Louisa Johnson claims the UK’s lockdown ‘saved her’

Louisa Johnson claimed the UK’s lockdown ‘saved [her] in a lot of ways’ as it made her learn to look after herself and helped her manage her anxiety.

The X Factor winner, 22, spoke exclusively with MailOnline, and detailed the benefits of having time to work on herself and her career while staying indoors amid the coronavirus pandemic. 

Reflecting on her lockdown experience Louisa, who was speaking at Hotels.com Dream Screen, explained that she used it in a ‘positive way’ as she said: ‘It actually helped my anxiety a little bit, only because I was at home and was just relaxing.

‘I didn’t need to be anywhere or do anything so I kind of just had the time to myself and really worked on me and I think that really, really helped. I think it was kind of necessary actually.

‘I think lockdown, as weird as it sounds, probably saved me in a lot of ways because as I’ve said I had that time to myself and I’ve learned about myself a lot more and things became a lot clearer to me, just in many different ways. I definitely think it helped me.

‘Things became clearer and I just got the time to look after myself and focus on myself, workout, eat good, get some routine and some structure, which I think for anybody with anxiety I think it’s really important to have that structure in their lives.’ 

Louisa admitted that she did find lockdown ‘hard’ at first, as she went on: ‘It was a bit of a weird one for everybody because it was just something that we’ve never been used to before but after a few weeks of feeling absolute rubbish I just sorted myself out and tried to get a bit of a routine.

‘And since then it’s been okay, I’m back in the studio now which is so much better because I can go places and do things and be back in work mode that I have missed. It’s nice to have a routine, I do find it hard not having a routine so back into it finally.’ 

Going on to discuss her new music, Louisa claimed her vision for her forthcoming album was ‘flipped on its head’ following lockdown as her style of music and writing has changed during the period of self-reflection.

‘I always said to myself, and the people who support me and my music, that I want it to really be like a diary,’ she explained. ‘I really want it to be real, and I want to tell people my life experiences through song. 

‘I think each song is going to be a diary entry in a way which I’m really excited about, because I just feel like it’s going to give people a real insight into myself as a person. I feel like no one really knows me.’

Louisa, who shot to fame at the age of 17 after winning the twelfth series of The X Factor, said she was keen for her fans to see her true self, one that she didn’t get to show them on the reality competition show.

She explained: ‘I was so young then. I’m not going to lie I don’t even remember half of my career because I was just all over the place and I was so young, and I had a lot of anxiety and what have you. 

‘I feel like the past year and a half, two years, I’ve just really been a lot more focused. 

‘Don’t get me wrong there’s been a lot of ups and downs but I feel a better sense of who I am as an artist and who I’ve always been inside that I’ve never really got to show anyone.’

Her music will now focus on ‘dark times’ in her life as well as ‘amazing’ moments she’s experienced, as she tries to shed her pop princess image to try out genres she hasn’t been able to explore before.

Of her songs, she added: ‘[They’re about] my life experiences really, everyone has rubbish days and really dark times and really amazing times, relationships whether they’re love of friendships it’s all in there. 

‘I didn’t want to hold back writing about that because I feel like it was a good way to get people to know me, as in actually me not X Factor me, so I think it will be a good insight into my life and to me as an artist as well.’

While she is busy in the studio, Louisa isn’t quick to say when she will be releasing new music as she doesn’t want to disappoint fans with promises that she then can’t keep because of circumstances out of her control.

Of a possible release date, she said: ‘I don’t want to say because I don’t actually know, and I feel like throughout the past few years I’ve said to everyone “oh it’ll be this autumn or it’ll be next spring, or the summer it’ll be ready” and everyone hates me for it because things just get delayed. 

‘But as I said I was a different person before to how I was at the beginning of the year to now. Things are changing all the time, and I want to make sure that the piece of art that I put out is 100 per cent me and as artistic. 

‘I want to make sure it’s true to myself. But I am impatient at the same time so I’m hoping it won’t be too long. I have been working on it for a year and a half now, but now I’m really going for it because I know exactly what I want.’

Louisa also spoke about her partnership with Hotels.com and the Dream Screen drive-in experience, as she claimed the opportunity combined her ‘favourite two things to go do.’

‘Watching films and going away to stay in amazing hotels so it was kind of a no-brainer for me really,’ she said. 

‘I’ve never been to a drive-in cinema before, so it looks amazing and the backdrop is Canary Wharf and I imagine when it gets dark it’s going to look really cool.’

Of travelling she added: ‘I think if I did something I’m going to have to do it last minute, it’s just that this year has been crazy with what’s been going on.

‘Lots of things have been cancelled and it’s a shame I’ve not been able to get away properly because I literally would live on the beach if I could.’ 

Louisa Johnson is speaking at the ‘Hotels.com Dream Screen’ drive-in experience ahead of the UEFA Champions League Semi-Final 2020. Hotels.com is the official partner of the UEFA Champions League.