Lewis Capaldi does the Aussie radio rounds

Music superstar Lewis Capaldi has been busy doing the radio rounds in Australia, opening up about his powerful return to live performance during a candid chat with The Hit Network’s Carrie & Tommy.

Capaldi famously paused live performances after a widely-publicised moment at Glastonbury 2023, where he experienced overwhelming anxiety and tics mid-song.

After taking two years off to focus on his mental health, the singer says he’s returning with a new approach to performing, reshaping everything from his backstage environment to his mindset.

Carrie: “I want to say, from somebody who’s got mental health issues and anxiety, I love how open you are with it all. I have to say that watching you get back on stage after your break, the first thing I was filled with was stress for you! That would overwhelm me so much.  In that moment, were you at peace? Or anxious to head back into the music world?”

Lewis: “I was nervous, but I wasn’t anxious. I’ve changed how I see things in my head. It’s not a situation of ‘I have to do this’, but a situation of ‘I get to do this!’ I banned everyone from backstage – my parents, my management – I don’t want anyone’s anxious energy getting on top of me. After the gig, everyone can come back [stage]. So, I felt nervous, but I didn’t feel it was going to be an issue, whereas the time before at Glastonbury, I knew something was going to go wrong.”

“I take aripiprazole, which helps with my general anxiety and my tics. I go to therapy every week. Luckily, I feel alright. It’s therapy and a mix of medication, and trying not to rot in my bed and my house for too long. We’ve been here [in Australia] for a couple of weeks now, and I’ve been out more, gone to the beach, and I never would have done that before. I would have just gone to the venue, do the gig, go to a pub, and then rot in my bed. I’m more in tune with my surroundings.”

While this morning on Nova 100’s Jase & Lauren, Capaldi teased how he might be spending Christmas in Australia.

“I’ve got time off. I might stay here for Christmas. I’m sort of in the throes of trying to work that out at the minute. But I’m having such a good time here. I don’t really want to go home and plus my mum and dad are on tour with me right now. So, I’ll see them up to the 19th. I don’t usually spend as much time with as I have … I just really would like to see, have a bit of an Aussie Christmas.”