Lola Young has been defended by fans after she faced criticism for being related to the author of The Gruffalo, Julia Donaldson.
While her aunt is a famous children’s author, 21-year-old Lola’s life went in a different creative direction when she joined the Brit School and won a national open mic competition aged 13.
What followed was years of graft in the industry before she finally blew up on TikTok and in the charts with her Number 1 single Messy, which is everywhere at the moment.
She now works with big-time music label Island Records and is under the direction of two managers – one who worked with Adele, and Nick Shymanskym, who managed Amy Winehouse.
Her debut album My Mind Wanders and Sometimes Leaves Completely dropped last year, followed by her current release This Wasn’t Meant For You Anyway.
But now that some people are unearthing Lola’s connection to Julia, the musician has faced unfair backlash, which fans have defended her from.
‘Feel like this woman appeared out of nowhere in the past few months so I had a Google. Her Auntie wrote ‘The Gruffalo’ and she went to the BRIT school. LOL. Same as it ever was,’ wrote one X user in a post that has gone viral.
‘Hello aunty do you know anyone in creative media in which you also work and are very successful in,’ added @Michaelobusi.
Others pointed out that this is a wholly unfair nepo baby claim.
‘Imagine you studied your craft at a performing arts school, have been grinding for years as a singer, you finally get recognition & people are calling you a nepo monster because your aunt wrote ‘who is this creature with terrible claws and terrible teeth in his terrible jaws,’ said @dowdenlordy.
The same X user added: ‘People really think the music industry and children’s book publishing are adjacent industries just because they’re both ‘creative’. Unless a musician is publishing a book, there’s no crossover at all! Might as well be an architect and a potter.’
‘Either way, the song slaps. That’s all that matters to me,’ said @Anvavxx, while @LukeJamesChats commented: ‘It’s my mate’s little sister. She’s grafted for years in the UK scene. Stop hating.’
@barelyyalex explained Lola’s online following before she appeared on Jilly Fallon, saying: ‘I found her on TikTok like two years ago and she was grinding to release singles and getting no traction beyond TikTok.
‘She’s been making the rounds and putting in work, she just had a song blow up which is why she was invited on Fallon.’
Lola once said having an artistic family did help her believe making money from music was possible. She also used to help her aunt set up Gruffalo-inspired musical shows.
‘Coming from an artistic family was really helpful because they understood that music is a real job, that I can make money from it,’ she told The Telegraph.
‘I never had a plan B,’ she added.
Lola, who grew up in Crystal Palace, was recently announced on the Parklife line up for this year alongside stars including Brat queen Charli XCX, 50 Cent, Jorja Smith, Peggy Gou and Bicep.
Lola was recognised in the 2021 Brit Awards with a rising star nomination, and also covered 1980 hit Together in Electric Dreams for the John Lewis Christmas Advert that year.
Music manager Nick vowed never to manage another artist after Back to Black hitmaker Amy Winehouse’s death in 2007. But when he met Lola that changed.
‘Sometimes, you meet someone and it changes everything,’ he told The Telegraph. But when he agreed to manage her Lola had a ‘mental breakdown’, having been diagnosed with a schizoaffective disorder aged 17.
‘It was like kryptonite – everyone who had wanted to set up meetings to sign her just went silent,’ he said.
‘And I remember saying this is why I don’t do management. This is no longer business. This brilliant firecracker is a vulnerable child. And there is a very strong argument for why she should be nowhere near the music industry.’
Lola opened up about her diagnosis in 2022, writing on social media: ‘I have crazy f**king highs (mania) and immense lows and even both at the same time. I have been sectioned and I have visited in very dark places mentally.’
She added: ‘I pondered for days on end about when the right time would be to come out with this. It feels heavy, and on days I feel so ostracised it’s unbearable. But there is never a right time , and I will not censor myself because of the stigmatisation.’
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