Q&A: Holly Humberstone
☆ By Saachi Gupta ☆
THERE IS SOMETHING OTHER-WORLDLY about UK-based Holly Humberstone's music. Dark and confessional, it hooks you from the first second and holds your attention until the very end. Her powerful voice, added to her phenomenal words, is a combination to look out for.
Holly Humberstone has proven that she is a talented star on an incredible rise. Her music has already amassed over 20 million streams, and gained acclaim from several international platforms.
With her latest single, “Overkill”, Holly Humberstone expands her sound even more. The track examines the intensity of relationships in your youth, and the video was shot entirely by Holly Humberstone and her sister, in a forest near their home with a VHS.
Holly Humberstone’s highly anticipated debut EP will be released on August 14th and will include three brand new songs in addition to “Deep End,” “Falling Asleep At The Wheel” and “Overkill”. Read on to find out more about “Overkill”, how lockdown has affected Humberstone and how her sound has changed with time.
LUNA: How has lockdown affected your music and creative process?
HUMBERSTONE: I actually found it pretty hard to stay motivated and be creative for the first few weeks of lockdown. I think because I suddenly had so much time I expected myself to be really prolific and productive and put loads of pressure on myself to do lots of writing. Now that I’m kind of settled, however, I can feel myself getting back into the swing of writing again which is so nice. I’ve been able to do a few socially distanced sessions in the past few weeks with my friend Rob which has been great. I feel like I’m getting back to working hard on some really cool stuff and feeling passionate about it all again.
LUNA: How did you come up with the idea for the unique music video of “Overkill”?
HUMBERSTONE: For the Overkill video, we decided to do something a little more home-made and makeshift which turned out to be really fun. Everyone was doing 5k run challenges so I decided to do my own version. My older sister Eleri and I took a VHS camera out into a forest near our home and she had me chase the camera whilst lip syncing to the song. It was also pitch black and I had no idea where I was going. The song is about venturing into the unknown and I think the video embodies that. It’s also nice because all of my videos so far have been filmed around my childhood home so they all feel very familiar to me.
LUNA: How do you approach developing and creating the visuals for your music? Is there a particular aesthetic/visual style you find yourself wanting to align your music with?
HUMBERSTONE: I think a lot of my visuals are just honest reflections of me and how I usually appear. I grew up in a very creative household and have pretty quirky parents and sisters, so I think a lot of my visual inspiration is taken from the creative personalities around me.
LUNA: How has your sound changed over time?
HUMBERSTONE: When I first started writing songs, I was obsessed with writing piano ballads and sad, slow songs. I think when I began working with other artists and producers, especially Rob (who I write most of my tunes with), I was exposed to so many more musical opportunities and began to experiment with quirkier and moodier electronic sounds. I think writing “Falling Asleep At The Wheel” was a huge milestone track for me, as it was the first time I really knew who I was within the music I was making.
LUNA: Is there a common message or theme you want people to take away from your upcoming debut EP?
HUMBERSTONE: I write a lot about different types of relationships in my life, and I wanted every song on my first EP to be about real experiences and feelings I’ve had. I think being really honest in my tunes is the best way for people to really get to know who I am. It’s my way of expressing myself.
LUNA: What is your favourite part of being a musician?
HUMBERSTONE: My favourite part of being a musician is probably being able to help others make sense of their feelings or bring some kind of comfort to someone. It’s really cool to think that I’m somehow helping and connecting with people I’ve never even met.
LUNA: How do you think your music/art helps your audience in this time?
HUMBERSTONE: The past few months have been pretty tough for a lot of people, and I hope my tunes are bringing a little bit of joy into someone’s day. It’s nice to receive messages on social media saying that people are identifying with the themes in my music, and that the songs help them to feel less alone which is very very cool for me to hear.
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RT @i_D: Ian Kenneth Bird photographs young punks on Polaroid: https://t.co/MKT0tMUqO9 https://t.co/a0tTl12ML5
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RT @AnOtherMagazine: #DreamHome – this isolated idyll in the mountains of Lanzarote 🌵 📸 via Nowness, photography by Clemence Blr 🔁 https://t.co/GUusdxD0cg