LEWIS Capaldi has said he “cried [his] eyes out” after returning to the stage in Scotland for the first time since taking a break from touring.
Capaldi, the Glasgow-born singer known for hits such as Someone You Loved, went on hiatus after struggling with symptoms of Tourette’s during a performance at Glastonbury in 2023.
He made a major comeback during 2025’s Glastonbury festival, performing his new song Survive, which over the weekend was named the UK number one, to a crowd of some 100,000 people.
Speaking to BetterHelp – the world’s largest online-therapy platform – Capaldi said that he had returned to the stage in Scotland for some “secret gigs” to “ease in” to performing again before his Glastonbury return.
“It felt weird that the first time I would ever be on stage, after going away for my mental health, would be to throw me into doing 100,000 people at Glastonbury,” he said.
“So we did these warm up shows in Scotland.”
Asked how he’d felt during those shows, Capaldi said: “I cried. I cried my eyes out.
“I wasn’t really nervous at all walking on, and then the first one was in Edinburgh and I walked on stage and played the first two songs and I was like: ‘This is going great, this is completely fine’.
“And then I got this rush of adrenaline, I was like shaking and stuff … It was really mental. It was such a weird feeling.”
He went on: “Before I did the last song, I was explaining to everybody who was there how grateful I was that they had showed up and come along.
“I think I didn’t realise how much I actually miss being on stage, and then I just started to cry.”
Capaldi was speaking as he and BetterHelp announced a collaboration to offer people 734,000 hours of free therapy – representing his 734-day career break.
“Therapy has been a massive part of the reason why I’m able to be a musician again,” Capaldi said.
“I don’t think I’ll ever stop going to therapy after the impact it’s had on my life over the past two years.
“I want to support my fans as they’ve supported me, which is why I’m donating 734,000 hours together with BetterHelp.”
“We’ve seen through our data that globally three in four people agree that seeking mental health support is important, yet most people are afraid to ask for help,” said Sara Brooks, chief growth officer at BetterHelp.
“To have someone as globally recognised as Lewis Capaldi share so authentically how getting help through online therapy has transformed his life is incredibly powerful. We’re grateful to have Lewis speak up and use his platform to help break down the stigma of therapy.”
Visit www.betterhelp.com/lewiscapaldi for more information about the partnership and to access a free month of therapy.
