Lola Young's unhinged coping mechanism is throwing things

Welcome to mixed feelings’ Hyperspecific, a profile series of increasingly intimate questions in which we ask our favorite artists, scientists, musicians, and the like to unveil their innermost selves — their weird existential musings.

Mere months ago, the TikTok algorithm blessed me, and millions like me, with Lola Young. The singer-songwriter’s hit single “Messy” has been anointed the unofficial soundtrack to everything from cat videos to viral recipes. Much to her chagrin, might I add, because Lola is quite frankly so tired of opening the app and hearing her voice, despite the fact that “Messy” is one of the songs from her sophomore album that makes her feel most understood. (More on that later.)

Lola came to our studios to get Hyperspecific, and after sitting down with the singer for almost an hour, the word I’d use to describe her is “realized.” She’s 24, yet she has a firm sense of self I wish I had at that age. From her personal style — she arrived in our studio clad in her signature mullet, Patrick Ta Blush, a matching denim track suit, and chunky charm necklace — to her assuredness in music. “I never had a plan B, this was always my option,” she told Elvis Duran when asked about her music career.

She’s the amalgamation of everything a pop star should be in 2025: confidently imperfect (“‘cause I got high again, and forgot to fold my clothes”), direct (“you can eat shit, ‘cause you fucked up my plans”), and vulnerable (“what if I never find anybody to love, or I finally get the chance and I fuck it all up?”).

She stopped by our studios during her most recent stint in New York City, blessing us with gems like her aversion carbonara and songs designed just to chart and her affinity for poet Charles Bukowski and Avril Lavigne bedsheets. Read her full interview below. — Mi-Anne

LEVEL I

1. Something you’re always hoping people bring up in conversation when you first meet.

   When I first meet someone, the one thing I don't want 'em to ever bring up is the weather. That's a clear killer. That’s filler globally, and I feel like it needs to be spoken about more because I can't. That means the conversation's not flowing!

   
   The thing I want people to bring up is the meaning of life. I don't want to have a conversation about the weather. But there's a middle ground because if you're constantly talking about the deep shit, it stresses me the fuck out. But, I would like them to bring up my music, in all honesty. I know it's a bit cheeky. There's surface level things that I've heard a million times, like “when did you first start singing?” But then there are things like, “what does that lyric mean?” I love that question. That’s the kind of thing I find very interesting to answer because it means that they've related to or they've taken the time to actually explore my music in a bit more depth.

2. Is there a lyric that you feel like your fan base hasn't caught on to yet that you think is so special?

   There's actually a song called “Walk On By” and I do get a laugh every time I sing it.
   

   It's half past six in the mornin' (in the mornin')

   On the wrong side of the door and you (of the door and you)

   Said you got nowhere to go, well

   You can stop with the lift to the ground floor.

   
   I always found that quite funny, but maybe it's my accent. I don't know if people like that. But I like it.

3. A positive trait people always tell you you have.

   Oh, that's a nice question. Probably confidence, and this is a funny one because…sometimes the connotations of confidence, especially as a woman, can be, kind of misconstrued. So I always take that as a massive compliment…I don't necessarily [think it’s] always a positive attribute, and it depends on the way you say it…the tone of voice matteres. But all in all, that is one thing that I would like people to think about me and something that I naturally exude. [I also love being called a character.] My manager always says I'm a bit of a character and I enjoy that more than “confident” because I think it is harder to be a character and easy to be confident.

4. If a bodega were to name a dish after you, what would it be? (Be specific.)

   [In the UK] we have corner stores…But okay, I would like to create a food or a drink that tastes better than a food. You know what I mean? Sometimes I eat food, I'm like, yo, this could taste so much better. But it is just good. But sometimes I want food and I'm like, if food just tasted better or if a drink just tasted a bit better, it would be magical, but it never hits. Not all food hits. So I'd like to create a drink that would be called something like “Better Than Food”. And it's this drink that just tastes better than everything on the planet. I feel like that would've been created if that was possible.

   
   One food that always hits is pad thai. Because the flavor’s there. I love Jamaican food and that always hits, there's rich flavor. The one food that never hits…Oh God, I'm going to get so much hate for saying this, but I fucking hate carbonara. Maybe I’ve never had a good one. But it’s too filling, too creamy, too...I don’t know. Get rid of the cream, bro. And the egg. Anyway, sorry. I love the Italian people.

5. One song that makes you feel understood.

   “Messy” actually. The reason why it's resonating is because, basically the point is that there's a lot [right now] with social media. Everyone's looking tip-top, perfect all the time. And I think there was a wave of influencers and influencing where the community, of all genders and all types of people, felt the need to conform to the standard of what's clean.

   
   So your bed, it’s always done. You've got your makeup…but it's not real life. And for a lot of people it isn't real life. And I'm not saying that it's not the case for a lot of people — my sister Emily, she is like that. She's a clean girl, but I'm not. And I think you tend to feel embarrassed or you don't feel like you are a part of something if you don't cater to that [mentality]. So I shed light on the fact that it's not always like that. Life's not always like that…And that really makes me feel understood and I'm happy I wrote it.

6. Something you think is wildly underrated.

   Nick Hakim, he's an insane artist. Everyone should check him out. I feel like I haven't had the platform to be able to shout him out enough, but he's insane. And then the [other] thing would be, like, poetry books. I feel like everyone hates on poetry and — not everyone, but a lot of people — [hate on] slam poetry and spoken word, for example. That shit’s insane. It's some of the best lyricism and rhythm that I've ever heard in my life. I think people get quite pissed off by it, but I love it.

