On May 19, 2023, pop singer, Lewis Capaldi, released his second album titled Broken by a Desire to be Heavenly Sent. It debuted at number one on the UK Albums Chart, outselling the rest of the top 10 combined, with 95,000 chart sales, making it the fastest selling album of the year in the UK. His debut album titled Divinely Uninspired to a Hellish Extent was released four years earlier in 2019, with single, “Someone You loved” sparking his career. 

     The album has a total of 12 songs that feature Capaldi’s signature raspy and powerful voice with a broad note range. There are several upbeat and catchy songs including, “Forget Me” and “Heavenly Kind of State of Mind.” It also includes slower ballad type songs about relationships, such as, “Wish You the Best,” “Pointless,” and “Haven’t You Ever Been in Love Before.” There are also very personal songs to Capaldi including, “The Pretender” and “How I’m Feeling Now.”

     In an interview with Apple Music, Capaldi commented on some of his favorite songs on the album including, “Wish You the Best,” a ballad type song, “The Pretender,” which touches on his struggle with imposter syndrome, and “How I’m Feeling Now,” about which he stated, “Everyone I played it to hated it. But I was like this has to be on the album for me, because it was a very accurate representation of how I was feeling.”

     The album has a strong focus on mental health, along with relationships. Capaldi states, “My mental health issues are a direct symptom of my job. I never had them before things took off.” The singer confessed that dealing with mental health prior to the pandemic made it difficult for him to perform live, so much so that he considered ending his career. However, the 2020 lockdown helped him to focus on himself and produce this new album. He added, “It’s interesting that this thing that you love to do, that you’ve always wanted to do, becomes something that causes you such distress.”

     Due to the mental health aspects of the album and how personal it was to Lewis Capaldi, the emotion truly shines through in each song. The personal connection for Capaldi helps the listener relate to his songs on a deeper level as well. Many age levels can relate to the mental health aspects, whether it be stress from work, or a recently ended relationship, the album is very relatable for people going through mental health issues, or hardships in general. 

     The album specifically feels relatable to teenagers, as mental health issues are a rising problem in the age demographic. Broken by a Desire to be Heavenly Sent could be a great outlet for teenagers to have something to listen to and know that someone understands what they are experiencing. Having a celebrity who is open about their mental health the way Capaldi is gives hope to those who are struggling and need something to get them through that hard time. 

     Overall, the album performed really well, but more than that it allowed Lewis Capaldi to portray his feelings and issues in a way that he can feel good about, while also inspiring others and letting them know that they are not alone.

     To watch the Apple Music interview visit https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rg-XIxApDLI