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WORDS MAISIE JANE DANIELS
When speaking with exciting pop newcomer Libby Whitehouse from her hometown of Brighton, you are immediately greeted by her big smile, kind demeanour, and infectious energy. It's no surprise that her sold-out show at the Camden Assembly in London was packed with adoring fans. Libby humorously admits she initially thought her family was secretly buying all the tickets, making her even more endearing. F Word was eager to catch up with this one-to-watch artist to discuss her latest self-celebratory single, "Sweetest Revenge." A poptastic track that will have you dancing around your kitchen, with lyrics that leave you feeling empowered. The single is from her debut EP, which drops this summer, and we can't wait to hear more! Read the full interview and get to know Libby here:
Maisie Daniels: Firstly, thank you for talking to us today! You’re Brighton-based—have you always lived there, and do you like living there?
Libby Whitehouse: Thank you so much for having me! I’ve always lived in Brighton; I’ve grown up here. Definitely, at some point, I will make the move to London because I’m there all the time for music, and I love the buzz of it. But Brighton will always be my home. I love Brighton.
MD: What’s the music scene like down there?
Libby: It’s funny because I feel like everyone in Brighton is very creative, but you would never actually know that there’s a music scene because everyone goes to London. But half the time I go to London—I was in a session yesterday—and the producer was like, “I live in Brighton” [laughs]. So, if everyone stayed in Brighton, we wouldn’t have to always come to London [laughs]. There are so many musicians from Brighton, and we have BIMM, which is the music college where I went. Some great artists have come out of there. It’s great; it’s such a creative, magical, wonderful, weird place.
MD: You mentioned going to BIMM. Where did your musical journey begin?
Libby: I’ve been doing music since I came out of the womb! I’ve been singing forever. Since primary school, I would do singing, dancing, and acting. My parents said I had to choose one, and luckily I chose singing because I’m not great at the other stuff [laughs]. In secondary school, I would go to London most weekends and work with a producer there (my dad would come along as I was only fourteen). Then I left school and figured that I did so much music in school and in my spare time, so maybe when I went to college, I would choose something non-music-related.
I went to a non-musical college for literally one week, studied sociology, and cried the whole time [laughs]. It was awful. I thought, I hate this, and I want to do music, but I didn’t pass my math GCSE. BIMM was very strict about that, but they sneakily let me in on the condition that I studied math outside of the music college. At BIMM, I made lots of lovely musical friends. One of them supported me in my recent headline show, and another was my drummer.
MD: Your latest single ‘Sweetest Revenge’ is out! What has the response been like so far?
Libby: Everyone’s been loving it, which makes me so happy because—obviously, I love all of my songs—and as creatives and artists, you naturally have songs that hold more of a special place in your heart because the day you wrote it was such a great day, or it was through a time that really helped me. So, the pressure was on a little bit in my own head because I really want people to enjoy and connect with this as much as I do. I think that seems to be the case; some people have said it’s helped them through a breakup. I’m a very emotional and sensitive person, but I like to make my music very upbeat. I always say that if I can make myself cry and dance in my kitchen, that’s how I like to get over things [laughs].
MD: It’s a very empowering, self-celebratory track. Can you talk us through the song's meaning?
Libby: It was around a year and a half ago (maybe longer) that I wrote it. I had a session with my really good friends in music called Kal, Robbie, and Theo. I think it was our second session together, and I went in with all this stuff in my head. I was recently going through a breakup, and it was at the point after the breakup where you think you’re fine and then you see them following people on Instagram… the typical toxic stuff that you shouldn’t really be looking at. You start comparing yourself to who they’re talking to or following, and you feel really bad about yourself. I went into the session and wasn’t going to say anything, and was like, “let’s write a happy song,” but Kal could tell that I wasn’t feeling right and asked what was really wrong. So, I explained how I’d been feeling, and as I was explaining, I realised how ridiculous I sounded. And I thought, you know what, he was bloody lucky to have me! [laughs]. So, we flipped the narrative: yes, I felt like shit, but now I’ve realised my worth, and I’m a catch!
MD: I love that! I could definitely resonate with all of this. Where would you most like to hear “Sweetest Revenge” being played?
Libby: Oooh, that’s such a good question! I’m very big on visuals, and when I write my music, I have to see something. So I feel like, this sounds a bit cliché, but in the Barbie movie when Barbie and Ken are roller skating through California. But instead of Ken being there, it’s just filled with women feeling good, empowering themselves, and each other through the speakers.
MD: Let’s manifest that for “Barbie 2”! "Sweetest Revenge," along with your previously released singles "OMG" and "Fired," are all part of your EP that’s out this summer. Listening to "Fired" and "Sweetest Revenge," are these about your own unhealthy relationships?
Libby: It’s funny because my last relationship was really lovely and amicable. We broke up completely neutrally and are still friends, which is nice. I think it’s more about the mental part of then transitioning to being on your own and things that my friends have gone through. “Fired” I wrote about my friend who was in a really bad relationship. Hers was more of a situationship, which sometimes I think is worse. I remember I was very angry, so I went in and wrote this song and sent it to her and was like, you need to listen to this to get over it.
