GOSHEN, Ind. – If a song is going viral in 2025, it’s usually TikTok to thank. That’s no different for “Messy” by Lola Young, which exploded on TikTok recently — garnering more than 1.5 million videos using the sound, and almost 315 million streams on Spotify.
Beyond just its explosion in popularity, it’s easy to understand why this song has become a hit. The blend of painfully honest lyrics and 90s-inspired sound leads to a song that has been firmly stuck in my head on more than one occasion.
Young’s exploration of the illusion of perfection is one that many women can understand, particularly with lines like “I want to be me, is that not allowed?” or, “But cut me some slack, who do you want me to be?”
This idea of being messy inside, of only doing your best to project a certain image into the world is also explored in the music that goes along with those vulnerable lyrics. The recording has a nostalgic feeling, lacking the exact perfect polish that most people associate with modern music, but instead takes us back to the more analog sound of the ‘90s, and recording equipment that is even older. Young herself described the studio where she recorded the song as one that “feels like a studio in the ’70s.”
The mix of influences is clear in the song itself, the lyricism of her folk inspiration blended seamlessly with the beat reminiscent of her mentioned love of ‘90s hip-hop. No matter where they come from though, Young has made the sound uniquely her own, and the virality of the song only exposes the wider audience of listeners who fell in love with it all on their own.
– Kate, DJ
Each week, a Globe-pal (AKA a DJ at 91.1 the Globe) uploads a review of a Globe track that is sent out and posted on globeradio.org/music. The Globe Track of the Week is proudly presented by 91.1 the Globe, the best college radio station in Indiana.
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