Holly Humberstone

Last updated

Holly Humberstone
Holly Humberstone @ The Roxy 10 06 2021 (51782666067) (cropped).jpg
Humberstone performing in 2021
Background information
Born
Holly Ffion Humberstone [1]

(1999-12-17) 17 December 1999 (age 26) [2]
Nottingham, England
Genres
OccupationSinger-songwriter
Instruments
  • Vocals
  • guitar
  • piano
  • violin
Works
Years active2018–present
Labels
Website hollyhumberstone.com

Holly Ffion Humberstone (born 17 December 1999) is an English singer-songwriter from Grantham. She released her debut extended play (EP), Falling Asleep at the Wheel in 2020, after which she signed a recording contract with Interscope and Polydor Records. Her first EP following the signings, The Walls Are Way Too Thin , was released in November 2021. She subsequently won the Brit Award for Rising Star at the 2022 Brit Awards. She has since released her debut studio album, Paint My Bedroom Black (2023), set to be followed by Cruel World (2026).

Contents

Early life

Holly Ffion Humberston was born on 17 December 1999 in the Queen's Medical Centre in Nottingham. [3] However, she grew up in Grantham. Humberstone is of four sisters and her parents are NHS doctors. [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] She studied at Kesteven and Grantham Girls' Grammar School [9] and the Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts. [4]

Humberstone started writing songs at a young age. She has discussed growing up in a small town, stating there was "no music scene growing up in rural Lincolnshire, so I just really did my own thing" in an interview with The Telegraph . [8] Humberstone was formerly a violinist for the Lincolnshire Youth Symphony Orchestra and was first spotted by a manager whilst performing on her local BBC Music Introducing radio show. [10]

Career

2019–2021: Debut and The Walls Are Way Too Thin

Humberstone performed at Glastonbury Festival 2019 on the BBC Music Introducing stage. [11] Her debut single "Deep End" was then released on 30 January 2020. [12] Her second single, "Falling Asleep at the Wheel", was released on 19 March, while her third single, "Overkill", was released on 26 June. [13] [14] On 30 July 2020, she released a cover of "Fake Plastic Trees" by the English rock band Radiohead. Her debut EP, also titled Falling Asleep at the Wheel , was released on 14 August, which contained her three previous singles, alongside the tracks "Vanilla", "Drop Dead" and "Livewire". [15] [16] On 9 December 2020, she was included in Vevo DSCVR's Artists to Watch 2021. [17] She performed her song "Vanilla" on the channel. [18]

In March 2021, ahead of the release of her single "Haunted House" and her second EP, Humberstone signed with Polydor Records in the United Kingdom and Darkroom/Interscope Records in the United States. She also signed a publishing deal with Universal Music Publishing Group. [19] On 13 October 2021, Humberstone performed "Scarlett" from her EP The Walls Are Way Too Thin on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon . [20] On 9 December 2021, it was announced that Humberstone had been awarded the Brit Award for Rising Star, which recognises pop's most promising new acts to watch. [10] Sam Fender surprised Humberstone with the award whilst they were recording an acoustic duet of his song "Seventeen Going Under". [8]

2022–2024: Paint My Bedroom Black and tours

On 21 January 2022, she released the single "London is Lonely". [21] Humberstone was the opening act for Girl in Red's Make It Go Quiet Tour of North America in March 2022, [22] as well as the opening act for the second half of the North American leg of Olivia Rodrigo's Sour Tour. [23] Also in March 2022, The Walls Are Way Too Thin won the Best Mixtape accolade at the 2022 NME Awards. [24] After a string of standalone singles including "Sleep Tight", she released a compilation album of her music released at that point in time, Can You Afford to Lose Me?. It was made available on 24 October 2022. [25] In June 2023, she announced that her debut album would be titled Paint My Bedroom Black . It was released on 13 October 2023 and was promoted with three singles: "Antichrist", "Room Service" and "Superbloodmoon", the lattermost of which featured American artist d4vd. [26] [27] The latter track was later removed from streaming services following allegations of d4vd's involvement in the case of Celeste Rivas Hernandez. [28] In July 2023, she was featured on the song "Diving" by British band Bombay Bicycle Club. [29]