I think with me, my relationships have never been too toxic. I think it’s how I get into my own head after things end. I’m a bit of a people pleaser, so if there are issues in relationships, I keep them to myself. So the aftermath is that I’m left with all these thoughts and things that have nowhere to go, which is why I write these songs that let all of my emotions out. And I’m very dramatic [laughs].
MD: We’ve heard these three tracks. How many other tracks will be coming out?
Libby: There’s more music coming out this year, which I’m super excited about, with even more being written every day. The next track is coming very soon and concludes this mini era of releases. I’ve spent the last two years writing in Sweden, Norway and London, so I have so much music that I’m very excited for everyone to hear.
MD: What kind of space, both physically and mentally, do you need to be in to write music?
Libby: Sometimes you go into a studio and you’ve never met these people before in your life, and that’s why I love these sessions so much. It’s like therapy. You walk in, and everyone knows everything about me in like two minutes [laughs]. So, you have to be in a space where you are willing to open up. You have to be trustful and honest. You have to learn to get uncomfortable as well and be vulnerable. It’s usually very judgment-free zones, and everyone is there to make music and make you feel good.
MD: What do you hope people take away from this EP?
Libby: I really hope that people will learn to still dance through their worst moments in life. And that things really do get better. I’ve learned that sometimes when I feel like I’m having a period of feeling really shit, or that everything is going wrong, in my head, I just think, well, this is good because nothing can get worse. It can only go up from here.
MD: If you could go back to any era and be the age you are now, which era would you choose and why?
Libby: Ooh, that’s a really good question! The ‘70s/ ‘80s because there are things about both of those eras' fashion that I love! So purely for the fashion—the flares, the huge sunglasses, I like that everyone dressed up and fully danced in the club. I’d want to be in Studio 54; that would be the best era. I’d be in my Cadillac—I can’t drive, but someone would drive me [laughs]. It would be a vibe!
MD: I am so with you, but I’d want to come to Studio 54 on a horse, go full Bianca Jagger. Do you believe that fashion and music go hand-in-hand?
Libby: Oh, for sure! I really am a strong believer in this. Especially for me, every birthday and Christmas, my presents would be going to a concert since the age of nine. My first concert was Miley Cyrus in 2009, and she came out in a black leather jacket, on this red motorcycle—fully in her bad girl era—and I thought, oh my god, this is what I want to do! I remember seeing Elton John with his sunglasses on. Then I went to a Katy Perry concert when I was fourteen, and one minute she’s throwing these inflatable emojis around on the stage in a sequin leotard, and the next minute she’s on the piano in a ballgown. The thing that sticks with me, more than the music, is the visuals of it all: what they're dressed like, the colours… so yeah, it’s very important!
MD: If the EP was a colour, a taste, and temperature, what would it be?
Libby: I love that! So, colour: it would be a peachy, reddish, pinky colour. The red would symbolise the negativity of the situation, and the peach/pink would represent the light that hangs over the bad situation.
Taste: I would say it tastes like Fruitellas; it’s fruity, fun, juicy but kind of hard [laughs].
Temperature: It’s definitely warm, sunny, hot. Very hot. I was thinking maybe with a breeze, but there’s no breeze!
MD: What do you have coming up, aside from the EP drop, that we should know about?
Libby: So recently, I did my first headline show in London at Camden Assembly, which was like the most fun thing ever! I love performing. It’s my favourite thing to do within music, to perform. So I definitely want to and will be doing it more.
MD: Let’s chat about your headline show. Congratulations, that’s a huge achievement!
Libby: It was amazing! It’s funny, because at that point I only had two songs out, but we still sold the place out. I genuinely thought someone in my family, or a friend had bought all the tickets. But I went out, and there were so many people that had come to listen to my music and meet me, which was so surreal. I asked my manager (five minutes before my set) if she could go and see if there was anyone out there – I just didn’t believe there would be people there! So, it was the most fun thing ever.
I was so nervous, as it was my first headline show, but it really couldn’t have gone better. It was so special, seeing people singing my songs and being as excited about pop music as I am. Even more so because my friend, Dan Aura, supported me (who you need to go and check out!), he was amazing; he’s just the best.
MD: It all sounds like a real pinch-me moment. I love that you sing pop music, and I think it’s the perfect escapism, which can be much needed in today’s society.
Libby: I really agree. Music is an escape. Everyone, whatever they’re going through, put your headphones in, and music can change your mood.
MD: Did you find you had a pre-show ritual to help combat those pre-performance nerves?
Libby: I didn’t know I had this until I did this, but basically (this is a weird thing to do), I remember however nervous I get, or however big a deal I think something is, I just think that in the grand scheme of things, this isn’t a big deal. With everything going on in the world… the worst thing I could do is forget my words. Also, I will pretend that I am just playing Libby Whitehouse in a film so that it doesn’t feel that deep.
MD: This is F Word magazine! What’s your favourite F-word?
Libby: Flamboyant.
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