Lucy Spraggan: From Process: Finding My Way Through to the album ‘Other Sides of the Moon’ – Why Spraggan is relatable for those of us who feel we do not fit in
- Feb 10
- 5 min read
I first discovered Lucy Spraggan back in 2012 when I caught Lucy performing on The X Factor. Every Saturday night my family and I would tune in to The X Factor, so whilst I was only 7/8 years old during the time of Lucy’s The X Factor appearance, the memory still sticks out for me as a core memory. I remember listening to Lucy’s original song of Last Night during the audition and becoming invested in the style and originality of Lucy’s music. Lucy was branded as bold and ambitious by viewers and the judges, as acts tend to follow the norm of singing the typical, boring songs. But Lucy was different and went against the mould – singing songs that were original, authentic and reflected Lucy’s life – from Last Night to Tea & Toast during the Bootcamp round.
Lucy quickly soared through the competition and was tipped the favourite to win by many viewers. However, Lucy’s experience was unfortunately cut-short, said to be due to an illness.
Post-X Factor, I continued to listen to Lucy’s music and support Lucy. Lucy has often championed being a member of the LGBTQIA+ community, for example through performing at pride events, advocating on Instagram and speaking about lesbian relationships. Lucy has also used platforms such as Instagram and television interviews to discuss experiences of mental health and depression. As a young, closeted teenager, following and supporting Lucy on social media and listening to Lucy’s music was extremely beneficial to my sense of identity and self.
I remember tuning into ITV daytime and listening to Lucy do an interview, I believe it was 2023, where Lucy discussed the reality of appearing on The X Factor, alongside the release of the book Process: Finding my way through. Lucy discussed experiences of sexual assault which happened whilst Lucy was a contestant on the show, which was the real reason Lucy was forced to leave, not due to sickness as originally believed. Lucy discussed limited support and apologies from TXF production team/ITV post-show, however Lucy was thankful for the apology from Simon Cowell and Syco when writing the memoir. I was a lot older now than I was when I spent every night watching TXF, and Lucy alongside other artists have spoken about the music industry and their experiences both on the show and post-TXF, within the harsh realities of the music industry. I was truly shocked and disappointed in what Lucy had experienced, and I admired the strength and courage it took to open up in a memoir and on television, alongside the advocacy to change the industry. Within the interview, Lucy discusses how the book explores the experiences within the music industry, alongside other moments such as the journey to sobriety. As a long-term listener of Lucy and admiration for the courage to speak about music industry experiences, mental health, alcohol addiction and LGBTQIA+ identity throughout Lucy’s life, I was eager to read the book and hear Lucy’s life experiences. Following this, I received the book for Christmas and could not wait to begin.
During a time where I was in a bit of a reading slump, the book allowed me to quickly get back into reading in late 2024/early 2025. The book discusses various ups and downs in Lucy’s life – ranging from growing up after parental divorce, navigating gender identity and sexuality, mental health, depression, OCD and neurodivergent identities, alcohol and drug addiction, sexual assault and Lucy’s experiences within the music industry.
As someone who has navigated mental health and sexuality throughout my life, as well as growing up with divorced parents, certain aspects of the book felt extremely relatable and comforting. Reading Lucy’s experiences helped me feel less isolated and alone. Most of the books I read explore themes of sexuality, identity and mental health – so this book was the ideal choice for me. Relatable, uplifting, emotional and extremely vulnerable and raw, this book was for sure a tearjerker, but it allowed me to reflect on my life experiences, allow for self-compassion and feel less isolated. I was sympathetic to Lucy’s experiences and appreciated the rawness, honesty, strength and determination for Lucy to share the ups and downs of trauma, addiction and life.
Within the book, Lucy discusses the experiences of growing up and navigating friendships, particularly with ADHD. Lucy discusses how ADHD allows for experiences of “White hot rage and decreased ability to process sensory information.” Lucy states the aim to “make my life as predictable and routine as it possibly can be” due to ADHD. Lucy discusses how Lucy did not fit in within friendships as, “In high school I made friends with a lot of other kids but didn’t belong to one group”. Lucy discusses “feeling like an outsider, both in my family life and social surroundings.” and had to “shapeshift” identity based on the group dynamics. Not only did I find the book relatable due to discussions of sexuality and mental health, but Lucy’s experiences of not fitting in within social circles is something deeply relatable for me. Whilst I do not have an official diagnosis of ADHD or other neurodivergent identities, I believe it is highly likely I am neurodivergent/ADHD and/or autistic – and the experience of growing up and feeling like I do not fit in mirrors Lucy’s life. Feeling like an outsider due to a combination of intersectional factors such as mental health, sexuality, divorced family dynamics and neurodivergent identities is something that has plagued my life – so seeing Lucy speak so openly within the book helped me feel less isolated, and more seen, validated and accepted.
Since this, I have picked up the book again and again, re-reading it due to it’s relatable, emotional and realistic tone of voice and insight. Not only do I re-read Lucy’s book, but of course Lucy has also quickly climbed towards the top of my favourite Spotify artists as I constantly listen to Lucy’s music. The album ‘Balance’ was released in 2023 and ‘Other Sides of the Moon’ was released in 2025 – with music which touches on many of the themes which were discussed within the book. For example, Sober with Robbie Williams discusses sobriety, whilst Unsinkable, Bodies, Butterflies and Fight For It explores mental health, relationships, self-esteem and our relationship with our bodies.
This year, Lucy is embarking on an acoustic tour and for sure will continue to dominate the music industry, alongside Lucy’s advocacy work. Lucy continues to use music and social media platforms to advocate for better support within the music industry and society for LGBTQIA+ individuals, individuals who experience sexual assault and those who experience mental health and identify as neurodivergent. For anyone who has ever felt alone or like an outsider – Lucy Spraggan is relatable, current and healing – so I urge you to listen to Spraggan’s music, go to the tour, read the book Process and support Spraggan’s social media advocacy.
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