In February 2024, Humberstone released "Dive", alongside announcing that her third EP, Work In Progress would be released on 15 March, [30] noting that the tracklist was made up of demos she had forgotten about, as opposed to a typical deluxe album. [31] On 5 August 2024, she was announced as an opener for the 16 August 2024 show of Taylor Swift's The Eras Tour. [32]

2025–present: Cruel World

Humberstone released the single "Die Happy" on 5 November 2025. [33] Her second studio album, Cruel World, was announced on 23 January 2026, accompanying the release of its second single, "To Love Somebody", which Humberstone performed during a 28 January appearance on The Tonight Show in the U.S. [34] . The album will be released on 10 April 2026. [35]

Musical style and influences

Humberstone's music has been described as pop, [16] [36] synth-pop, [37] indie rock, [16] alternative rock [38] and pop rock. [39] [40] Her music style has been compared to artists such as Lorde and Bon Iver given its intimate and atmospheric style. [10] Humberstone cites Damien Rice, Ben Howard, Phoebe Bridgers and Haim as musical inspirations. [41] Rice's debut studio album O (2002) is considered by Humberstone to be her "first favourite album". [42] She has stated she mostly identifies with "female writers who overshare" and has described her own musical style as "quite self-exposing". [8]

Discography

Concert tours

Headlining

Supporting

Awards and nominations

YearOrganisationCategoryNominee(s)/work(s)ResultRef.
2022 Brit Awards Rising Star HerselfWon [49]
NME Awards Best Mixtape The Walls Are Way Too Thin Won [24]
Ivor Novello Awards Best Song Musically and Lyrically "Haunted House"Nominated [50]

