Rising South London star Lola Young has been stirring up the pop scene this year since landing her very first UK #1 single and a viral TikTok hit with “Messy,” a shame-free and quirky anthem steeped in romantic apathy. But when Lola hit the stage of Capital FM’s 2025 Summertime Ball with her breakthrough hit, her near-catastrophic performance went instantly viral, racking up over 521,000 YouTube views within just one month of being on the site!
Lola takes centre-stage in an all-black dress and white-striped stiletto boots, her hair bunned like a ‘40s Hollywood star and her voice like an everyday girl-turned-powerhouse singer. But just as her song kicks off, Lola faces a live singer’s worst nightmare: technical failure of the earpiece, almost sending her hit song spiraling into silence.
The 24-year-old singer fumbles with her earbud as the first verse kicks off, losing breath and missing huge chunks of lyrics from the most anticipated tune on her set list. But shockingly, the nerves don’t send Lola’s performance crashing out. The BRIT School graduate switches out some of her spoken-word verse lyrics to shout a message to her sound engineers, highlighting the issue mid-song.
Adele (another BRIT School graduate) famously suffered a similar technical fault back in 2016 at the Grammy Awards, where a microphone/earpiece failure led to an off-key performance of “All I Ask,” not only making headlines, but making the North Londoner so upset that she “cried all day.” Music Man readers can reminisce over that now mythical disaster in the video below.
But the top stars just keep powering on forth, no matter how lame their sound guy is. Lola lets Wembley Stadium take over her chorus lyrics as she quickly apologizes for the mayhem, styling it out like a pro. She even tells them, “I’m going to have to go back here [to the main stage] because my ears are gone,” before realizing the hilariously long catwalk she has to strut down, soon running in shambles to center-stage by her band, before swiftly pulling her performance back in time for her second, huge chorus.
It’s an iconic recovery, and while some fans in the Summertime Ball crowd look confused, Lola wins the stadium over with a flawless final chorus, pitch-perfect and powerful as any new chart-topper, wowing the crowd with her belting vocals.
This clip could have been a career-defining disaster. But fans in the YouTube comments have nothing but praise for the rising star. Top commenters have been getting to the bottom of what makes this clip, and Lola as a performer, so instantly legendary, writing:
“I’m sorry but this was ICONIC —- She transformed her stress, panic into such a powerful and unique performance. What an artist.”
“I was saying yesterday – in a world of technical perfection, everything perfect all the time, these moments are so rare. You see humanity and it’s freaking awesome. The quality of those vocals are so rare in today’s performing standards.”
“Look at her. Losing breath, running in anxiety and still not ending the performance. And you know what? That is the entire point of the song and she nailed it.”
Lola Young’s ability to turn a performance hiccup into a viral moment not only showcases her resilience but also her undeniable talent. Her live rendition of “Messy” may have hit a snag, yet her adaptability shone through, endearing her to fans even more. To delve deeper into Lola’s journey and explore what makes her such an extraordinary performer, check out the links below.