing music is you've got to get in the frame of mind for it. When was you ready for that
4:20
I was always kind of, I always had my toe dipped into the writing. Even I'd say I took a year off post Glastonbury from everything
4:31
And then I'd say I sort of dipped my toe back in because I just wanted to keep the muscle
4:36
sort of like working. So I was always writing little bits and bobs and I was kind of, you know, I had my eye on
4:42
like writing for other people because there was a point that first year off i didn't know if i would
4:46
like come back i didn't know if it was a possibility or if because i didn't i didn't know if i wanted
4:52
to if it was going to be that difficult um like it was before so i always had like an eye at one
4:58
foot and i always had an eye to coming back but then this sort of um it was only the end of last year where I collected three or four songs and Survive came about the song Survive came about
5:14
and I felt ready enough to dive into the whole, this is a thing
5:22
Knowing myself being in the studio writing music, when you want to write a song about your mental health
5:27
and you want to write something like that, how hard was it to write Survive? because sometimes it doesn't always work out
5:33
So how did that come about? How was that process for you? It was interesting because I'd been in a bunch of sessions
5:38
with people and obviously everybody wanted to write about. If I was working with producers or writers
5:44
they all were like, let's write a song about Glastonbury or let's write a song about your journey or other stuff
5:50
And I always felt when we did it, it didn't feel authentic or something to me
5:55
because I wasn't the one driving it. And then one day I went in the studio with this guy, Sam Romans
6:00
who I'd written, I wrote Someone You Loved With. I've written with Sam before
6:03
Great guy. Great guy. Great guy. And I wrote Something You Loved With Sam and we hadn't really been in a studio
6:08
together since then. And yeah, it was just one of these things of me and him
6:14
at a piano and the lyric I swear to God I'll survive if it kills me
6:18
too was the first thing that fell out. And then that sort of felt like
6:22
a sort of open sesame moment where it was all oh right, let's travel down this road now
6:28
and it felt, I just felt more like I'd as I say I'd written these songs about my mental health in the past but this one just felt
6:34
it felt more I didn't want to write a woe is me song on this on for the first single back or
6:42
whatever I wanted to write something that felt more defiant and sort of triumphant in a way like
6:48
of this is about the songs about getting back up and and just continuing on during something
6:54
celebrating yeah exactly as opposed to I think the reaction's been incredible right that connection
6:58
you've got now, not just with everything. So many people must have got in contact with you about it
7:03
Yeah, for sure, man. It's definitely, it just feels, it feels like things have got a bit deeper this time around
7:08
as opposed to, you know, just me. And every time I meet people
7:13
it's people talking about their mental health and their struggles or something they've been through
7:18
in their life. It's never just, oh, can I have a picture? It just feels a bit deeper now
7:23
So it's a really special thing. That's what you do so well, though, isn't it? You're so honest. I mean, I think there's people in our industry
7:28
Some people hold a lot back. Some people let it go. And everything you do, you're so honest and upfront
7:32
like the documentary you did as well, which I love. Yeah, thanks, man. And you're using your influence
7:36
You're helping others. But just going back to that Glastonbury moment, I want to know, that was probably when it started to unfold
7:44
and obviously you started to go into that kind of point you was on stage
7:48
That was obviously your nightmare, right, as an artist. That was the thing you never wanted most
7:52
But then at the same time, it was the most special moment ever
7:56
Yeah. That must have been completely two ends of the spectrum when it came to feeling
8:00
Yeah, it was bizarre because when I came off stage, I didn't feel the specialness of it
8:05
I felt like that was an absolute nightmare. This is the worst thing that's ever happened to me
8:10
It was genuinely the worst day of my life because I was just miles away from, because I was panicking so much
8:15
and I was thinking about catastrophizing and I was so out of my body at that point
8:20
And it wasn't until I watched videos back and saw people's reactions and got that I understood the sort of, yeah, just how special it was
