Lola Young is No.1 in the UK with Messy – but that’s just part of the story for the artist who’s been developed by Island Records over the last five years.
The BRIT-nominated rising UK star is also making her mark in the US, where the single is at a new peak of No.23 in the latest Hot 100, and she’s added Ireland and Australia to her No.1 territories.
The global impact of Messy is hard to miss right now with Young amassing 41.5 million monthly listeners on Spotify. On the latest Spotify Weekly Top Songs rankings, the track is at No.8 (close to its No.7 peak) after eight weeks on the rundown. Messy has a total of 241 million
Here, Nickie Owen, president, international marketing at Universal Music UK and the team discuss the global impact of the rising British star…
Messy was originally released in May. What’s behind the trajectory of the single and its global impact?
Nickie Owen: “Our global UMG teams have been focused on Lola since her signing in June 2019, in fact she was the first artist we showcased on zoom in lockdown! There has always been such belief in Lola as an artist and having a global hit with Messy is testament to these years of hard work.
“Messy was released as a single in May but it wasn't until July that things started to happen. The Triple J radio support in Australia that month saw the track start to gain traction, this created a slow build, particularly in English-speaking countries through to October when Lola was on tour in the US. Lola is such a prolific live performer and it was clear that Messy was becoming a standout track with fans posting her performance on social platforms.”
How did it grow from there?
NO: “Fuelled by a huge desire for fans to use Messy as a soundbed, we saw an immediate conversion to streaming and Messy started to grow globally. We kicked off creator campaigns in the US, Europe and Australia alongside a targeted ad strategy, appealing to fans that relate to Lola and her lyrics to ensure genuine engagement with Lola as an artist whilst Messy continued its growth. We did this by working alongside the audience team, who laid the foundations for a multi-channel, fan community and with unprecedented access to live performance footage, this paved the way for us to activate audiences in key markets with maximum impact.
“We also saw that with this level of engagement on social media, that was a direct translation to new audiences seeking out the track and following Lola on socials, and by November Messy was entering Spotify charts globally. Island Records are so committed to breaking Lola globally that, as the single continues to build and explode worldwide, we have all the backing and support from the UK label needed to fuel and power its success.”
Island have given Lola Young the space to be truly herself, which is a very special artist
Nickie Owen
Messy is the highest charting single from a UK artist globally at this point. How is the single performing internationally – and how are you driving that in key territories?
Olivia Poust, campaign manager for Lola Young (Universal Music UK): “Messy is No.8 in the Global Spotify charts right now and a major hit around the world and today. Messy achieved its second No.1 as it charted at the top of the ARIA charts in Australia. It is also in the official singles charts in 18 countries and hitting the Top 10 across ten of those – including Ireland (No.1), New Zealand (No.4), the Netherlands (No.4), and Germany (No.7).
“In the US, Messy is just outside the Top 20 in the Hot 100 and Top 40 radio charts, up to No.10 on the US Spotify chart and climbing to new peaks every day. A pivotal moment in the US strategy was Lola’s first official late night TV debut on Jimmy Fallon last month for an absolutely phenomenal performance of Messy and sofa chat with Fallon, to which we’ve seen an explosive reaction across America and viral impact in other territories around the world too. It’s testament to what a truly exceptional performer Lola is and how people are deeply connecting with her incredible personality and character.”
How significant was that Jimmy Fallon performance as part of the campaign?
NO: “It’s hugely important in telling her story and connecting Lola to Messy. Originally Lola was booked for a performance only which would have been amazing but on the day, having met and spent time with Lola he asked for her to be on the couch for an interview. As with any more traditional media moment, its impact is driven by the amount of sharing online and we certainly saw that for both her performance and interview.”
How are other territories performing?
OP: “In terms of Australia, Triple J have been pivotal to the success of Messy – supporting the song with heavy radio play from its release. They kickstarted a wave of momentum locally which then became a catalyst for traction in other markets. Since then, we’ve had a sell-out Australia tour, local fan parties, Messy landing at No.4 in Triple J’s coveted fan voted Hottest 100 poll, and an incredible Like A Version filmed session, which dropped on Friday (January 31). From a strategy perspective, we’ve implemented constant local moments which have lent themselves to the track’s overall success.
“With Germany we’ve been building an incredibly engaged fanbase and have been very focused on long-term artist development since day one. Strategy-wise it’s been a combination of traditional media looks with Lola dedicating a lot of time to regular visits to the region over the past five years – most recently she performed Messy on Hamburg’s Inas Nacht TV show in September, which we released as a Messy live version on Spotify and is loved by fans globally. There have also been targeted ad campaigns, fan parties and local content strategy.
“While the global TikTok virality has helped supercharge Messy on a local level, the foundation of German superfans we’d already established was crucial in helping the track reach the point it’s at now. In Latin America, the local market activity has driven Messy into the Top 200 in nine markets in the region, and it is currently the only song by a British artist in the Spotify charts in Mexico, and one of only three in Brazil.”
UK talent faces increasing competition globally – what do you think has helped Lola Young cut through? What are the lessons from this campaign and the long-term development of the artist by Island UK?
NO: “Lola being authentically Lola is why she has cut through. It’s her artistry, her songwriting and her ability to connect to multiple different audiences. Louis [Bloom president], Nicola [Spokes, MD] and the team at Island UK’s commitment to Lola and her artist development has meant that they have invested in her globally, allowing her to travel the world and grow her fanbase authentically, which has been the biggest lesson for me. They have given her the space to be truly herself, which is a very special artist.”
Can the single’s success drive discovery of last year’s album? Are there any partnerships or initiatives to bring the album back into focus?
NO: “Absolutely, yes, and we’re already seeing other tracks such as Conceited start to move globally. The excitement around what is happening for Lola at the moment is about her as an artist.”
What does Lola Young’s TikTok and social media presence bring to the campaign. How are you able to analyse that data to inform the strategy globally?
Tom Burrow, VP audience & insight, international marketing (Universal Music UK): “Lola’s presence on TikTok and social media has been one of the key reasons as to why we’re seeing new listeners convert to fans of Lola as an artist, rather than this being a purely viral moment on a song. Her performance visuals and her genuine engagement with short form gives new audiences an opportunity to delve deeper into her world and relate to her. This has been noticeable in the engagement across all of her posts, not just those using Messy, but also the sentiment from fans in every market shows how her audience relates to her as much as the song.
“Obviously creator trends on TikTok have been a driver for Messy, but the reaction I mentioned showed us how important it is to be presenting the breadth of Lola’s catalogue alongside Messy on short form to create a deeper connection. And as Nickie mentioned, the consumption increases across every region on multiple songs shows how effective this has been.”
Will you build on the success throughout 2025, particularly as Lola plays high-profile international festivals?
NO: “2025 is going to be Lola’s year. She started it off in Australia and has already been to the US and is about to embark on a European tour before she even gets to the festival season, in which she has some huge moments including a performance at Coachella. The success of Messy has already given more mainstream opportunities for Lola, with her being Top 5 on Triple J’s coveted Hot 100, to two of the biggest French TVs and the biggest Dutch TV within the next month. There is so much more to come!”
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