Lewis Capaldi

Lewis Capaldi is the Scottish singer-songwriter whose raw, raspy voice and heart-on-sleeve ballads turned him into one of the biggest pop acts of his generation, with the global smash “Someone You Loved” at the center of it all. Born Lewis Marc Capaldi on October 7, 1996, in Glasgow and raised in the town of Whitburn, he broke through in the late 2010s with emotionally direct songs about heartbreak and self-doubt, paired with a self-deprecating humor that made him a fan favorite. His debut album became one of the UK’s best sellers of the decade.

From pub gigs to a record deal

The youngest of four children, Capaldi began performing in pubs around age nine and taught himself guitar, soon writing his own songs. He is a second cousin, once removed, of the Doctor Who actor Peter Capaldi, who later appeared in one of his music videos. At eighteen he was discovered by manager Ryan Walter through a phone recording of one of his songs. His early single “Bruises,” released in 2017, introduced his intimate piano-and-voice sound and started building a buzz that would soon turn into worldwide fame.

Someone You Loved

Everything changed with “Someone You Loved.” Built around a simple piano progression and his powerful, cracked vocal, the 2018 single slowly climbed the charts before exploding, spending seven weeks at number one in the UK and later topping the US Billboard Hot 100 in 2019. It was the best-selling UK single of 2019, earned a Grammy nomination for Song of the Year, and won the 2020 Brit Award for Song of the Year. The song became one of the longest-running top-ten UK singles ever by a British artist and one of the most-streamed tracks of its time.

A record-breaking debut album

His first album, Divinely Uninspired to a Hellish Extent (2019), spent six weeks at number one in the UK and became the best-selling album there in both 2019 and 2020. Alongside “Someone You Loved,” it featured the hits “Hold Me While You Wait,” “Grace” and “Before You Go,” the last of which gave him a second UK number-one single. At the 2020 Brit Awards he took home Best New Artist, cementing his rise from local performer to one of Britain’s most popular young musicians in barely two years.

A second album and a health battle

After a break to write new material, Capaldi returned in 2022 with “Forget Me,” which went straight to number one, followed by the chart-topping “Pointless” and “Wish You the Best.” His second album, Broken by Desire to Be Heavenly Sent (2023), again debuted at number one in the UK. In September 2022 he revealed he had been diagnosed with Tourette syndrome, and his Netflix documentary How I’m Feeling Now (2023) candidly explored his struggles with anxiety and the pressures of fame.

Glastonbury and a comeback

One of the most moving moments of his career came at the 2023 Glastonbury Festival, where his tics affected his voice during his set and the crowd sang the words back to him, finishing the song on his behalf. Days later he announced an indefinite break from touring to focus on his mental and physical health. He made a surprise return at Glastonbury in June 2025, his first major performance in two years, and released the single “Survive,” which went to number one in the UK. His comeback continued with the Survive EP.

Why his songs connect

Capaldi’s appeal rests on emotional honesty. His best songs use plain, relatable language to capture heartbreak, longing and vulnerability, delivered in a voice that sounds ready to break at any moment. Off stage, his blunt humor and openness about his mental health have made him unusually relatable for a star of his size. That combination, sincere ballads and a down-to-earth personality, is why millions of listeners feel a personal connection to his music.

An honest voice about fame

Part of what sets Capaldi apart is his refusal to hide the difficult side of success. He has spoken plainly about anxiety and about how stardom triggered the tics associated with his Tourette syndrome, and he has let cameras document those struggles rather than presenting a polished image. That candor turned him into more than a hitmaker; for many fans, especially younger ones grappling with their own mental health, he became a reassuring, relatable figure who shows that vulnerability and success can coexist.

A breakthrough on his own terms

Capaldi’s rise was striking for how fast and how complete it was. Within roughly two years he went from playing Scottish pubs to topping charts on both sides of the Atlantic, a path almost no British singer-songwriter had managed so quickly. “Someone You Loved” alone became one of the most-streamed songs of its era, and his albums proved his success was no fluke. He did it without reinventing himself for trends, leaning instead on big, sincere ballads and a personality that felt refreshingly ordinary.

Most loved songs

A spread across his catalogue. Each title opens through the in-site player.

Honest, raw and quietly funny, Capaldi turned heartbreak into some of the decade’s biggest ballads. If one of his songs is stuck in your head, type it into the search box above to find it.