   
   If you want to start off [with poetry], I would say Charles Bukowski, Pleasures of the Damned.

LEVEL II

1. A movie or TV show you watch when you want to self-soothe.

   Fleabag. The best, best, best British comedy. Dark humor. So good. She's so funny. Phoebe Waller-Bridge. She's so funny. It's so good and it's so deep and takes you on this mad journey.

2. Your problematic fave artist/actor/character/musician (dead or alive). And why?

   Ricky Gervais. He's problematic, but I fucking love him. I don't give a shit. And I have arguments about this man all the time! I ride for him. He's so funny. What is there not to love about him? I mean I know he's a bit of a, you know, but I find him fucking hilarious…Making that man laugh would feel like you've literally been sprinkled with gold dust.

3. What’s the first fandom you lost yourself in.

   It was Avril Lavigne. Avril Lavigne was the main one as a kid. Posters, bedsheets… I had all her Abbey Dawn clothing. I used to get my friend to ship it from America. She was the first bitch that did the [shirts] with the thumb holes. [I also had Avril bedsheets.] I bought 'em off Amazon with my pocket money. I had a bunk bed and my sheets just had her face on it.

4. Something you bought recently after LOTS of research.

   Ooh, I don't tend to research anything I buy, that's kind of the problem…I tend to buy too much and then research why I bought all that shit. But I’ve bought a lot of expensive bags recently. I'm into bags and I'm big into shoes and I like accessories. My friend got me this Louis Vuitton bag and I’ve also got this Gucci one I love.

5. What’s the most random thing that you have in your home that always requires explanation?

   [Laughs] Okay, I had a manic episode and I — seriously — and I went and bought trinkets because I thought I was getting into trinkets. So I bought these plastic cars, but I was down bad. I bought 15 plastic car toys and they're just in my house. So now I have to just explain to people, “Sorry guys. It was, like, a bad moment for me.”

   
   They just are actual cars, trucks, that you can move around, like kids would have. But I've got 15 of them. I went and bought two and then I was obsessed with it and then I went and bought 15. So I've just got 15 car toys in my house. I fucking hate 'em all. I just can't bring myself to throw them away.

6. What fictional world do you want to live in?

   You know what? ‘Cause I didn't grow up with a TV, so I didn't really watch [much]. I literally always bring this up. I can see my friends in my head…I didn't have a TV so I missed SpongeBob. I missed all of that. And then I missed Twilight and I never watched Harry Potter and I've never actually seen the Harry Potter thing. Does Monsters, Inc. count? That was my favorite film growing up. I just really fancied Mike Wazowski as a kid.

   

   LEVEL III

1. What’s an anecdote you usually tell to describe how you were as a kid?

   So when I was in my first [year of secondary school]...there was a talent show and I was going to do one of my own songs. So, in the talent show, there's so many people that are coming up to do a song, and five or six people out of ten played “Someone Like You” by Adele. So we had to sit through about five or six singers playing “Someone Like You” by Adele.

   Some of 'em rubbish, some of 'em were really good. I came up — and this is probably the funniest thing I've ever done — I came up and I sat on the piano and went [sings opening notes of “Someone LIke You”] and everyone went, oh fuck. So then I was “Just kidding!” I just found that so funny and I think lots of people remember me from that. I was 12.

2. What is your low-key hell and actual heaven?

   Fucking hell… my hell is literally, like, I'm so impatient. I'm literally so impatient. I can't wait in line, I can't wait for a lift… I can't do anything like that at all. It stresses me out, makes me feel sick. And then my heaven is really good sex.

3. What is your most unhinged coping mechanism?

   This is not even a coping mechanism, but when I'm angry I tend to get very angry and throw things. [laughs] So, the other day I threw the my speaker against the wall and broke the speaker — I fucking broke my speaker! I'm the dickhead. But in the moment it feels good. That rage is so cathartic, but at the same time it's so bad.

4. Random thing you hate so much for no apparent reason.

   I hate songs that are clearly made just to chart. I hate songs that are literally bubblegum fucking shit-pop. I hate it. There was just that wave a couple of years ago where everyone on TikTok was showing their songs in the car to their mum. They're like, “Mum, listen to this song that I just made about you” and the mum’s sitting there awkwardly like “Why have you made me listen to this song and do this TikTok? You've showed me the song 15 times before and I fucking told you don't like it.”

5. How you exit a party.

   I don’t. I don't leave is my problem.

6. How you wanna go (either un-seriously or seriously).

   Okay, this is my favorite question. I am not dying in an embarrassing way. Now listen, I don't mean that in any offense to anyone who's died, but, okay, for example: If there's a car crash, I want BOOM, I want the car exploding. I want the car to triple on its head, like, 4, 5, 5, 6 times. If someone punches me, they don't have to just punch me, they've got to stab me sixteen times in the back. I want to go bing, bang, bong so that everyone in the newspapers knows. Do you know what I mean? That this girl went crazy. Crazy good way of dying. The one thing I can't imagine is [that] I fell down the stairs. No fucking way. I'm not going like that. Don't piss me off. Even old age! No! No way. I want to go [in] some [way that’s] sexy and fun and exhilarating. it's got to be done proper. If you're going to do it, do it proper.