Self Esteem AKA Rebecca Lucy Taylor today releases her new single ‘If Not Now, It’s Soon,’ debuted as BBC Radio 1’s Hottest Record and available to stream and download now, alongside a video by regular collaborator Piers Dennis.
‘If Not Now It’s Soon’ was partly inspired by Taylor’s years before her rise to fame – a time of hypersexuality, booze and self-destruction that precipitated the creation of Self Esteem. “You wonder who it was who made the choices in that town”, she sings, questioning her treatment of herself, while actress – and friend – Julie Hesmondalgh gives a call to arms: “Something will happen because it’s got to – it’s not just perseverance we need, it’s patience.”
It is about marrying the two things, Taylor explains: “Personally, you have to wait and one day you’ll get somewhere less painful. But the world will hopefully get somewhere less painful too. It’s about hope, perseverance and patience!”
‘If Not Now It’s Soon’ is the third song to be lifted from Self Esteem’s eagerly anticipated new album ‘A Complicated Woman’, due for release 25th April in digital, CD, cassette and vinyl formats – including limited editions – via Polydor Records. The album is the follow up to the hugely acclaimed BRIT and Mercury Prize-nominated 2021 album ‘Prioritise Pleasure’ – an album of the year everywhere from the Guardian to the Sunday Times.
Self Esteem today announces her biggest tour to date, taking in 14 shows across the UK and Ireland this autumn, including two nights each at Glasgow’s Barrowland Ballroom, Manchester Academy, Bristol Beacon, the Brighton Centre and London’s O2 Academy Brixton. Fans can pre-order ‘A Complicated Woman’ to gain access to a pre-sale for tickets, ahead of general sale at 10am this Friday 28th March.
Pre-order / pre-save ‘A Complicated Woman’ HERE.
Self Esteem – UK tour:
15 September – O2 Academy, Birmingham
16 September – Usher Hall, Edinburgh
18 September – O2 City Hall, Newcastle
20 September – Barrowland Ballroom, Glasgow
21 September – Barrowland Ballroom, Glasgow
24 September – 3Olympia Theatre, Dublin
27 September – Academy, Manchester
28 September – Academy, Manchester
03 October – The Beacon, Bristol
04 October – The Beacon, Bristol
09 October – O2 Academy Brixton, London
10 October – O2 Academy Brixton, London
17 October – Brighton Centre
18 October – Utilita Arena, Sheffield
Described by the Guardian as “her best yet”, ‘A Complicated Woman’ contains all Taylor’s musical thumbprints – complex thought processes unfolding in real time, an effortless knack of exposing the feelings women are required to labour under – but set on a larger, brighter landscape that is nothing short of exhilarating. Running through the album is a jubilant choir constructed of dozens and dozens of mostly female voices – “a community of people. I want you to hear and feel the connection” – including close friends, her band and collaborators, that includes – but is not limited to – singer-songwriters Nadine Shah, Moonchild Sanelly and Sue Tompkins from Life Without Buildings; Meatball and a bona fide Lancaster legend, the actress Julie Hesmondhalgh.
‘A Complicated Woman’ is about taking control of your life, summed up in the astonishing first single ‘Focus Is Power’ – which achieved the triple threat of playlists across BBC Radio 1, Radio 2 and 6 Music. Inspired by words Taylor wrote on a sticker, working from her mum and dad’s shed in the pandemic – “You see, it wasn’t up to me but now it could be / But now I see it clear with every passing of each year / I deserve to be here…” – the lyrics become an incantation when shared between the choir, something the accompanying music video (shot by long time collaborator Piers Dennis) echoes in its community hall performance.
Self Esteem previously announced ‘A Complicated Woman Live’ – a unique and theatrical presentation of her forthcoming new album at the intimate Duke Of York’s Theatre in London for a strictly limited and unmissable season this April. The entire run of shows sold out within minutes of going on sale.
Created by Rebecca Lucy Taylor and Tony award-winning Designer Tom Scutt, who also directs here, ‘A Complicated Woman Live’ is an ambitious quasi-theatrical experience that harnesses the power and energy of a gig but presents it through a theatrical format.
About Self Esteem:
One of the UK’s most exciting breakout stars of the past decade, Rebecca Lucy Taylor, AKA Self Esteem emerged from cult favourite status to mainstream hero following the huge success of her empowering, truth-telling 2021 single ‘I Do This All The Time’. The song resonated intensely as a perfect example of Taylor’s affectionately termed ‘trojan horse’ or ‘salad and chips’ approach, fearlessly packing important, emotive messages into witty, resonant pop music.
Self Esteem’s wildly acclaimed second album ‘Prioritise Pleasure’ quickly followed, tackling the hypocrisies and joys found in her experiences of modern day womanhood across dating, friendship, comparison culture, self love, women’s safety and sexual assault and much more. ‘Prioritise Pleasure’ received Mercury Prize, BRIT Award, Sky Arts and NME Award nominations, was crowned The Guardian and Sunday Times Culture’s Album of the Year, and ‘I Do This All The Time’ was also named The Guardian’s #1 song of 2021.
Quite the opposite of an overnight success, Taylor spent a decade as one half of indie duo Slow Club before adopting the pop star persona she’d always dreamed of. She released her first Self Esteem album ‘Compliments Please’ in 2019, featuring fan favourite singles ‘The Best’, ‘Girl Crush’ and more.
Gathering a passionate and vast legion of fans ever since, Taylor has appeared on The Graham Norton Show, Celebrity Gogglebox, Friday Night Live, performed three times on Jools Holland including the NYE Hootenanny, graced the covers of magazines from Grazia to NME to Sunday Times Style, and is one of a handful of artists to have been playlisted across BBC Radio 1, 2 and 6 Music simultaneously.
Having reached new heights of acclaim, Taylor has continued to grow, diversify, and create in 2024. Branching out into the world of acting, Taylor starred in a regular role in the Sky series ‘Smothered’, before completing a run playing Sally Bowles in the multiple Olivier Award-winning production of ‘Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club’ in London’s West End. Starring alongside Jake Shears (lead singer of Scissor Sisters) as Emcee, the pair’s time on stage was extended due to popular demand, and showcased the sheer range of talent in Taylor’s repertoire. A one-off collaborative single with Moonchild Sanelly, ‘Big Man’, was released in the summer of 2024.
