Grantham-born singer-songwriter Holly Humberstone has released her highly anticipated second album Cruel World, along with a new single and video, “Beauty Pageant.”
The final track on the record, “Beauty Pageant” is a stark portrait of womanhood under pressure. “It’s about the unattainable standards we hold ourselves to,” says Holly. “It’s brutally real, a little ugly, and painfully honest.”
Cruel World explores love in all its forms — the euphoria, the instability, the pain. Visually, Holly has built a dark fairytale world drawing on Brothers Grimm, Nosferatu, The Red Shoes and Black Swan, created alongside her sister Eleri and director Silken Weinberg.
The 12-track album marks a turning point for the 26-year-old. Where her top three debut Paint My Bedroom Black was steeped in turbulence and longing, Cruel World is anchored in stability, written during daily studio sessions and shaped by years on the road supporting the likes of Taylor Swift, Sam Fender and Olivia Rodrigo.
Holly’s story began in Grantham, where she grew up in what she calls a “haunted house” the inspiration behind her breakthrough EP Falling Asleep At The Wheel. Now based in South-East London, she has restored a house with her sisters and best friend, and the sense of having finally found home runs through every track.
A BRIT Rising Star winner and Ivor Novello nominee, Holly has sold out Brixton Academy, the Eventim Apollo, and headline tours across the US and Europe. She heads to the US in June for a full headline tour, followed by a European tour in September.
You can catch Holly in the UK at the following dates:
24 May – Radio 1’s Big Weekend
Sunderland 4 July – BST Hyde Park
London 27-30 Aug – Reading and Leeds
Cruel World tracklist: So It Starts, Make It All Better, To Love Somebody, Cruel World, Die Happy, White Noise, Lucy, Red Chevy, Drunk Dialling, Peachy, Blue Dream, Beauty Pageant.
LISTEN TO CRUEL WORLD
LISTEN TO BEAUTY PAGEANT
Follow Holly Humberstone:
YouTube/ Instagram / Twitter/ Facebook / Spotify / Apple / TikTok
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