Lewis Capaldi Reveals That Twitches And Mental Health Struggles Scared Him Into Thinking His Life On Stage Was Over
Lewis Capaldi has opened up about his struggles with mental health and twitches. In the singer’s upcoming documentary on Netflix, he revealed the issues were so bad that he feared they would render him unable to perform forever.
In the documentary How I’m Feeling Now, to be released on April 5, Lewis said that he suffered back pain so severe that he could not write new music.
“The twitches became out of control it was awful, absolutely horrific,” he said, according to The Daily Star, which obtained the documentary.
The 26-year-old further revealed that the twitches affected his 2020 tour, leading to severe panic attacks.
“I started to get in my head about it, you know these pressures about things. Rather than just me singing my silly little songs other people are depending on me,” he stated.
According to the BRIT Award-winning star, the pain worsens when he sits down to play the piano. “And I get really short of breath, and it’s like my back f*****g kills me when I go to do it,” he said.
He added that the panic attacks he suffered disconnected him from reality and made him feel insane. “I can’t breathe. I get dizzy. I’m sweating, my whole body starts convulsing. Either I feel like I’m going to be stuck with it forever or I’m going to die,” he shared.
The Hold Me While You Wait star would later see his peace restored after therapy, in which his anxiety was linked to the loss of his grandmother and aunt, who killed herself.
Further tests revealed he had Tourette’s Syndrome, a nervous system disorder that causes uncontrollable repeated movements or unwanted sounds. While there is no cure for the condition, treatment can make the sufferer cope better and manage the twitches. The condition is also not life-threatening, and people with it have a normal life expectancy.
Having received a diagnosis of his condition, Lewis was relieved and thus able to reduce his anxiety levels and relieve his symptoms.
How I’m Feeling Now explores the raw and honest side of Lewis as he not only discusses his struggle with his mental health and his fight with Tourette’s but also goes ahead to give a candid look into life in the spotlight.
Lewis said on Instagram that the documentary is named after a song he wrote, hinting that the music would be released on March 17.
“It’s the last song I wrote for my upcoming album and is a tune that’s all about something I’ve never really written about in my music before which is my mental health,” he stated.
