Photo Credit: Joseph Delany / Words: Sophie Stanley
The Foundry was packed, with more than 600 people gathered in anticipation of Becky taking to the stage. Despite the size of the crowd, the intimate setting felt perfectly suited to the stripped-back acoustic performance that was to follow.
Her new album, ‘Rebecca,’ releasing on the 13th of November marks a departure from her previous work, with Becky describing it as ‘curated chaos.’ It sees her reconnecting with the wider influences that shaped her early musical identity and therefore is deeply personal and intimate.
As she took the stage, Becky seemed visibly nervous, declaring that she needed to relax, but after playing her first song of the set, ‘More! More! More!,’ she seemed to loosen up. This was one of the songs from her new album, sung acoustically, and she noted that this is different to her normal setup. She said: “These shows are really fun for me because I’m usually running around in some ridiculous heels. To sit down is a privilege.
“I really enjoy singing like this, you can’t just yell down the microphone, which is what I’m used to.”
After playing a few more songs from the new album, she admitted that it can be hard for audiences listening to new music and opened it up to the audience to choose songs for her to sing. The first person picked ‘Wish you well,’ which was a very successful single produced with Sigala in 2019. Performing solo, she was accompanied by the crowds singing along, which gave everyone the opportunity to appreciate her phenomenal vocals. She continued with some more famous requests including ‘Wish you well,’ ‘My Heart Goes (La Di Da),’ ‘Never be alone,’ ‘Do you believe me now,’ and ‘I could get used to this.’
Returning to her new music, Becky took a moment between songs to discuss the album and what it represented to her as an artist. She said: “Expressing my opinions in my music is something I have very much avoided because I have always been secondary to a male DJ. I guess a lot of the viewpoint was I couldn’t make it if I didn’t have people like Chase and Status on the record right?
“When I was making this album I had the idea to make it about being bound to the music industry. I wanted to write it to feel more authentic because it is the first time I’ve given myself permission to write like that in songs.”
Becky went on to explain that she was no longer concerned with hitting ‘New Music Friday,’ expressing how grateful she was for the community in the room. Reflecting on her younger years, Becky introduced, ‘Everybody knows her but nobody knows her name,’ a song she wrote at just 18.
Bringing the set to a close with another new release, ‘lost the plot,’ Becky left the stage, giving the audience something far more personal than a conventional live performance. Her willingness to be vulnerable and share her experiences with the audience was deeply refreshing.
There is something deeply powerful about an artist giving herself permission to create on her own terms, without allowing commercial expectation dictate her direction. In that sense, Rebecca feels like more than just a new album; marking a moment of artistic independence and self-expression.
