Lola Young fans are convinced the chart-topping singer will make a surprise appearance at Reading Festival after spotting a hidden message in her latest social media update. The 25-year-old shared a post reflecting on her return to performing and teased that she hoped to see fans “very soon,” but eagle-eyed followers noticed seemingly random capital letters scattered throughout the message. When put together, those letters spell out one very telling word: READING.
Cryptic Message Decoded
In the post, Lola wrote: “hey everyone, hope uR all having a great summer <3. i had the bEst time last month performing again Across the uk. i can't wait to get back on the roaD and spend more tIme with you all! i'm workiNg on new music and really hopinG to see you very soon! love you guys, lola x.”
The capitals in uR, bEst, Across, roaD, tIme, workiNg, and hopinG leave fans with READING, prompting speculation that Lola has dropped a major hint about an unannounced appearance at the festival. The theory quickly gathered pace online, with one fan writing on Reddit: “I was just coming on here to post that hahaha! Felt like a detective decoding it hahahaha.” Another person joked: “Looks like she doesn’t know how to use capitals correctly.” A follower speculated: “Do we think she's gonna be Sunday one???”
Festival Speculation
Reading Festival currently has a special guest slot scheduled for 3.15pm on Sunday, fuelling speculation over who could make an unexpected appearance. Before Lola's cryptic message emerged, some festival-goers had been tipping Royal Blood for a surprise performance, pointing to a gap in the rock duo's touring schedule as well as their recent last-minute appearance at Belgium's Pukkelpop festival.
One person previously suggested: “Most realistic guess seems to be Royal Blood atm. They have no gig planned that day while they’re in the middle of a tour promoting the new upcoming album. They announced a last-minute surprise set for Pukkelpop yesterday which was the same length.” However, Lola's carefully placed capitals have now provided fans with a rather more concrete clue that she could be heading to Richfield Avenue.
Return to Performing
A Reading appearance would also mark another significant step in the singer's return to performing after she took time away from music following a frightening incident on stage last September. Lola collapsed while performing at the All Things Go festival in New York and subsequently cancelled her shows for the “foreseeable future.” She has since spoken candidly about the circumstances surrounding the incident and her struggles with addiction, admitting she had reached a dangerous point before stepping away.
Speaking to Rolling Stone, she said: “What else was I going to do? Die? That was the reality of where my addiction was heading.” Reflecting on the decisions she had been making at the time, Lola added: “I chose to hurt myself and self-sabotage, and I also chose to get onstage and perform.” She later described her collapse as the breaking point that ultimately forced her to make changes, saying: “I am very grateful that it happened because it was . . . a breaking point which allowed me to then be able to be here today, allowed me to be better for my fans, better for the future, and better for myself.”
Last December, the musician thanked fans for allowing her the space to recover and revealed she hoped to make a gradual return to her career. She wrote on Instagram: “Hey, I just wanted to express gratitude to everyone who has given me time and space to gather myself and get my head in a better place. I’ve felt so much love and support from you all, and it has helped more than you will ever know.” Looking ahead to this year, she added: “I am hoping to gradually get back to performing and continuing pursuing my dreams. Happy holidays to you all and can’t wait to see you in 2026. Life is a journey, nothing is perfect but today I am doing well. All my love always, Lola x.”
Reading Festival kicked off on Thursday at its traditional Richfield Avenue home and runs until Sunday, with this year's line-up featuring huge names including Charli XCX, Chase & Status, Dave, and Raye.