8:30
and how that'll probably be like such a defining moment when it's all said and done in my career, do you know what I mean
8:37
But I feel like it was still rubbish. Like I still, if I could go back and have just played a normal gig that day
8:45
I would have done it. Even like, yeah, even though like we did the glass and we think
8:50
it's just it was really tough and I had to do like two years of therapy
8:54
to sort of work through what happened but oh I'd say maybe
8:58
I wouldn't have done it because then I wouldn't have had the glass debris moment coming back there which felt really special so but
9:02
it looked like there was a moment on stage though Lewis where you realised it was
9:07
going to be tough but you walked out to the front yeah and what was that decision
9:12
why did you why did you make that decision to carry on I just wanted to say thank you
9:16
to people I don't know I know what you mean they're talking about they had that little stage part whatever I just felt like I wanted to really try and even though it was going wrong I
9:25
really wanted to just try and perform in any way I could and that just felt like the only course of
9:30
action at that point because we were already on there I was finishing the set like I didn't want
9:35
to let it really defeat me in the way that um that I stopped the performance or whatever plus
9:42
I was contractually obliged to play an hour and a half but let's talk about your back you've got
9:48
new music obviously come in, new album, and you put a tour on sale, which, is it true it sold out in like nine minutes
9:55
Yeah, it was mental. It was so mad. We used to always say it sold out in a minute, but you can't do that anymore
10:01
It's illegal to say that. You have to make sure every ticket's sold, otherwise they come and get you, I'm pretty sure, on something
10:07
But yeah, so it was like nine minutes or something. But yeah it mental It mental So if there no tickets left what are we going to do You guys are always allowed in You guys are always allowed in Right we get that We got that on camera
10:21
Some comps for the heart team. Do you know what I'm saying? Yeah
10:25
Well, actually, the last time I saw you, I don't know if you remember this, was at Wimbledon three years ago
10:30
And what really blows my mind, because you talk about, just said Dennis, it's only been two years, been away
10:34
But I remember you were just releasing your brand new single. And I remember you saying to me
10:39
I just don't want to be a one hit wonder I mean look at you now
10:43
you've got so many songs it must feel good right yeah it's good and financially
10:49
really illicited I didn't want to say that do you know now
10:54
do you know anything you release now is just going to fly honestly I don't but I think it's good
11:00
to always have a little bit of feeling of this could be the last one that goes
11:05
because I just think it's important because you never know. Really, you don't
11:10
We had a really good, honest conversation about it. I completely get where you was coming from
11:14
It was the same with me at the start of my career. I just was like, I don't want to be just that guy who sung Dance With Me Tonight
11:18
Yeah, yeah, exactly. It was like, can I get another song? Can I get another song? Yeah, you want to build like a catalogue of things
11:22
and have people relate to you on more than one level. So I think, yeah, I always think that
11:28
And less so this time around because I feel like that was my thing of like
11:34
I got so into the whole, or I don't want to be a one hit wonder to the point where it was actually
11:39
I had like a negative impact on some things that I was doing. Whereas this time around, I'm really like we survive
11:45
I know this sounds like I'm saying, just saying this, but I really didn't, I really didn't want to focus at all on
11:54
is this going to go on? Is this going to go? It's actually not even my favourite song that I've written for this new
11:59
like, you know, batch of tunes or whatever. Yeah. It was just, I knew that the message of that song was exactly what I wanted to say
12:07
The start of this. The first, yeah, yeah. The first one to release. So it's, yeah, it was, but yes, to see it, you know, connect with it
12:14
It's not doing too badly, is it? It's doing all right, yeah, yeah, yeah. I'm pleased, I'm pleased, I'm pleased
12:17
So it's been great. This is one thing I want to ask you, actually, because recently, I was on tour at the start of the year and I lost my voice
12:24
