Alex Lloyd To Delve Into Prescription Drug Addiction On 'Australian Story'

There was a time when Alex Lloyd was one of the most beloved figures in Australian music.

With his song Amazing, he topped the triple j Hottest 100 of 2001. Four of his albums, Black The Sun, Watching Angels Mend, Distant Light and his self-titled effort, entered the top ten of the ARIA Albums Chart, and he took home the Best Male Artist award at the ARIA Awards three times. Following a decade in the spotlight, Lloyd essentially disappeared.

Next week (18 August), the Downtown singer will be the subject of Australian Story. The episode, titled Dark Star, filmed over twelve months, finds Lloyd getting his life and career back after fighting a five-year addiction to prescription drugs.

“I had no idea what I was getting into with that drug,” Lloyd admitted. His addiction began following a 2009 court case, where he was accused of stealing his most famous song, Amazing.

Digging into the impact of the court case, Lloyd added, “That court case made me go back to a place I didn't want to go back to, because I was the happiest guy on the planet before that.”

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Throughout the course of the trial, Lloyd faced long-buried childhood trauma, which then triggered depression, alcohol abuse, and extreme weight gain. While the case was dropped partway through the trial and Lloyd was awarded costs from the court, he lost his marriage and his reason for writing music.

“People saw the worst side of me, but I had the music I was performing and that saved my arse,” he said. Meanwhile, experiencing worsening chronic neck pain led to Lloyd becoming addicted to a prescription drug.

With the support of his children and a new creative partnership, he rediscovered his love of music and started planning his comeback. Now, Lloyd is nearly three years clean and preparing to release highly anticipated new music.

Lloyd is set to make his return to the spotlight this week, with his first new song in twelve years, Echoes Of Home, releasing on Friday, 15 August. He’ll also be touring throughout 2025 and 2026.

You can watch Alex Lloyd’s episode of Australian Story on Monday, 18 August, at 8 pm on ABC TV and ABC iView.