Image copyright
Phoebe Fox
If you’ve grown up sharing a bedroom or fought with siblings, then Holly Humberstone has got your back.
At the start of lockdown, the 20-year-old moved back home to Lincolnshire with her three sisters and her parents, who are both NHS doctors.
“It was extremely chaotic. We’ve all got big personalities and there’s six of us in one house,” she tells Radio 1 Newsbeat.
In March, she’d just come off a huge tour with Lewis Capaldi and says the change of pace took the family a while to adjust to as they tried to “co-exist”.
During those first few weeks, it was difficult for her to see her parents so stressed as they worked long hours and dealt with an ever-changing pandemic.
But things have gradually got a bit calmer and says the experience was a “nice excuse” for her whole family to come back together and reconnect.
One of her sisters even helped out her career by filming the video to her single Overkill.
Taking an old VHS camera, she made Holly run through the local forest at dusk with her guitar in hand, creating a video that’s a bit like the Blair Witch Project.
Still in the early stages of her career, Holly describes her music as “dark, wonky pop” but admits she’s still trying to figure out exactly what her sound is.
“I take influence from loads of different places but I love Lorde and Phoebe Bridgers who both have really personal and ‘on-the-nose’ lyrics.”
Things moved fast for Holly after she went from playing small venues to arenas as the support act on Lewis Capaldi’s European tour.
“It was a highlight for me but seriously intense.
“I perform on my own so I have no band to fall back on or anything. It was amazing for my self confidence.”
Holly’s music is for fans of:
- HAIM
- Lorde
- Bon Iver
- Phoebe Bridgers
- Maggie Rogers
Like so many other musicians, Holly’s got used to gig cancellations and recently had a couple of November headline shows rescheduled to next year.
“Hopefully I’ll get to perform soon. I also miss doing sessions so hopefully there will be some kind of normality.”
Despite lockdown, she’s still on course to release her debut EP and recently filmed a special performance for the Jimmy Kimmel show – which has fast become a rite of passage for many upcoming British artists.
Image copyright
Phoebe Fox
Even though her parents are both doctors, their interest in the arts meant they encouraged Holly to take up music and be creative.
She says TV was banned in the house so instead she would make up songs and music on her piano from poetry books.
“It makes us sound really strict but it was actually fun”.
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Like many of us, she struggled through the first few weeks of lockdown and found that as a writer, she had “nothing to write about”.
“But I took the pressure off myself and understood that I had all this time to create things,” she says.
Her surroundings have helped too with the countryside providing peace and quiet, and a good place to escape from her three sisters when things get a bit too hectic in the house.
“I’ve been grateful to be in the countryside. Lincolnshire has so much space and it’s been such a nice place to lock down and isolate.”
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Getty Images
Holly says Lincolnshire has been a good place to stay during lockdown
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