Yeah, yeah, yeah. And it was really bad. Actually, typically it was in Scotland. And it was a really, really tough night for me and I lost my voice and it was awful
12:31
you just said then how high you sing like how do you
12:35
like it's crazy as singers we go through so much to your head
12:39
like people don't realise backstage you're just constantly thinking right is my voice alright
12:42
so how the way that you sing your songs I mean that is at the top of your range
12:48
like how do you manage that bring them way down like but now the day please literally
12:55
yeah we bring them down I've played shows where it's like George Ezra or something said to me once
13:04
I'm going to butcher this, and I don't want it to be thingy, but it was something about people want you to win
13:10
People want you to come on and perform and win, and they're not looking for a thing
13:14
He was like, if you can get on stage and be at 70 most of the time
13:19
people are going to love that. For me, it's not about thinking about
13:26
oh, I need to go out and be 100% firing all cylinders. If I can perform a good show, sing well
13:33
doesn't have to be, every show that I'm playing doesn't have to be the best show I've ever played. This is a bad advert for my gigs
13:38
The gigs are going to be great. But I think everyone knows your 50% is anyone else's
13:44
Yeah, it's better than ours. But no, but I love that honesty because I think that is the way
13:48
when I watch a lot of artists, you can see that they're trying to hang on to the key that they originally sung a song in
13:52
It's great, refreshing. And same with me. I've changed keys to make it easier for me
13:57
And as long as you sing the song as it was, people won't still they won't even realise that it's a key
14:01
most people won't won't even register with it but I think it's just about the gigs are best
14:06
when you're having a good time as well 100% so I feel like for me it's about trying to
14:10
yeah I just want to go out and enjoy and have fun at these shows
14:14
the last American tour I did the last tour I did in April 2023 was
14:19
such a struggle and such a battle every night getting on stage
14:24
both mentally and like voice vocally and all the rest of it
14:27
because I was just pushing so hard and yeah, sort of not looking after myself properly
14:32
or anything like that as well. So this time around, I'm just like, I want to just, yeah
14:37
I just want to nail it and just be the best I can be. Do you know what I mean? Louis
14:41
I'm going to ask you, I mean, Ollie just mentioned there your kind of meet at Wimbledon you had
14:45
You said something in an interview once. I don't know if you meant me and you probably didn't
14:49
and I'm going to sink into the sofa right now, but you said it was once at a party in LA
14:54
when you first started. It was you. Yes. Tell me where it was. It was at the Nice Guy after Niall's gig
15:00
Oh, yes, now I remember. I saw it and I was like, is he talking about me
15:04
What did you say? Lewis Capaldi knows all that. I was at the bar and I was like, I'm going to order this
15:08
Oh, and I'll have a free one of them. But it was at you and Sam Smith and Diplo, I'm pretty sure, was there
15:15
He said he's had a Pete Wild Mixer. Yeah, exactly. It was my invite. I for excellence I telling you And it was all these famous people And I didn really know anybody It was my first kind of cool famous party or whatever And Niall obviously is there as well And I ordering all these drinks and I like listen everybody get it
15:28
and I've got this. And then I put my card in, and it never worked. So I'm like, and it gets declined
15:34
And then my piano player, Aidan, is with me at the time. And I was paying his wages, right
15:40
So if my card's not working, or if I was like, I was like, Aidan, you need to give me your card immediately
15:47
On the slide. And he's actually sweating. I'm like, Ian, give me your card
15:50
This is your LA debut. How much was it? It was like 200 and something dollars
15:56
which is a big deal. Still a big deal. But Aiden bailed me out
16:02
so shout out to Aiden, wherever he is. Righties would have declined anyway
16:06
so we don't mind asking him. So Lewis, we've been digging through the archives
16:12
We found a video of you singing Mr. Brightside. Do you know this video? All right, yeah. Do you want to see it
16:16
What, when I'm young? Yeah. Really young. Here it is. You press play, Lewis. Have a look at that
16:21
12-year-old Lewis. I'm going to sing a Mr. Blue. 12-year-old? It's my parents' kitchen
16:29
Have a night with you. Yeah, yeah. I've really aged like a warm glass of milk in the hot sun, haven't I
