Lewis Capaldi has revealed anti-psychotic medication has “changed his life”.
The singer, 28, stepped away from the limelight in 2023 after having a breakdown while performing at Glastonbury amid struggles with Tourette syndrome and anxiety.
The Scottish star has since overhauled his mental health by reducing his alcohol intake, improving his physical health, weekly therapy sessions, and switching from antidepressants to anti-psychotic medication.
“It was really scary when they offered it,” he said on This Past Weekend with Theo Von.
“Anti-psychotic? I’m like, ‘I’m not psychotic.’ But it’s changed my life. My anxiety levels are so low these days. I don’t feel the stress.”
Capaldi added that counselling was a huge factor in his recovery, explaining: “That’s really maybe the biggest thing that’s switched everything around.”
He also reflected on how tough things got before his infamous 2023 Glastonbury set, revealing he was “convulsing” backstage at another concert weeks earlier.
“A few weeks prior to that show, we were playing in Chicago and I had a very similar episode - probably even worse,” he said.
“I couldn’t come back and finish a song. I was backstage convulsing and having this crazy panic attack. Way worse than what happened at Glastonbury.”
The singer, who has been open about his Tourette’s and anxiety struggles, said his breakdown felt like a kind of relief.
“At Glastonbury, when I came off stage, it was weird. I had this feeling of ‘Everything’s alright now. I can actually go and get help and fix myself for the next two years,’” he said.
“In a weird way, it’s probably the best thing that’s ever happened to me.
“I was really bad for not saying no to things. I felt like, ‘All this amazing stuff’s coming at me now and I have to catch it all, or it’s going to pass me by.’”
After his episode, he cancelled tours, including one planned for Australia, so he could focus on his recovery.
“Someone upstairs was like, ‘This has to happen now, otherwise…’ I don’t want to think about where I’d be if I’d continued,” he said.
The Someone You Loved singer made an emotional return to Glastonbury last month, calling the surprise performance a “mental win”.
“I really wanted to come back and do Glastonbury as a mental win - to finish the thing that I couldn’t finish before,” he said.
Capaldi released his comeback track, Survive, last month and the song has since soared to number one on the singles chart.
He has also announced a full 17-date tour across the UK and Ireland.
