RORSCHACH TEST
Lola Young’s Intrusive Thoughts
Lola Young wears Jacket, Skirt, and Shoes Balenciaga. Rings (worn throughout) Lola’s Own. Tights Stylist’s Own.
When Lola Young’s brutally honest breakup anthem “Messy” took over TikTok, a whole new audience got a taste of her singular blend of soul, R&B, pop, and rock. But the 24-year-old from South London has been doing this for a minute, hitting open mic nights and singing competitions before signing with Amy Winehouse and Adele’s former managers. Now, after a banner year that included a collab with Tyler, The Creator and her Coachella debut, Young is ready to release a new album, I’m Only Fucking Myself, into a world that obsesses over her every word. So naturally, we gave her our Rorschach Test.
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EMINEM
“I remember seeing ‘Stan’ as a kid and being like, ‘Oh my gosh.’ Everything about that music video and song is incredible.”
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JACKET POTATOES
“Tuna and cheese is the only way I feel I can have a jacket potato. I don’t like baked beans but I feel like it’s a very British thing—jacket potatoes and baked beans. It’s comfort food.”
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LOVE ISLAND
“It’s brain rot but I’m also very supportive of anybody who goes on it. Look, they’ve used my song, but it’s literally like if you had the worst drug on the planet and put it into a TV show.”
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SMOKING
“I’m actually about to light a cigarette. Smoking is bad, but it’s more sexy than vaping.”
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LABUBUS
“I don’t know what this is but I’ve been seeing it all over my For You page. Is it like a little mini toy? I’m actually becoming quite a grandma so I won’t be getting a Labubu anytime soon.”
T-shirt Jerks London. Pants Palace. Earrings D’heygere. Necklace and Bracelets Dinosaur Designs. Belt Hermès. Socks Pantherella. Shoes MM6 Maison Margiela.
BECKENHAM
“Where I grew up. It’s known for being the deep south of London. It’s a beautiful—well, beautiful is completely the wrong word for it. But yeah, I’m moving out soon.”
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BISEXUALS
“It all links back to men because, stereotypically, when there’s a bisexual woman, you only believe that they’re straight. And when there’s a bisexual man, you only think they’re gay. So it’s very important to make sure that we are standing strong when we say we’re bisexual or pansexual. Love and sex shouldn’t have any constrictions.”
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CLEANING
“Something I find very difficult to do.”
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LOVE BOMBING
“It’s a dangerous game. A few of my exes have love bombed me. I love bomb, too. I feel like limerence is attached to love bombing, but sometimes men will love bomb with no intention of ever following through.”
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INTRUSIVE THOUGHTS
“They are not fun and not quirky and not something to be glamorized.”
Dress and Underwear Givenchy by Sarah Burton.
STAGE FRIGHT
“Coachella. I didn’t actually throw up, for anyone who was wondering. I was just gagging.”
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MEN
“No comment.”
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LILY ALLEN
“Female GOAT and British icon.”
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RIDERS
“Overrated. My riders have been the same for so long. It was just carrots and hummus forages, which wasn’t fun. Now it’s iced oat lattes and stuff like that.”
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GROUPIES
“Men can massively be groupies, too.”
Jacket McQueen. Pants Lola’s Own. Earrings Cartier.
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Hair: Kei Terada using Oribe at Julian Watson Agency.
Makeup: Emily Wood using Vieve Beauty.
Photography Assistants: Ivano Pagnussat and Kayla Middleton.
Fashion Assistants: Alvaro Merino and Maria Rodriguez.
Hair Assistant: Takumi Horiwaki.
Production: Kit Pak-Poy and Victoria Watkins at Birdhouse.
