Lola Young performed her hit track ‘Messy’ at the 2026 Grammys 2026 and addressed her return to the stage – check out footage of the comeback performance below.
The singer won her first-ever award at last night’s (February 1) ceremony in Los Angeles, walking away with Best Pop Solo performance for ‘Messy’. She gave an emotional rendition of the viral hit on Sunday as part of the Grammys Best New Artist medley, which also featured the likes of Addison Rae, Olivia Dean, and Katseye.
Ahead of Sunday night’s show, she also made an appearance at Spotify’s Best New Artist party on Thursday (January 29), marking her first live outing in four months following a health scare last year.
In September, Young told fans she’d be “going away” for a while after she collapsed on stage in New York City from exhaustion. She later took to Instagram to reassure fans that she was “doing okay”, but went on to take a break from all live commitments for the “foreseeable future” to focus on her mental well-being.
She addressed the absence while talking to Variety backstage at the Grammys, and told the publication she was “nervous as hell” before the show.
“I don’t like sugarcoating things. I feel like I’m pretty nervous, and I was nervous tonight. We as artists, we have nerves. But this is what I want to do. This is the place I feel like I belong. On the stage is where I feel like I belong.”
Lola Young accepting her #GRAMMYs trophy for Best Pop Solo Performance. pic.twitter.com/dy4jY2X4AN
— Pop Crave (@PopCrave) February 2, 2026
“This industry is a very difficult industry to be in,” Young continued when asked about the outpouring of concern from fans. “I took the time out to get better because there were a lot of things going on in my head, in my personal life, and we constantly have to be protected as artists. I had to make the decision to do it for myself — to be kind to myself and give myself space.”
Elsewhere, back in October, Young took legal action against the co-producer of ‘Messy’ over his claims for songwriting credits on some of her songs.
The BBC reported that the singer-songwriter filed an intellectual property claim against Carter Lang following his assertion that he should have credits on four of her songs, a claim that Young “strongly refutes”.
Lang is known for his production work with artists such as SZA, Post Malone, Doja Cat and Lil Nas X, and he was one of the producers on ‘Messy’, the viral breakout hit that sent Young to the top of the UK Singles Chart earlier this year, as well as making TikTok’s UK Top 10 Songs of the Year 2025.
As for the rest of the 2026 Grammys, other performances on the night included special tribute performances held for late artists, including D’Angelo, Roberta Flack, and the beloved Black Sabbath frontman, Ozzy Osbourne.
Other memorable moments on the night included Billie Eilish winning Song Of The Year with her ‘Hit Me Hard and Soft’ track ‘Wildflower’, and using the acceptance speech to hit out at ICE, and Bad Bunny also delivering an impassioned “ICE out” speech.
Best New Artist winner Olivia Dean appeared to subtly hit out at Trump too, and it was Kendrick Lamar who secured the most wins at the event, taking home trophies in all four rap categories and securing Record Of The Year for his SZA collaboration ‘Luther’.
Check out a full list of winners here.