Lewis Capaldi plans to give up music if mental health worsens

Lewis Capaldi admitted that he would have to prioritise his mental health over his career

Lewis Capaldi revealed that he may have to give up his music career if his mental health were to worsen following the release of his second album ‘Broken By Desire To Be Heavenly Sent.’ The singer, 26, from Glasgow, released his highly anticipated album on Friday (May 19) and opened up about his mental health to Rebecca Judd on her Apple Music show.

Lewis told Rebecca that his mental health issues were a “direct symptom” of his job and that while a few panic attacks were currently worth it, this might not always be the case. He said: “I think on this album in particular I talk a bit more about my mental health, which has taken a beating over the last little while.”

The singer has been increasingly open about his mental health and his Tourette’s diagnosis, both of which were heavily focused on in his Netflix documentary ‘How I’m Feeling Now.’ In the documentary, Lewis revealed that he had to put writing his second album on pause because of the intense pressure and anxiety it created, and this is something Lewis isn’t keen to relive. 

Lewis Capaldi performs in Glasgow

He said: “If I did another album and my head was scrambled and I felt horrible, right now I’m at a point where I can balance my mental health and how I feel in general. Not even just mental health, but the trade-off is worth it.

“I’ll take a few panic attacks and my Tourette's and stuff for what’s happening, but if it gets to the point where things get worse mentally and I stop kind of looking after myself in that regard, I think that would be a point where I’d be like, ‘I’m just not going to do this anymore.’

“The main reason I got into music was to play live and if I’m struggling to do that ever, I think that’s where I’m in trouble, because otherwise that’s the payoff, that’s the point of doing it. At that point, if it felt like it was becoming something that I was not into or was causing me stress or I hated [it], then that’s when I would probably pack it in.”

Prior to Lewis’ appearance on Rebecca’s show, he also appeared on the podcast Tic-Heads to talk more about his Tourette’s diagnosis. “As I got bigger with my music, my anxiety would get worse, and I noticed when I was getting anxiety I was twitching; my neck goes to the left and my shoulder goes up,” he said. 

This comes just weeks after Lewis admitted on Instagram that his mental health was “hanging on in there,” as the US leg of his tour concluded. During a Q&A, a fan asked: “How is your mental health post-documentary, post-tourettes diagnosis, (almost) post-tour?” 

Lewis replied with a blurry picture of his face with an interesting expression. He posted a screenshot of the story to his Instagram feed with the caption: “another day, another slay,” accompanied by the comment “hanging on in there.” 

In the same Q&A, Lewis admitted he was ready to return home to the UK after being on tour in the US since March, saying “I f***ing can’t wait to go home. Seven weeks is too long. I've been suffering.” He also responded to a question asking what his favourite part of being a musician was, to which he sarcastically replied: “being away from my family and friends and home comforts for such a long period of time.”