Phoebe Bridgers has recorded a stripped-back acoustic cover of Nirvana's 1991 track "Lithium" for BBC Radio 1's Live Lounge, reworking Kurt Cobain's raw, anguished original into a softer, folk-inflected rendition sung in her own breathy style. The session continues the Live Lounge tradition of artists pairing a classic cover with their own material, and comes at a moment when Bridgers is heavily promoting her new solo record.

Alongside the Nirvana cover, Bridgers performed "Lost Boys" and "Bobby" from her newly released third solo album, Lost Weekend. The Live Lounge recording appears to have been taped before she was struck down with appendicitis, forcing her to postpone a run of small UK shows planned for this week in Kingston, Brighton and Bristol; she confirmed the illness on Instagram, promising to reschedule the dates. She is still expected to return to the UK later this year for arena shows, including two sold-out nights at London's O2 Arena on 1-2 December.