By Larisha Paul
Lola Young‘s breakthrough single “Messy” was all about being in the middle — too messy, too clean, too smart, too dumb — and not knowing which way to go. But on her latest release, “One Thing,” the British singer-songwriter has a precise idea about what she wants.
“It’s a song that on first listen sounds like I’m talking about one thing. Sex. Which I am, of course. However sex in itself is never about one thing,” Young shared in a statement. “I wanted to make a song and music video that is thought-provoking and highlights sex being both a fun and light thing, not always meaningful, as well as showing how gender roles can be reversed.”
Young began teasing “One Thing” on TikTok last week with a snippet of the song’s opening verse. It’s her first proper release since “Messy” went viral on the app and catapulted the singer into pop’s stratosphere. The single will appear on the follow up to her latest studio album, This Wasn’t Meant for You Anyway, which arrived last year.
“It may seem spontaneous but it’s not as i’ve been thinking about releasing something liberating and sexy and freeing for while,” Young said on Instagram. “Its a song about s*x and passion without strings needing to be attached, as its something i struggle achieving most of the time lol but something that i think is important for (women especially) to feel confident doing The album that is coming soon has some deeeeeep ones tho don’t you worry lmao I can’t wait for u to shake some assss to this one tho.”
Earlier this year, Young told Rolling Stone that her upcoming album won’t be full of love or breakup songs, but there will be something for everyone. “The new album is going to be a lot more about my personal struggle and less so about love,” she said. “There’s some real bangers on there. I can’t say too much, but I can say that this feels like a step up.”
We want to hear it. Send us a tip using our anonymous form.
Rolling Stone is a part of Penske Media Corporation. © 2025 Rolling Stone, LLC. All rights reserved.