References

  1. ↑ "Album Details". Universal Music Publishing Group . Archived from the original on 11 December 2021. Retrieved 8 August 2021.
  2. ↑ "Holly Humberstone". Booking Agent Info. 4 January 2022. Archived from the original on 4 February 2022. Retrieved 4 January 2022.
  3. ↑ "We Chat to Holly Humberstone About Her Upcoming EP 'Work in Progress'". LeftLion. Archived from the original on 23 April 2025. Retrieved 8 February 2026.
  4. 1 2 Creaghan, Connor. "Grantham singer, 19, gets first gig at Glastonbury". Lincolnshire Reporter. Archived from the original on 19 September 2020. Retrieved 18 August 2020.
  5. ↑ "Getting to know... Holly Humberstone". Dork . 14 August 2020. Archived from the original on 26 September 2020. Retrieved 18 August 2020.
  6. ↑ Caramanica, Jon (10 August 2020). "Holly Humberstone Wants Her Songs to Last a Lifetime". The New York Times . Archived from the original on 10 August 2020. Retrieved 15 August 2020.
  7. ↑ "Holly Humberstone: The singer dabbling with 'dark, wonky pop'". BBC News . 30 August 2020. Archived from the original on 30 August 2020. Retrieved 17 November 2023.
  8. 1 2 3 4 McCormick, Neil (14 December 2021). "Brits Rising Star Holly Humberstone: 'My songs don't leave much to the imagination'". The Telegraph . Archived from the original on 14 December 2021. Retrieved 24 December 2021.
  9. ↑ "Singer releases new single from upcoming debut album". Grantham Journal. 25 September 2023. Archived from the original on 30 October 2023. Retrieved 17 November 2023.
  10. 1 2 3 "Brit Awards: Holly Humberstone wins the rising star prize". BBC News . 9 December 2021. Archived from the original on 11 December 2021. Retrieved 23 April 2022.
  11. ↑ "Holly Humberstone Reveals Debut New Single". Total Ntertainment. 31 January 2020. Archived from the original on 22 September 2020. Retrieved 18 August 2020.
  12. ↑ Smith, Thomas (2 February 2020). "What's Your Band Called, Mate? Get to know Holly Humberstone". NME . Archived from the original on 6 June 2020. Retrieved 6 June 2020.
  13. ↑ Vitagliano, Joe (28 May 2020). "Holly Humberstone wakes up on new single 'Falling Asleep At The Wheel'". American Songwriter . Archived from the original on 6 June 2020. Retrieved 6 June 2020.
    • "Dirty Projectors Also Covered John Lennon, Thankfully, and 10 More New Songs", The New York Times , Archived 19 May 2020 at the Wayback Machine
    • "Artist to Watch: Holly Humberstone's second single "Falling Asleep at the Wheel" is a hauntingly intimate upheaval", Mosk, Mitch, Atwood Magazine, Archived 6 June 2020 at the Wayback Machine
  14. ↑ Muir, Jaime (26 June 2020). "Holly Humberstone has released another absolute gem with new track 'Overkill'". Dork . Archived from the original on 30 June 2020. Retrieved 29 June 2020.
  15. ↑ Moore, Sam (30 July 2020). "Listen to Holly Humberstone's cover of Radiohead's 'Fake Plastic Trees'". NME . Archived from the original on 31 July 2020. Retrieved 1 August 2020.
  16. 1 2 3 Caramanica, Jon (10 August 2020). "Holly Humberstone wants her songs to last a lifetime". The New York Times . Archived from the original on 14 August 2020. Retrieved 18 August 2020.
  17. ↑ Vigil, Dom (9 December 2020). "Holly Humberstone Shares "DSCVR Artists To Watch 2021" Performance Video | Prelude Press". Archived from the original on 9 December 2020. Retrieved 12 January 2021.
  18. ↑ "Vevo Artists To Watch 2021: Olivia Dean, Holly Humberstone, Alfie Templeman, Kylie Morgan, Dylan Fuentes". Music Business Worldwide . 14 December 2020. Archived from the original on 20 January 2021. Retrieved 12 January 2021.
  19. ↑ Earl, William (17 March 2021). "UK Newcomer Holly Humberstone Signs With Darkroom/Interscope/Polydor Records". Variety . Archived from the original on 23 March 2021. Retrieved 7 April 2021.
  20. ↑ Phillips, Lucy (14 October 2021). "Watch Holly Humberstone perform 'Scarlett' on The Tonight Show". Dork . Retrieved 28 January 2022.
  21. ↑ Doria, Matt. "Holly Humberstone shares snippet of new song about moving to London". NME . Archived from the original on 28 January 2022. Retrieved 28 January 2022.
  22. ↑ "Girl In Red performs 'I'll Call You Mine' live on 'Seth Meyers' and announces US tour". NME. 23 September 2021. Archived from the original on 24 September 2021. Retrieved 7 February 2022.
  23. ↑ Blistein, Jon (6 December 2021). "Olivia Rodrigo Plots 2022 'Sour' World Tour". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 6 December 2021. Retrieved 6 December 2021.
  24. 1 2 "Holly Humberstone wins Best Mixtape at the BandLab NME Awards 2022". NME . Archived from the original on 2 March 2022. Retrieved 12 February 2026.
