Self Esteem has said she is “desperate to diversify” as her music industry earnings have left her “depressed and stressed”.
The Sheffield singer-songwriter – real name Rebecca Lucy Taylor – is due to release her third solo album ‘A Complicated Woman’ on April 25 via Polydor, the follow-up to her Mercury and BRIT-nominated ‘Prioritise Pleasure’ in 2021.
In the years since the release of that record, Taylor has said she has deliberately tried to expand her professional opportunities, which has included taking on the starring role of Sally Bowles in a West End production of Cabaret opposite Scissor Sisters’ Jake Shears.
Speaking to The Times, she said: “The reason I get depressed and stressed about the music industry is safety – and that means money. All I want is to no longer rely on anyone. To know that the rug cannot be pulled out from under me, the way it has been so many times.”
“That’s partly why I’m desperate to diversify. Not that acting is a sturdy career, but it’s another string to my bow that makes me less reliant on the music industry.”
Other acting roles Taylor has taken on in recent years include a character in the second season of Sky Atlantic dark comedy I Hate Suzie and the role of Farrah in Sky comedy Smothered. She has also appeared on the celebrity version of the Great British Bake Off, while she also told NME in 2022 that she wants to be a judge on Drag Race UK.
In the same interview, Taylor also expressed her distaste for the way musicians have become reliant on being at the centre of viral hits on social media. “‘Oh please, sir, give me a TikTok hit,” she said. “Actually, my label just sent me a bunch of TikToks to approve. Ahhh, I just feel stupid. That shit kills me … and it’s starting all over again.”
Taylor is currently in the middle of a run of five special theatrical presentations of ‘A Complicated Woman’ at London’s Duke Of York’s Theatre. At the first show on Wednesday (April 16), she played the record in full, alongside old favourites.
“Thank you so much for coming last night luvs,” Taylor wrote on Instagram after the show, along with a clip of the performance. “Real dream come true stuff for baby Becky.”
The artist has said the new album was made “for stadiums” after taking inspiration from the likes of Coldplay and Biffy Clyro.
“I don’t know how the album’s going to get received, but then I’m also like, ‘I don’t give a fuck’, because I’ve made what I want to make,” she said. “I think it’s going to be a massive challenge, being a 38, 39-year-old woman putting a pop record out and getting it where it needs to go.”
She will be going on tour throughout the UK and Ireland starting this September. Kicking off in Birmingham, she’ll travel through to Edinburgh, Newcastle, Glasgow, Dublin, Manchester, Bristol and Brighton.
There’ll also be two shows at the O2 Academy Brixton in London and a huge homecoming gig at the Utilita Arena in Sheffield. See the full list of dates here and find any remaining tickets here.
