Our March Artist To Watch is British singer-songwriter Lola Young, who has been on the verge of an international breakthrough since being nominated for the Rising Star award at the Brits in 2021. Young spent several weeks earlier this year at the top of UK charts with her #1 song “Messy,” from her second full-length album, This Wasn’t Meant For You. “Messy” is climbing the US charts with rare simultaneous top 10 airplay from AAA, Alternative and Top 40 radio formats. It’s a song that XPN was one of the first US stations to play starting last fall.
Lola got her start at age 15 singing at Open Mic nights in 2016 and eventually came to the attention of the former managers of both Adele and Amy Winehouse, who have guided her career since 2018. She had a big moment in January when her performance on Jimmy Fallon went viral and has been recording her new album in New York over the past few weeks.
Mixing the authenticity and “don’t give a damn” attitude that catapulted Winehouse to fame with an ability to write personal songs that are universally relatable, we think she’s going to be one of the breakout stars of the year. She’s honest, open, funny in person, and her songs capture the zeitgeist and resonate with listeners from 8 to 80 in a way that few artists do.