If there is one thing I have taken from sitting down with Becky (via Zoom), is that we can only expect bigger and better things from the 26-year-old singer-songwriter – if that was even possible!? ‘Spaces’ is not just a single it seems, it’s a way in which Becky has been able to transcend herself even further from her previous dance hits.
Becky has had a year like no other. At the beginning of this year she was touring with The Script, was set to have several of her own sold out shows, she’s just released her new single ‘Spaces’ and is releasing her debut album next year! We spoke about life during quarantine. the power music has on people and what she has planned for her music in the next up and coming months.
This must be a really exciting time for you at the moment, I’ve been listening to your new single 'Spaces' on repeat… which I have to say is amazing!
Oh my god, thank you so much!
From listening to your new single 'Spaces' - this is something you’ve released as Becky Hill, which has been a new era of redefining yourself. I think it's amazing how you've embodied a female empowerment perspective, which you’ve voiced in past interviews and on Twitter, is that something you think about in your writing?
Awhhh yeah, I would say so, I think generally though within writing music it becomes quite clear when you’re being submissive and too dominant in a song. There’s certain words and certain ways that you can write, that leans more towards "I love you and I’d do anything for you" or "love me like I want you to" there is a way that you have to be careful treading that line of being too subservient and/or too dominant for the listeners sake.
Yeah and just doing things for what people want to hear, instead of it being in your own terms.
Yeah, exactly.
I also saw a quote of you describing your upcoming album as a "therapeutic journal but in music form" which I found so powerful. You’ve written about your relationship in songs, which is obviously so normal to write about personal experiences, do you find that it’s a good way of escape and balance?
It’s definitely a source of inspiration for me. One thing I’ve loved about this relationship that I’ve been in for nearly five years is that it has inspired me every single day. There are things that he’ll say, there are ways that I’ll feel, there are phrases and bits and pieces I’ll pick up on and write down, that I’ll use in writing songs. It’s never got to a point where I don’t feel like I can’t write about him or write about us. There’s always something to write about. It’s lovely to feel – not only how in love I am with somebody, but to feel like it's always everchanging. How one minute it can be great, one minute it can be shit, there’s always something there to talk about in my music.
One thing I’ve loved about this relationship that I’ve been in for nearly five years is that it has inspired me every single day... It’s never got to a point where I don’t feel like I can’t write about him or write about us.
I love that. I think it just shows how normal it is - from a listener's perspective. That someone else - no matter if they have a platform or not, is going through something entirely normal.
100% right, you’re totally right.
2020 has been such a bizarre year for everyone. You were doing The Script tour as their warmup act and additionally had multiple sold-out shows of your own, which is insane! Was it hard when everything was so hectic and busy for yourself, for it to then suddenly stop?
It was definitely an interesting one. As soon as I got back to my hometown of Bewdley, it took me 3/4 days to really wind down. I had to prepare myself, as I was really busy with The Script tour, then going over to Europe to do some Script shows there and then go back and play two weeks of my own sold-out headline shows and then was going to go over to the states to do my first American show and then go over and do Coachella... that was the end. That was three months’ worth of work. I had to prepare myself mentally to do all that work and then all of a sudden everything stopped. It did take me a minute to be like "woahh ok cool, chill, it's all good".
Did you write lots of music in lockdown? Or was it taking each day as it comes?
Yeah, a little bit of taking each day as it comes. I think I definitely remembered what it's like to be creative again and write music on my own. That was a really lovely feeling. I wrote bits and pieces here and there and I wrote with my best friend over facetime, and another person I’m really good friends with - Adam Argyl. These are people I've been working with since I was 18, so these were the only people I felt comfortable enough to write online with.
That’s amazing, I think falling in love with something over again is sometimes needed or if you get too used to something, whether its performing or song writing. Its nice to have a break or a pause and then get back into it again.
Yeah, and remembering how much you love it. It was definitely like that for me. I was super lucky with my lockdown situation and yeah it was really lovely to pick up songwriting again and remember how much I loved it after all the performing.
As I mentioned briefly earlier, you have featured in lots of producer’s singles, as well as your own, including multiple dance hits. Are you excited for your album coming out next year for people to get to know you, as your voice is so distinctive and unique in itself? And with doing more interviews, and hopefully everything will pick up again, that people will get to know Becky Hill?
Yeah, you know what, I’ve really seen ‘Space’ as a breakout single for me. I feel like I’ve done a lot of work with ‘I Could Get Used To This’ and ‘Heaven On My Mind’ and ‘Better Off Without You’, but I really feel this is the single now that will kind of put a flag plant in my career in the UK. And I won't necessarily have to prove myself anymore with people in the UK, they’ll see me as an artist that is worth their investment and their time. It has taken ever such a long time and you know I really hope now is that time. I can get people on side and people will be totally invested for the album as well.
What I find with music, which makes it so powerful, is that a set of lyrics can mean something entirely different to whoever is listening to it, no matter how old you are. It seems like such a good time for it to come out, with everyone taking a step back from their lives at the moment.
Hopefully God is looking down on me. Spaces was written back in 2017 and its been a long time coming. I’m glad it has had a release at any time really, let alone now when everyone needs personal and both physical space from each other.
What made you release it three years later?
There was a record deal situation. The other songs are build up songs, I think. I’ve also had tricky times with record labels and starting my own record label. And finally getting signed to Polydor Records and having the release strategy that they’ve had. So more of the politics and the ins and outs of the industry - and trying to get enough people to listen to it. Hopefully, the people that listen to ‘I Could Get Used To This’, will be the same people that listen to ‘Spaces’. That will be tripled or quadrupled and it's all about timing.
Exactly, and there is so much that goes into it. You were talking about building up your image and having a good safety net of people around you that have helped you. I think that in itself is so important. It's so great to be independent but its also good to have people around you, that are looking out for you. I can imagine the music industry being a very scary place sometimes.
Definitely, you just have to pick the right people to have your back really. My team have been really good - pretty good is an understatement, they’ve been fucking excellent. But like the number of people I know that haven’t been that lucky and have had people take advantage of them or take the piss is a difficult one to navigate, and I’ve just been lucky with the people I surround myself with.
I’m happy to hear that and I think we’re going to be hearing a lot from you!