By: Callie Gao
A Scottish pop singer, Lewis Capadi, performed at the Glastonbury Festival in Somerset, England, on June 24. Capaldi is known to have Tourette syndrome and mental health issues.
Near the end of Capaldi’s performance, he was struggling to sing because of his syndrome. When his hit song “Someone You Loved” started playing, 100,000 fans took over.
This was recorded by the BBC (British Broadcasting Corporation), and was captured by the fans in the crowd. This event was spread to many social media platforms, getting millions of views. The commenters praised Capaldi, as they called the moment touching and called the singer brave. “Losing his voice, ticks taking over, he battled through and the crowd lifted him up. What a set #LewisCapaldi absolutely incredible #glastonbury2023 moment,” a fan tweeted.
Tourette syndrome and anxiety affect how you behave, similar to how it affected Capaldi’s past performances. Tourette syndrome, also known as TS, is a condition in the nervous system. It causes sudden twitches, movements, or sounds that happen repeatedly but involuntarily. In some cases, TS can bring depression and anxiety.
“I feel like I’ll be taking another week break over the next couple of weeks. So you probably won’t see much of me for the rest of the year, maybe even,” the singer said. “But when I do come back and when I do see you, I hope you’re still up for watching us.”
When Capaldi’s set ended, he left the stage saying, “I genuinely dreamt of doing this… If I never get to do it again, this has been enough.”
On June 27th, Capaldi announced that he was canceling his concert tours to get his “mental and physical health in order.”
Overall, performing at the Glastonbury Festival is a groundbreaking achievement, especially when you are suffering from a syndrome that affects your actions. It was a positive moment when the crowd helped Capaldi finish his song, showing just how supportive his fans are.
Sites:
-https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/tourette/facts.html#:~:text=Tourette%20Syndrome%20(TS)%20is%20a,keep%20blinking%20over%20and%20over.
-https://www.usatoday.com/story/entertainment/music/2023/06/26/glastonbury-festival-2023-lewis-capaldi-tourette-syndrome-tics/70355714007/