  25. ↑ Kreps, Daniel. "See Holly Humberstone Deliver Entrancing 'Can You Afford to Lose Me? on Colbert". Rolling Stone . Retrieved 2 July 2023.
  26. ↑ Duran, Anagrical (29 June 2023). "Holly Humberstone announces debut album Paint My Bedroom Black". NME . Archived from the original on 1 July 2023. Retrieved 2 July 2023.
  27. ↑ Carter, Daisy (28 July 2023). "Holly Humberstone Collaborates with D4vd on New Single 'Superbloodmoon'". DIY . Archived from the original on 28 July 2023. Retrieved 28 July 2023.
  28. ↑ "Dragonstar's Review of 'Superbloodmoon' by Holly Humberstone". Album of The Year. Retrieved 3 February 2026.
  29. ↑ Jamieson, Sarah (1 August 2023). "Bombay Bicycle Club and Holly Humberstone share acoustic version of 'Diving'". DIY. Archived from the original on 10 August 2023. Retrieved 10 August 2023.
  30. ↑ Ackroyd, Stephen (15 February 2024). "Holly Humberstone is releasing a new 'Work In Progress' EP". Dork. Archived from the original on 21 March 2024. Retrieved 21 March 2024.
  31. ↑ "We Chat to Holly Humberstone About Her Upcoming EP 'Work in Progress' - Leftlion - Nottingham Culture". leftlion.co.uk. Archived from the original on 21 March 2024. Retrieved 21 March 2024.
  32. ↑ "Taylor Swift Adds 5 Opening Acts to London Eras Tour Dates: 'Love Their Music'". Peoplemag. Archived from the original on 5 August 2024. Retrieved 5 August 2024.
  33. ↑ Damara Kelly, Tyler (6 November 2025). "Holly Humberstone returns with new track, "Die Happy"". The Line of Best Fit. Retrieved 26 January 2026.
  34. ↑ Bernstein, Scott (29 January 2026). "Holly Humberstone Turns Heartache Into Beauty On 'Fallon' With 'To Love Somebody'". JamBase. Retrieved 12 February 2026.
  35. ↑ Pilley, Max (23 January 2026). "Holly Humberstone announces new album 'Cruel World' with confessional single 'To Love Somebody': "In order to feel extreme happiness, you have to know extreme sadness"". NME. Retrieved 23 January 2026.
  36. ↑ Snapes, Laura (28 October 2021). "'I have chaos in my head all the time': Holly Humberstone, pop's pandemic breakout star". The Guardian . Archived from the original on 1 January 2022. Retrieved 23 April 2022.
  37. ↑ Gallagher, Alex (8 September 2021). "Listen to Holly Humberstone's soaring new synth-pop single 'Scarlett'". NME . Archived from the original on 23 April 2022. Retrieved 23 April 2022.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  38. ↑ "Holly Humberstone tours with Girl in Red". The Sentinel. 23 March 2022. Archived from the original on 13 January 2023. Retrieved 13 January 2023.
  39. ↑ "Holly Humberstone Has The Best Night Of Her Life At Brixton". Rockshot Mag. 5 December 2022. Archived from the original on 13 January 2023. Retrieved 13 January 2023.
  40. ↑ Baines, Huw (23 November 2022). "Holly Humberstone review – Brit winner makes a big room feel intimate". The Guardian.
  41. ↑ Taylor, Daniel (23 July 2020). "Holly Humberstone releases video for 'Overkill', announces debut EP". IINAG. Archived from the original on 13 August 2020. Retrieved 18 August 2020.
  42. ↑ Devine, Anna Miles (14 August 2020). "A Conversation with Holly Humberstone". Noisetrend. Archived from the original on 16 January 2021. Retrieved 18 August 2020.
  43. ↑ "Holly Humberstone brings the Deep End tour to London". Melodic . 11 November 2021. Retrieved 14 March 2024.
  44. ↑ Daly, Rhian (17 May 2022). "Holly Humberstone Announces North American 'Sleep Tight' Tour". uDiscover Music. Archived from the original on 14 March 2024. Retrieved 14 March 2024.
  45. ↑ Peacock, Tim (3 October 2023). "Holly Humberstone Announces Biggest UK, European Tour To Date". uDiscover Music. Archived from the original on 14 March 2024. Retrieved 14 March 2024.
  46. ↑ Schube, Will (6 November 2023). "Holly Humberstone Announces First North American Headlining Tour". uDiscover Music. Archived from the original on 14 March 2024. Retrieved 14 March 2024.
  47. ↑ Wembley, OVO Arena. "Lewis Capaldi OVO Arena Wembley". www.ovoarena.co.uk. Archived from the original on 17 April 2025. Retrieved 14 March 2024.
  48. ↑ Moore, NME. "Sam Fender announces UK and European 'People Watching' tour for 2024 and 2025". nme.com. Archived from the original on 19 October 2024. Retrieved 26 January 2026.
  49. ↑ "Holly Humberstone review – Brit winner makes a big room feel intimate". The Guardian . Retrieved 12 February 2026.
  50. ↑ Flynn, Tilly (7 April 2022). "Nominations announced for The Ivors 2022". The Ivors Academy. Archived from the original on 29 May 2024. Retrieved 29 May 2024.
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