Lewis Capaldi has broken his silence after taking a career hiatus due to his struggles with Tourette’s syndrome and anxiety.
The Scottish singer, 27, also announced that an extended version of his album, Broken By Desire To Be Heavenly Sent, will be available to fans from midnight, including five new songs.
The news will come as a huge surprise to fans after going six months without any new music or shows from the Someone You Loved star.
Back in June Lewis announced an extended break from touring due to his Tourette’s syndrome after he struggled to finish his Glastonbury set that month, leaving doubts over the future of his career.
He said he would not be touring ‘for the foreseeable future’ as it was ‘obvious’ he needed to spend ‘much more time getting my mental and physical health in order’.
Lewis Capaldi has broken his silence on his mental health – six months after taking a career hiatus (pictured in October)
The Scottish singer, 27, had struggled to finish his Glastonbury set back in June
Six months on and Lewis has shared an update with his fans on social media, revealing that his time off has been ‘going great’ and that he has noticed a ‘marked improvement’ in both his Tourette’s and anxiety.
Tourette’s syndrome is a neurological condition characterised by a combination of involuntary noises and movements called tics.
He took to X, formerly Twitter, on Sunday to give a New Years Eve update, writing: ‘Hello everyone, it’s Lewis here!
‘Firstly I want to start this by saying I hope you’re all doing well out there, I’ve missed you! As most of you will know, I’m currently taking some time off to focus on my health and wellbeing and it’s been going great!
‘I’ve been working with some incredible professionals to help me learn about and cope better with Tourette’s and anxiety issues. I’m really happy to say I’ve noticed a marked improvement in both since I decided to take some time off back in June.’
He also made reference to his Netflix documentary, How I’m Feeling Now, which explored his trepidation towards releasing his second album and revealed more about his struggles with Tourettes.
He admitted he had been blown away by the support from his fans since announcing his career break.
Lewis continued: ‘This album was a scary one for me – if you saw the film I made on Netflix you probably know this already. But I was absolutely terrified of disappointing you all, afraid of not living up to expectations and in all honestly scared that the whole thing would be a complete flop.
‘But thanks to all of you, it wasn’t. It’s mind blowing to see the songs on this album still resonating with so many of you despite the fact I’ve not been out there promoting or touring.’
He then announced that an extended version of his album, Broken By Desire To Be Heavenly Sent, will be available to stream from midnight in what comes as a huge surprise to fans.
Lewis took to Twitter on Sunday to issue a highly-anticipated update on his mental health
Lewis explained: ‘After some back-and-forth about whether it was the right thing to do, I’ve decided it would be a shame for these extra five songs, which are so incredibly special to me, to sit on my hard drive, never to see the light of day.
‘With that, I’m absolutely over the moon to announced that ‘Broken By Desire To Be Heavenly Sent (Extended Edition) will be yours to listen to tomorrow on New Years Day!
‘For now I’m going to continue taking some time to carry on looking after myself, maybe writing some new music and taking a moment to reflect on some of the most incredible years of my life.
‘I want to make absolutely sure I’m 100% before getting back out there properly for more shows and doing what I love more than anything!
‘These songs mean the world to be and I’ll be gutted if I’d not been able to share them. Hope this tides you all over until we can get in a room and sing them together some day very soon! Happy New Year!’
Fans were quick to rush to express support with one saying ‘we love you!’ while another added: ‘Can’t wait to hear those five songs, I’m sure they’re amazing. I’m so glad you’re doing better, take all the time you need… your health is the most important thing.’
Lewis’s decision to take a break, which he branded ‘the most difficult of my life’, revealed the true toll the condition is taking on the hitmaker, who has been remarkably open about his mental health struggles in the past.
The singer-songwriter became emotional during his Glastonbury performance on the Pyramid Stage in June as he started losing his voice during the performance, prompting him to apologise to the crowds – who then helped him finish his songs in heartwarming footage that quickly went viral.
But posting on Instagram afterwards, Lewis then confirmed that he was cancelling the planned 24 live dates he had scheduled for the rest of the year.
