Holly Humberstone at Reading 2021: “I have loads of new music that I’m so excited about”

What would you do if you were given the opportunity to work with one of your musical heroes? It’s a daunting question that fast-rising singer-songwriter Holly Humberstone had to face up to last year when she hit the studio with The 1975’s Matty Healy, to record her recent single ‘Please Don’t Leave Just Yet’. A luminous number that bears all the hallmarks of the Manchester four-piece’s sound, on it Humberstone’s earnest vocals are supported by skeletal synth patterns, throbbing bass effects, and cavernous reverb.

And ‘Please Don’t Leave Yet’ isn’t the only thing the duo collaborated on, with Humberstone revealing to NME backstage at Reading Festival that the pair have worked together on more new material: “Yeah, we’ve written a couple of songs together, so there may be something coming out in the future…”

When asked about the differences between her relationship with Healy compared to previous collaborators, Humberstone elaborates: “I think there’s a big difference between working with other writers that just write, and then people [like Matty] who wear their heart on their sleeve everyday when they come into the studio to write about everything that they’re feeling.”

Over the next few months, the 21-year-old’s focus will turn to working on her aforementioned debut album, which will follow last year’s exceptional debut EP ‘Falling Asleep At The Wheel’ (which received the full five-star treatment from NME) and it’s forthcoming follow-up, ‘The Ways Are Way Too Thin’, due for release in November later this year.

“For me, an album is a really daunting thought. Being done with my debut album and having that much work, and all of it being final, is so scary – so I think it’s going to be a while [before it’s released]” she says. “I’ve had loads of time now to just experiment and try different things out, and to have fun with my writing without the pressure.

“I have loads of music that I’m so excited about – but I don’t think I’ll ever feel like it’s finished as I get bored of my work quite quickly. At some point, I’ll just have to be like, ‘That’s it. I’m just putting it out,’ – and then I can forget about it and start on the next new thing…”

Watch our full interview with Holly Humberstone at Reading 2021 above

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