Oftentimes in the media, there have been comments and even jokes made regarding the overuse and overworking of singers by their record labels. It is an often-repeated and well-known tale of a young, up-and-coming artist having their potential recognized by a major record label, or rather, exploited. Well-known cases like this are the tragic tales of Amy Winehouse or even actresses like Amanda Bynes. After the horror stories that these women went through have come out, many have assumed a residual change in the regulations that label companies have on their artists; however, that has since come under question since rising singer, Lola Young, fainted on stage in front of hundreds of fans.
It happened in New York City at the “All Things Go concert” on Saturday, Sept. 27. Many fans were skeptical that she may be suffering from unknown medical concerns after her concert the day before was also canceled. Her team said it was regarding “A sensitive matter.” Halfway through singing her 2023 single, “Conceited,” Young is seen pacing around the stage, looking rather flushed and worried. She is seen trying to communicate with her pianist, and when that doesn’t work, she is seen mouthing the words “I need to faint” to someone in the wings before ultimately collapsing and going limp on stage in front of fans. After 30 seconds, Young’s team and the security guard then rushed on stage to pick the singer up and carry her off stage to tend to her.
Fans seemed to be split on being concerned about her well-being, and others were accusing Young of faking her faint on stage. The online discourse continued until Young came on social media to announce another show cancellation on Sept. 28th, followed by another post two days later declaring that she would be taking a break from music and canceling all shows for the foreseeable future. She then expressed gratitude for the love and support of her fans, but also said she needed some time to work on herself and come back stronger. There has been no word of her since.
This incident has brought people back to pay attention to the overworking and burnout of artists across a wide spectrum. Many people have called for the firing of her manager, but there has been no personal comment from her manager themselves. Young has been everywhere since her career started to really take off, having also been on Jimmy Fallon just the week before her incident. Fans overall just hope that Young is okay and are patiently waiting for the day when she will be able to get on stage again to do the thing she loves most: performing.