Posting on Instagram, Lewis confirmed that he was cancelling the planned 24 live dates he had scheduled for the rest of the year
‘Hello everyone. First of all thank you to Glastonbury for having me, for singing along when I needed it and for all the amazing messages afterwards. It really does mean the world,’ he began.
‘The fact that this probably won’t come as a surprise doesn’t make it any easier to write, bit I’m very sorry to let you know I’m going to be taking a break from touring for the foreseeable future.
‘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 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 to come.’
‘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 during this past year when I’ve needed it more than ever.’
‘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 possible can. All my love always, Lewis’.
Lewis had 24 remaining dates scheduled for his Broken by Desire to Be Heavenly Sent tour, ending in Belfast at Boucher Road Playing Fields on September 3.
Despite his struggles during his Glastonbury performance, the star had insisted on finishing his set and the show came to an emotional close as the crowds sweetly sang Someone You Love for him.
The heartwarming moment saw Lewis walk across the stage and sing short bursts of the track, while the kind crowds sang at the top of their voices to support the star.
Near the end of his set, he told the crowd: ‘I feel like I’ll be taking another wee break over the next few weeks, you probably won’t see much of me for the rest of the year.’
During his Glastonbury show, Lewis also candidly opened up about why he had taken a three-week break away from the stage before the music festival.
He said: ‘I took three weeks off because I’ve been non-stop at the start of the year and I wanted a break for my head and my mental health, I wanted to come back and do Glastonbury, because it’s so incredible.’
His fans took Twitter to reassure him that they will be waiting for him, however long it takes.
‘You’re an amazing artist and create magic in your songs,’ wrote one, ‘take a break and you will be back wowing the fans again in no time.’
In his documentary How I’m Feeling Now, Lewis explored his struggles with Tourette’s and how he tried to reconnect with friends and family as he returned to Scotland after becoming famous.
A touching video of Lewis onstage in Frankfurt showed the moment fans took over singing for him as he struggled with Tourette’s symptoms in February.
He could be seen turning away from the microphone as he struggled with his head and shoulder twitching uncontrollably, but much like in Glastonbury, his legions of fans helped him sing the rest of the song.
In July, Lewis appeared on the hugely popular YouTube interview series Hot Ones in his first interview since the announcement.
The Scottish hitmaker said that he has learned no one knows which song or album will end up being a hit and many tracks he thought would be a success didn’t work out.
Lewis claimed record labels ‘know nothing’ about music and joked that ‘life is meaningless’ in his first interview since cancelling all his upcoming gigs
The singer appeared on the hugely popular YouTube interview series Hot Ones where he was asked about what he has learned during his years in the music industry
He said: ‘The question is a good one. Right, you just learn that you don’t know anything. You learn you don’t know anything and nobody has the answers.
‘You don’t know what a hit is – every time I think a song is a smash hit, it’s been a complete abject f*****g failure. Labels know nothing, you know nothing. Nobody knows anything. No offence.’
Lewis was also asked about his struggles with imposter syndrome despite his huge success and gave a sarcastic answer, proclaiming that ‘life is meaningless’.
The singer joked: ‘I was on the verge of a panic attack. My advice for people struggling? It’s such a good question.
‘If you’re feeling like an imposter, it’s probably because you suck. You’re going to die alone everybody is what I’m saying to you.
‘Erm, if you’re out there, and you feel like an imposter – life is meaningless. None of this means anything. Hell is waiting for us all!’
Back in September 2022, Lewis first revealed he had Tourette’s and explained that he wanted to go public as he ‘didn’t want people to think he was taking cocaine.’
The singer said the diagnosis was recent and explained that he was learning new methods to deal with it ‘all the time’ – including being treated with Botox injections to freeze his muscles to try to control the tics.
Discussing the diagnosis, Lewis said it filled him with relief, saying: ‘I’m a hypochondriac so I immediately think death, it’s more than worry, I have an all-consuming sense of doom.
‘So when I got the Tourette’s diagnosis, I was like thank God for that, at least it’s not life threatening and everything’s good to go.’
In his documentary How I’m Feeling Now Lewis returned home to Scotland to spend time with his parents Mark and Carol (pictured left)