Lewis Capaldi temporarily halts career citing Tourette’s syndrome

June 28, 2023 9News Nigeria Europe 0

His announcement follows his Saturday performance at Glastonbury Festival where he appeared to lose his voice and relied on the supportive crowd to carry him through his iconic songs.

“First of all, thank you to Glastonbury for having me, for singing along when I needed it and for all the amazing messages afterwards,” he said in a statement.

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

What is Tourette’s syndrome?

Tourette’s syndrome is a neurological disorder that causes a person to make involuntary sounds and movements called tics. There’s no cure for Tourette’s syndrome, but treatment can help manage symptoms.

The cause of the disease is unknown, but theories include bacterial infection, abnormalities in the metabolism of brain chemicals and genetic factors. 

Capaldi revealed last September that he had been diagnosed with the condition.

The 26-year-old was due to perform in the Swiss city of Zurich on Wednesday and his current tour, which would include venues in Australia, South Korea and Iceland among others, was due to come to an end in the United Arab Emirates on 7 October.

In his statement, the Grammy-nominated star also said he was, “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”.

In an interview with the Associated Press in April following the release of a Netflix documentary about his career, Capaldi said he was happy to have had his symptoms diagnosed. At the time, he said he was trying “not to learn too much” about Tourette’s because it would often make his condition feel even worse.

The documentary, entitled How I’m Feeling Now, shows the fear and anxiety that plagued Capaldi as he returned home to Scotland and tried to write new songs during the pandemic.