NEWS
Lola Young just performed at Glastonbury 2025 – see the highlights from her set below.
The former NME cover star made her Glastonbury debut on the Woodsies Stage today (June 27) and was met with a packed tent when she opened with ‘Good Books’ – taken from her debut album ‘This Wasn’t Meant For You Anyway‘.
“Thank you, Glastonbury. I’m so honoured to be here, this is a magical moment for me,” she told the crowd, before launching into a string of tracks from the LP, which NME awarded five stars.
Her first time at Worthy Farm, it was an emotional affair for Young, who even shed some tears during a particularly stirring rendition of ‘You Noticed’.
“This is so special, this is so important to me,” she said later in her set. “I take my job very seriously, and this is incredible, so thank you for being here, thank you for supporting me.”
Young went on to introduce her latest single ‘Not Like That Anymore’, taken from her recently announced second album ‘I’m Only F**king Myself’, due for release on September 19 via Island/Day One (pre-save/pre-order here).
“This is the latest song I just released,” she told the audience. “I wanna bring someone special on the stage if you don’t mind.” The pop singer then brought a blow-up doll with her face on stage – the same one that features in the upcoming album’s artwork – and proceeded to sing to her plastic doppelganger.
It came after Young had teased her set with a giant version of the doll yesterday (June 26), which was strapped to the back of a van and driven around the Glasto area.
Later, wrapping up the set, she told the crowd: “This was everything I wanted it to be and more, thank you so much, Glastonbury, I love you,” before closing with her breakout hit ‘Messy’. See the moment above, and her full setlist below.
‘Good Books’
‘Wish You Were Dead’
‘One Thing’
‘Don’t Hate Me’
‘Walk On By’
‘You Noticed’
‘Conceited’
‘Not Like That Anymore’
‘Big Brown Eyes’
‘Messy’
NME caught up with Young when she received the Rising Star Award at this year’s Ivor Novello Awards.
The singer told us about the background of ‘Messy’, which ranked as one of the biggest songs of 2025 so far. “I just wrote it from a really personal place and it can sometimes be re-triggering hearing that song because it was so intense,” she told us at the awards ceremony. “I’m out of that place now, out of that difficult time in my life.”
“I think it’s just a relatable song. A lot of people don’t feel like they’re enough for somebody; they don’t feel like they’ll ever win.”
Still to come this weekend are headliners Olivia Rodrigo, The 1975, and Neil Young, as well as the likes of Charli XCX, Raye, Biffy Clyro, Loyle Carner, Rod Stewart and The Prodigy.
NME caught Lorde‘s surprise set earlier today, giving it a five-star review that read: “Live, some of the songs really come into their own. ‘Man Of The Year’s slow build becomes even more dramatic and thunderous, Lorde ending the track collapsed in a heap on the floor in response.”
Check back at NME here for the latest news, reviews, interviews, photos and more from Glastonbury 2025.
Taylor Swift believes Nashville has a music scene that stands apart from anywhere else.
The 36 year old singer moved to Nashville, Tennessee, when she was young to chase her dream of becoming a country music star. After being inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame on Monday (26.10.26), Taylor took the opportunity to recognise the city and the talented writers who have helped shape its music scene.
In her acceptance speech, Taylor said: "I believe you really get to master a craft by doing it again and again. That's exactly what the incredible songwriters in this wonderful town do every day."
Taylor also spoke about what makes Nashville such a special place for musicians.
The award winning singer, who ranks among the best selling music artists of all time, said: "You won't find another music community quite like this one. Trust me, I've checked them all."
Taylor also shared how being part of Nashville's songwriting scene had taught her valuable lessons about life and working with others.
She joked: "I've learned to be flexible when your co writer turns up with a hangover, or when they need to spend ages talking about their divorce before we can even get started on a song."
Taylor previously spoke about how Faith Hill and Shania Twain inspired her decision to move to Nashville.
Speaking to Time magazine, the singer said: "I couldn't get enough of watching TV biographies about Faith Hill and Shania Twain, and I realised they had both moved to Nashville to get their careers started. After that, I kept asking, pleading and begging my parents to take me there.
"When I was 11, my mum took my brother and me to Nashville during spring break, and we spent the trip driving around Music Row. She stayed in the car while I rushed into record companies one after another, giving my demo CD to the receptionists. I found it fascinating that so many major record labels were gathered along a single street, often inside little buildings and old houses.
"What really stayed with me was how welcoming people were to newcomers and complete strangers like us. We started visiting Nashville more often, and when I was 13, I received an offer for a development deal from a major record label. That was when my parents finally agreed to leave Pennsylvania and move with me."
