"Messy" is a song by British singer Lola Young, released on 30 May 2024 as the sixth single from her second studio album ''

This Wasn't Meant for You Anyway ''This Wasn't Meant for You Anyway'' is the second studio album by English singer and songwriter Lola Young. It was released on 21 June 2024 via Island Records. It follows her 2023 debut album, ''My Mind Wanders and Sometimes Leaves Completely''. ...

'' (2024). It went viral on the video sharing app

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and became her first charting song, peaking at the top of the UK Singles Chart. Outside the United Kingdom, the song reached number one in Australia, Belgium, Croatia, Ireland, and Israel. It also peaked within the top ten in several other countries, including Austria, Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, Latvia, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Sweden, and Switzerland, while peaking at number 14 on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and topping the

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chart.

Background

Young stated in an interview with ''Metal Magazine'':

"Messy" is an
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anthem, it really showcases everything I felt during my last relationship, but also it is deeper than that, as it talks about how I feel about myself in general—being too messy one day and too clean another, struggling to find that balance in myself.

In an interview with ''Atwood Magazine'', Young said that "Messy" had her favorite lyrics in ''This Wasn't Meant for You Anyway'' and she considered them some of her best. She also described, "It's raw, honest, and encapsulates a lot of the themes of the album. It's about embracing imperfections and finding strength in who I am, scatty or not lol."

Composition

"Messy" is a soul-pop song. It finds Young in an increasingly angry vocal tone, as she directs sharp criticism toward a lover for certain expectations imposed on her. In a ''

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'' interview, Young stated she took the demo to 64Sound in

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where she described the analog studio "like a studio in the '70s". She described the influences in the song as “It feels a bit rocky, there’s a ’90s hip-hop influence, folk music inspired the lyricism and there’s some pop too.”

Music video

In the video for the song, Young dances around a mostly empty room. She is also seen with a large birthday cake and stands in the far right corner of the room near the end of the video.

Critical reception

Brian Denney of ''Atwood Magazine'' wrote, "'Messy' is a beautiful display of Young's gritty vocals and world-class lyrical storytelling. As a listener, it plays out as if you are watching the singer leave an angry voicemail to her lover, simply fed up with the irrationality of trying to please a partner who will never be satisfied."

Promotion

On 28 November 2024, social media personalities Jake Shane and Sofia Richie posted a clip on TikTok of them dancing to the song, with moves including finger guns and a "half-

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". It led to the song gaining significant popularity, achieving 3.9 million official on-demand streams in the United States, and being used in over 250,000 videos on TikTok, including one by

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of her

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ing to the song. Young has performed the song live on ''

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'', ''

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'', ''

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'', and ''

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''.

Charts

Weekly charts

Monthly charts

Certifications

References

{{reflist 2024 singles 2024 songs Irish Singles Chart number-one singles Island Records singles Lola Young songs Number-one singles in Australia Number-one singles in Israel Number-one singles in Latvia Number-one singles in Romania Songs written by Lola Young UK singles chart number-one singles Ultratop 50 Singles (Flanders) number-one singles Ultratop 50 Singles (Wallonia) number-one singles