Just after winning her first Grammy Award for best pop solo performance for “Messy,” British singer Lola Young spoke about stepping back into the spotlight at Spotify’s Best New Artist party, marking her first live show in four months following a health scare last fall.

“I was actually nervous as hell. I can’t lie,” Young told Variety backstage at the Grammys.

“I don’t like sugarcoating things. I feel like I’m pretty nervous, and I was nervous tonight. We as artists, we have nerves. But this is what I want to do. This is the place I feel like I belong. On the stage is where I feel like I belong.”

Young had been largely out of the public eye since collapsing during a performance at New York’s All Things Go festival in September.

At the time, she announced she would be stepping away from performing for the “foreseeable future,” later postponing a planned tour in support of her album I’m Only F—ing Myself.

Her return at Spotify’s showcase — where she performed “Penny Out of Nothing,” “Post Sex Clarity” and “Dealer” — was an emotional moment for the artist and her fans, who have been watching her recovery closely.

“This industry is a very difficult industry to be in,” Young said when asked about the outpouring of concern and support from her fan base.

“I took the time out to get better because there were a lot of things going on in my head, in my personal life, and we constantly have to be protected as artists. I had to decide to do it for myself — to be kind to myself and give myself space.”

Now, she says, she’s in a better place. “But now I am back. I feel better,” Young added. “I will do as much as I can to be good for my fans and to be good for the people that love me.”

That sense of vulnerability has become a defining feature of Young’s breakout success — particularly with “Messy,” the Grammy-winning single that struck a chord with listeners by embracing imperfection and emotional honesty.

“I feel like ‘Messy’ is a song that symbolises how we all feel,” Young said.

“It speaks on being a messy human being and not being enough for the world — and that’s how a lot of us feel a lot of the time. That’s how I felt all the time.”

At the Grammys on Sunday night, Young performed a stripped-down, piano-backed rendition of “Messy” during the best new artist medley, along with the seven other nominees, which included winner Olivia Dean, and nominees Katseye, Addison Rae, Alex Warren, Leon Thomas, Sombr and the Marías.