Lewis Capaldi Taking Break From Touring Amid Journey With Tourette Syndrome

Days after performing at Glastonbury Festival, Lewis Capaldi shared that he's taking a break from touring for the foreseeable future to focus on his health following his Tourette syndrome diagnosis.

By Elyse Dupre Jun 27, 2023 2:52 PMTags
Watch: Lewis Capaldi Taking Break From Touring Due to Tourette Syndrome

Lewis Capaldi is taking a step back from the stage.

The "Before You Go" singer, 26, recently announced he's taking a break from touring as he continues to navigate living with Tourette syndrome.

The news came after Capaldi's performance at Glastonbury Festival in England on June 24. The musician—who'd previously informed followers he was canceling all engagements in the weeks leading up the show so he could "take a moment to rest and recover"—told the crowd he was losing his voice, according to The Guardian, and the audience members showed their support by coming together to sing the words to his hit song "Someone You Loved" in a moving moment.

In a message posted to Instagram June 27, Capaldi expressed his appreciation to the festival attendees for "singing along when I needed it and for all the amazing messages afterwards," noting "it really does mean the world." However, he said he wouldn't be able to continue with the scheduled tour.

"The fact that this probably won't come as a surprise doesn't make it any easier to write," Capaldi stated, "but I'm very sorry to let you know I'm going to be taking a break from touring for the foreseeable future."

photos
Musicians Performing Live on Stage

As the "Forget Me" artist explained, touring for him isn't the same as it once was and he needs to take some time for himself.

"I used to be able to enjoy every second of shows like this and I'd hoped 3 weeks away would sort me out," he continued. "But the truth is I'm still learning to adjust to the impact of my Tourette's and on Saturday it became obvious that I need to spend much more time getting my mental and physical health in order, so I can keep doing everything I love for a long time to come."

Emma McIntyre /AMA2020/Getty Images for dcp

Capaldi then expressed his appreciation for everyone who's supported him in his journey.

"I know I'm incredibly fortunate to be able to take some time out when others can't," he added, "and I'd like to thank my amazing family, friends, team, medical professionals and all of you who've been so supportive every step of the way through the good times and even more so during this past year when I've needed it more than ever."

And he hopes to return to the stage one day.

"I'm so incredibly sorry to everyone who had planned to come to a show before the end of the year but I need to feel well to perform at the standard you all deserve," he wrote. "Playing for you every night is all I've ever dreamed of so this has been the most difficult decision of my life. I'll be back as soon as I possibly can. All my love, always, Lewis x."

Capaldi first told fans about his Tourette syndrome diagnosis during an Instagram Live in September 2022.

"It was like, 'Oh that makes a lot of f--king sense," he said on an April episode of The Jonathan Ross Show about receiving his diagnosis. "I was like, 'Why am I like this?' I thought I had a degenerative disease. So to be told that it was, in fact, that I have Tourette's, as you can imagine, was quite the relief."

Since then, Capaldi has continued to speak about living with Tourette syndrome as well as battling anxiety—including in his recent Netflix documentary Lewis Capaldi: How I'm Feeling Now. And he's expressed how it's helped make him feel less alone.

"It's nice to hear people are able to take something from it," he added on The Jonathan Ross Show. "Because I thought I was quite alone in the fact that I was twitchy. But then loads of people came out and were like, 'Oh I've got the exact same twitch that you've got.'"

For the latest breaking news updates, click here to download the E! News App