# This Wasn't Meant for You Anyway
*This Wasn't Meant for You Anyway* is an album by the English singer and songwriter [Lola Young](https://www.edgepedia.org/lola-young), released on 21 June 2024 through [Island Records](https://www.edgepedia.org/island-records) and Day One[1](https://www.normanrecords.com/records/206985-lola-young-this-wasnt-meant-for-you?variant=385121) • [2](https://music.apple.com/us/album/this-wasnt-meant-for-you-anyway/1746041954). Mostly addressed to a series of disappointing exes, it mixes contemporary R&B, indie rock, and pop, and it carries "Messy", the single that went viral months after release and topped the charts in the United Kingdom, Australia, Belgium, Croatia, Israel, and Latvia[3](https://www.theguardian.com/music/article/2024/jun/21/lola-young-this-wasnt-meant-for-you-anyway-review-winningly-messy-mix-of-zingers-and-vulnerability) • [4](https://www.qobuz.com/us-en/album/this-wasnt-meant-for-you-anyway-lola-young/qjbollnb53tza).
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Artist | Lola Young, a singer and songwriter from south London (Croydon)[5](https://indielight.co.uk/2024/08/25/album-review-lola-young-this-wasnt-meant-for-you-anyway/) |
| Release | 21 June 2024, Day One / Island Records (Universal)[2](https://music.apple.com/us/album/this-wasnt-meant-for-you-anyway/1746041954) |
| Length | 11 tracks, 38:07[4](https://www.qobuz.com/us-en/album/this-wasnt-meant-for-you-anyway-lola-young/qjbollnb53tza) |
| Breakout single | "Messy", the album's sixth single, went viral and reached number one in six countries[4](https://www.qobuz.com/us-en/album/this-wasnt-meant-for-you-anyway-lola-young/qjbollnb53tza) |
| Chart peak | Number 16 on the UK Albums Chart[6](https://songsuey.com/artist/lola-young/this-wasnt-meant-for-you-anyway/) |
| Awards | "Messy" won the Grammy Award for Best Pop Solo Performance[6](https://songsuey.com/artist/lola-young/this-wasnt-meant-for-you-anyway/) |
| Main producer | Jared Solomon, recording as Solomonophonic, on ten of the eleven tracks[6](https://songsuey.com/artist/lola-young/this-wasnt-meant-for-you-anyway/) |
## Background and recording
Young came to wider public attention as the vocalist behind the 2021 John Lewis Christmas advert, covering "[Together in Electric Dreams](https://www.edgepedia.org/together-in-electric-dreams)"[5](https://indielight.co.uk/2024/08/25/album-review-lola-young-this-wasnt-meant-for-you-anyway/). She cites [Joni Mitchell](https://www.edgepedia.org/joni-mitchell), Prince, Frank Ocean, and [Anderson .Paak](https://www.edgepedia.org/anderson-paak) as influences[5](https://indielight.co.uk/2024/08/25/album-review-lola-young-this-wasnt-meant-for-you-anyway/).
The album was recorded in Los Angeles and produced chiefly by her friend and collaborator Solomonophonic, whose other credits include [Remi Wolf](https://www.edgepedia.org/remi-wolf), BROCKHAMPTON, and [Dominic Fike](https://www.edgepedia.org/dominic-fike)[7](https://shop.lola-young.com/products/this-wasnt-meant-for-you-anyway-cd). Young has described the heightened production as largely Solomon's work, while she continued to work with the producers Conor Dickinson and Will Brown[8](https://www.altpress.com/lola-young-this-wasnt-meant-for-you-anyway-interview). Other production collaborators include Carter Lang, Cass Lowe, Buddy Ross, Manuka, Monsune, and Matt Zara[4](https://www.qobuz.com/us-en/album/this-wasnt-meant-for-you-anyway-lola-young/qjbollnb53tza) • [6](https://songsuey.com/artist/lola-young/this-wasnt-meant-for-you-anyway/). Young holds a writing credit on all eleven tracks, and she wrote and produced the closing "Outro" alone[6](https://songsuey.com/artist/lola-young/this-wasnt-meant-for-you-anyway/).