16:38
Jesus. You can hear the voice there. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Jesus, I might have tuned the guitar beforehand
16:45
do you know what I mean? Yeah, that's real trauma there. Thank you very much
16:53
We weren't doing that for, like... No, no, no. When you look back at that, what does it bring back memories for you
16:58
Like, that was the journey that you were on, right? Yeah, yeah. No, it's amazing to watch it back
17:03
I remember I used to always get, like, my mum and dad had, like, a camcorder thing
17:07
and I used to always set it up in the kitchen, and I would knock out, like, five or six songs and put them on YouTube
17:12
Because I always had these dreams of, like, if Justin Bieber can do it
17:15
I can become a YouTube sensation and it never really took off for me in that regard
17:20
but yeah no I've thought of massive hard memories of doing that
17:24
if it wasn't for doing that I wouldn't be here sat Was that your main passion for Little Nipper
17:31
Yeah doing music and all that stuff there was never anything else
17:34
and I didn't like I just loved doing it people always ask me questions
17:41
of oh what did I do to get where you are and I don't know
17:45
because I didn't have like a route planned and I didn't know what anything I just played music
17:50
every day and I wound up where I am do you know what I mean I wish I had more of like
17:54
a thing to help people or advice to give but I just
17:58
I just love doing it every day and whatever opportunity I had to play music at any point
18:02
I would do it and then that's now where I actually think like obviously you've got
18:06
everyone talks about your voice but you can play as well right a little bit
18:09
thank you thank you no but you can I don't I mean I think obviously everyone talks about how great your voice is
18:15
but when a lot of your shows you do get the guitar out Yeah, for sure and that was the thing, when I was younger
18:20
I just wanted to I had a passion for I had a passion for being on stage
18:27
I never had a massive passion for writing songs I never had a massive passion for being guitar
18:31
I just wanted I first sang on stage when I was four years old when I was on holiday with my parents
18:34
and I had this it was like it was like I got this buzz
18:40
that I've been chasing ever since And then ever since then, I've been doing things
18:44
All right, well, all the people I listen to, they all play guitar, so I need to learn how to play guitar
18:48
All the people I listen to, they all write their own songs, so therefore I need to write my own songs so that I can get back on stage as soon as possible again
18:53
It was never... I just loved being on stage, and that's why the glass of my stuff was so heartbreaking
18:58
because I'd loved doing that for so long, and now it had become..
19:02
And that was your peak moment. Yeah, yeah. Yeah, exactly. That was the dream, and it had now become... It was horrible, so..
19:08
Genuinely, not that you need to hear this, though, Lewis, because you've probably been told it a million times, it's not rocket science
19:12
but that was for me kind of you were already here you know
19:17
and that has just sent you to a completely another level thank you such a beautiful moment you've always been so honest
19:22
you're never putting on a front no for sure what you see is what you are that's that
19:26
to me that shows that you're not that competitive yeah yeah yeah some competitive would always try and be someone they're not
19:30
for sure you're just who you are yeah no for sure man I just love I love doing things
19:34
for the buzz of doing them and if it's like becomes yeah anything becomes too
19:38
even with music as soon as there's that sort of weird like competitive element of
19:42
we need to sell this many CDs this week or CDs we need to sell
19:50
or do this or do this and I'm just I'm here for the buzz
19:55
I'm trying to have a good time it would be pretty relaxing to feel that
19:59
if you've had like 3 billion yeah exactly I'm still hunting for a billion
20:04
and he's already got about 4 songs that have done it but Lewis honestly it's been so awesome having you on Saturday Breakfast
20:09
You're our true legend, man. Just to see where you've come from and even two years ago
20:14
what happened at Glastonbury, to see you bounce back that you have is just such an honour to anyone in any profession
20:18
So just keep being you, man. Thank you, man. I appreciate it. Love it. Cheers, lads. Nice to see you. Thank you
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