Lola Young has shocked fans after they discovered she has a very famous family member.

The 24-year-old singer has been working in the industry for years, but her career skyrocketed recently thanks to her viral hit Messy, which topped the charts and took over TikTok.

Her rise to fame has sparked curiosity, with many eager to learn more about her journey. 

Lola began writing songs at just 11 years old and won a national open mic compeтιтion by 13.

She honed her craft at the prestigious Brit School in Croydon, known for producing stars like Adele and Amy Winehouse.

Fans may also recognise her voice from the 2021 John Lewis Christmas advert, The Unexpected Guest.

Lola Young, 24, has shocked fans after they discovered she has a very famous family member

Fans are only just discovering that Lola has a surprising family connection – her aunt is none other than author Julia Donaldson

She recently made history as the youngest British female artist to score a solo number-one single since Dua Lipa’s New Rules in 2017. 

Her success continues to grow, with sold-out UK and US tours, an upcoming debut at Coachella, and a nomination for Best Pop Act at the 2024 BRIT Awards.

Now signed to Island Records, Lola is backed by some of the biggest names in the music industry. 

Her debut album, My Mind Wanders and Sometimes Leaves Completely, was released last year, followed by her latest project, This Wasn’t Meant For You Anyway.

But fans are only just discovering that Lola has a surprising family connection – her aunt is none other than Julia Donaldson.

Julia, 76, is the renowned author behind the beloved children’s book The Gruffalo and many other best-selling тιтles.

She is a Scottish author, who first found success in the late ‘90s and went on to become the Children’s Laureate from 2011 to 2013.

Before her breakthrough as a writer, she penned songs for children’s TV, showcasing her storytelling talents through music.

Lola has been working in the industry for years, but her career skyrocketed recently thanks to her viral hit Messy, which topped the charts and took over TikTok 

She recently made history as the youngest British female artist to score a solo number-one single since Dua Lipa’s New Rules in 2017

Her success continues to grow, with sold-out UK and US tours, an upcoming debut at Coachella, and a nomination for Best Pop Act at the 2024 BRIT Awards (pictured at Wildlands Festival on January 4)

Now based in West SusSєx, Julia was awarded an MBE in 2011 for her contributions to literature.

After discovering the family connection, fans took to X, formerly Twitter to share their thoughts.

They wrote: ‘Feel like this women appeared out of nowhere in the past few months so I had a Google. Her Auntie wrote ‘The Gruffalo’ and she went to the BRIT school. LOL. Same as it ever was,’

‘Oh the gruffalo. if your aunt wrote the gruffalo you’re basically set for life. everyone knows the gruffalo,’

‘If Lola Young suddenly burst onto the writing or literature world out of nowhere with a best seller, then sure! her aunt being a famous author would warrant some nepo baby side eye but get an actual grip how is the Gruffalo helping her TikTok fame,’

‘I don’t really think lola young’s aunt being julia donaldson makes her that much more of a nepo baby than anyone else who grows up with access to the arts and then makes it their career. it distracts from the real issue: the gruffalo ҒUCҜing terrified me as a child,’

‘It’s not even overnight I’ve known about Lola young for two years bc of her trying to promote her music and guess what the algorithm worked so well on tiktok that she found her audience who likes her music, could care less if her aunt wrote a British book.’

Lola previously said that having an artistic family helped her believe that making a career in music was within reach. 

Julia is a Scottish author, who first found success in the late ‘90s and went on to become the Children’s Laureate from 2011 to 2013

After discovering the family connection, fans took to X, formerly Twitter to share their thoughts

She mentioned that she grew up surrounded by creativity, which gave her the confidence to pursue her own artistic ambitions.

‘Coming from an artistic family was really helpful because they understood that music is a real job, that I can make money from it,’ she told The Telegraph.

‘I never had a plan B,’ she added.