None of the material from her earlier mixtapes or from the 2023 project *My Mind Wanders and Sometimes Leaves Completely* appears on the album; the NME reviewer Sophie Williams argued that the absence of that project's streaming hit "Don't Hate Me" allowed the record to present itself as a new and cohesive vision[9](https://www.nme.com/reviews/album/lola-young-debut-album-review-tracklist-radar-3766516). Sources differ on how to count the release: NME calls it Young's first full-length album[9](https://www.nme.com/reviews/album/lola-young-debut-album-review-tracklist-radar-3766516), while Norman Records, Qobuz, and the credits database SongSuey describe it as her second studio album or second LP[1](https://www.normanrecords.com/records/206985-lola-young-this-wasnt-meant-for-you?variant=385121) • [4](https://www.qobuz.com/us-en/album/this-wasnt-meant-for-you-anyway-lola-young/qjbollnb53tza) • [6](https://songsuey.com/artist/lola-young/this-wasnt-meant-for-you-anyway/).
## Songs and themes
The album is a contemporary break-up record, lyrically fueled, in the label's description, by rage, passion, narrative flair, and comic derision[7](https://shop.lola-young.com/products/this-wasnt-meant-for-you-anyway-cd). It opens with "Good Books", which delivers the ultimatum "It's me or the weed", and closes with "Outro", a spoken-word address in which Young tells anyone who thinks the songs are about them that "this wasn't meant for you anyway", and speaks of learning to heal alone[8](https://www.altpress.com/lola-young-this-wasnt-meant-for-you-anyway-interview).
Several tracks take direct aim at former partners. "Conceited" is a guitar-heavy R&B takedown of a narcissistic type with a chorus reviewers compared to [Arctic Monkeys](https://www.edgepedia.org/arctic-monkeys)[3](https://www.theguardian.com/music/article/2024/jun/21/lola-young-this-wasnt-meant-for-you-anyway-review-winningly-messy-mix-of-zingers-and-vulnerability). "Wish You Were Dead" gives a blow-by-blow account of a fight between lovers[3](https://www.theguardian.com/music/article/2024/jun/21/lola-young-this-wasnt-meant-for-you-anyway-review-winningly-messy-mix-of-zingers-and-vulnerability). "Messy" pairs a light, doo-wop-inflected touch with blunt self-description, including the lines "I smoke like a chimney / I'm not skinny and I pull a Britney / Every other week / But cut me some slack"[10](https://www.song-bar.com/album-releases/lola-young-this-wasnt-meant-for-you-anyway-album-review).
The second half turns quieter. "Intrusive Thoughts", a gentle folk-leaning song, addresses Young's inner dialogue and alludes to her schizoaffective disorder diagnosis[3](https://www.theguardian.com/music/article/2024/jun/21/lola-young-this-wasnt-meant-for-you-anyway-review-winningly-messy-mix-of-zingers-and-vulnerability) • [11](https://www.thesaintnewspaper.co.uk/post/so-much-more-than-messy-lola-young-s-this-wasn-t-meant-for-you-anyway-reviewed). "You Noticed" mourns an impossible relationship over a sparse arrangement[3](https://www.theguardian.com/music/article/2024/jun/21/lola-young-this-wasnt-meant-for-you-anyway-review-winningly-messy-mix-of-zingers-and-vulnerability).
Young has said that lyrics come slightly ahead of melody in her process, that much of her material begins as freestyle, and that she pushes for directness: verses are often literal, while choruses turn metaphorical[8](https://www.altpress.com/lola-young-this-wasnt-meant-for-you-anyway-interview).
## Track listing
1. "Good Books" – 4:14
2. "Wish You Were Dead" – 3:14
3. "Big Brown Eyes" – 3:38
4. "Conceited" – 3:59
5. "Messy" – 4:44
6. "Walk on By" – 3:34
7. "You Noticed" – 4:30
8. "Crush" – 3:46
9. "Fuck" – 2:44
10. "Intrusive Thoughts" – 2:31
11. "Outro" – 1:13
Track titles and running times per Album of the Year[12](https://www.albumoftheyear.org/album/972612-lola-young-this-wasnt-meant-for-you-anyway.php).
## Reception and commercial performance
Critics received the album warmly. Album of the Year aggregates a critic score of 87 from four reviews and a user score of 72 from more than 1,100 ratings[12](https://www.albumoftheyear.org/album/972612-lola-young-this-wasnt-meant-for-you-anyway.php). NME gave it 100, calling it Young's most distinctive and daring realization of her experimental tendencies[9](https://www.nme.com/reviews/album/lola-young-debut-album-review-tracklist-radar-3766516). Sputnikmusic rated it 88 and described the content as "raw, warm, personal, acid-tongued, poetic"[12](https://www.albumoftheyear.org/album/972612-lola-young-this-wasnt-meant-for-you-anyway.php). The Telegraph (80) praised Young as honest, emotive, and funny, and [The Observer](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-observer) (80) highlighted the "scuffed vividness" that sets her apart from a slicker diva route[12](https://www.albumoftheyear.org/album/972612-lola-young-this-wasnt-meant-for-you-anyway.php). Reviewers noted the stylistic range, from the reggae skank of "Big Brown Eyes" to the grunge-pop of "Wish You Were Dead", with some, including Kitty Empire in The Observer, finding the track listing short on cumulative cohesion[3](https://www.theguardian.com/music/article/2024/jun/21/lola-young-this-wasnt-meant-for-you-anyway-review-winningly-messy-mix-of-zingers-and-vulnerability).
Commercially, the album reached number 16 on the [UK Albums Chart](https://www.edgepedia.org/uk-albums-chart)[6](https://songsuey.com/artist/lola-young/this-wasnt-meant-for-you-anyway/). Its fortunes were transformed by "Messy", which went viral on TikTok months after release and reached number one in the UK, Australia, Belgium, Croatia, Israel, and Latvia[4](https://www.qobuz.com/us-en/album/this-wasnt-meant-for-you-anyway-lola-young/qjbollnb53tza) • [6](https://songsuey.com/artist/lola-young/this-wasnt-meant-for-you-anyway/). The song later won the Grammy Award for Best Pop Solo Performance[6](https://songsuey.com/artist/lola-young/this-wasnt-meant-for-you-anyway/), and its success spawned a separate *Messy EP* with alternate takes including "Messy - Stripped" and "Messy - Sped Up"[11](https://www.thesaintnewspaper.co.uk/post/so-much-more-than-messy-lola-young-s-this-wasn-t-meant-for-you-anyway-reviewed). A CD edition of the album was issued on 28 February 2025[7](https://shop.lola-young.com/products/this-wasnt-meant-for-you-anyway-cd).
## References
1. [Lola Young – This Wasn't Meant For You Anyway, Norman Records UK](https://www.normanrecords.com/records/206985-lola-young-this-wasnt-meant-for-you?variant=385121)
2. [This Wasn't Meant For You Anyway – Album by Lola Young, Apple Music](https://music.apple.com/us/album/this-wasnt-meant-for-you-anyway/1746041954)
3. [Lola Young: This Wasn't Meant for You Anyway review, The Guardian / The Observer (Kitty Empire, 21 June 2024)](https://www.theguardian.com/music/article/2024/jun/21/lola-young-this-wasnt-meant-for-you-anyway-review-winningly-messy-mix-of-zingers-and-vulnerability)
4. [This Wasn't Meant For You Anyway, Lola Young – Qobuz review](https://www.qobuz.com/us-en/album/this-wasnt-meant-for-you-anyway-lola-young/qjbollnb53tza)
5. [Album Review: Lola Young – This Wasn't Meant For You Anyway, Indie Light](https://indielight.co.uk/2024/08/25/album-review-lola-young-this-wasnt-meant-for-you-anyway/)
6. [This Wasn't Meant for You Anyway Songwriting Credits by Lola Young, SongSuey](https://songsuey.com/artist/lola-young/this-wasnt-meant-for-you-anyway/)
7. [this wasn't meant for you anyway: CD, Lola Young official shop](https://shop.lola-young.com/products/this-wasnt-meant-for-you-anyway-cd)
8. [On This Wasn't Meant For You Anyway, Lola Young taps inward, Alternative Press](https://www.altpress.com/lola-young-this-wasnt-meant-for-you-anyway-interview)
9. [Lola Young – 'This Wasn't Meant For You Anyway' review, NME (Sophie Williams, 21 June 2024)](https://www.nme.com/reviews/album/lola-young-debut-album-review-tracklist-radar-3766516)
10. [Lola Young: This Wasn't Meant for You Anyway – album review, Song Bar](https://www.song-bar.com/album-releases/lola-young-this-wasnt-meant-for-you-anyway-album-review)
11. [So Much More than "Messy": Lola Young's 'This Wasn't Meant for You Anyway' Reviewed, The Saint](https://www.thesaintnewspaper.co.uk/post/so-much-more-than-messy-lola-young-s-this-wasn-t-meant-for-you-anyway-reviewed)
12. [This Wasn't Meant For You Anyway – Lola Young, Album of The Year](https://www.albumoftheyear.org/album/972612-lola-young-this-wasnt-meant-for-you-anyway.php)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Music › Musical works and recordings › Albums and recorded releases › Studio albums › Pop albums › 2020s albums › Albums by British and Irish artists*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license