* ALBUM OF THE MONTH [May] *
(5 / 5)
Becky Hill is one of the UK’s most talented singers the country has produced for decades, and she has the chops as a gifted songwriter too. Now, as she comes from a TV talent show background and her chosen lane is dance/EDM/house music, there are some who get a wee bit snooty and would instantly dismiss my statement…
Just because the genre is not to their taste and/or they’ll brand anyone who does not win The X Factor or The Voice or American Idol et al as a “talent show reject”.
But as soon as this West Midlands teenage singer opened her mouth at her first audition on The BBC’s The Voice in 2012, and both will.i.am and Jessie J turned for her when she sang the John Legend hit “Ordinary People”, as a viewer I knew in my bones this was no ordinary singer and she was destined for stardom irrespective of this show.
Will and Jessie were the only two coaches with spaces left, and Becky chose to be on Jessie’s team on that first season of the show, and she got through to the semi-final. Brave choice of song to sing, as will.i.am wrote it with John Legend. She was working in a bar when she applied for the Voice when she was just 18-years-old. Soon signed to a major record deal after The Voice, and soon becoming a household name.
She dropped her debut album “Only Honest On The weekend” in August of 2021 [# 7 UK chart] and the new one, “Believe Me Now?” [# 3 UK chart] on the last day of May this year, only the second studio album of her career.
Her compilation album, “Get To Know” came out in September 2019 with many hit singles on it, and she has had two EPs so far [ 2017 & 2021]. Becky has been the featured artist on tracks with the likes of Wilkinson, Rudimental, Anne-Marie & Little Mix, Netsky and Jme.
She has scored smash hits with many of her 36 singles as lead artist – some featuring invited guests David Guetta, Oliver Heldens, Little Simz, Jonas Blue, Sigala, Galantis, Ella Henderson, Joel Corry, Chase & Status and more. Becky has co-written for many big artists across the last decade too.
The 15 tracks on the latest album cements her status as one of dance music’s biggest influential voices and the genre’s leading boundary-breaking female artist. And it’s impossible to deny that status for the two-time BRIT award-winning artist (2022 & 2023) who is set to play a huge UK and Ireland arena headline tour – five shows already sold out – and who has exceeded a staggering 10 billion career streams, plus six UK Top 10 smash hits. [See the full tour dates at the bottom of the page].
2024 is shaping up to be Becky’s biggest ever year on the road. Having already played Australia, New Zealand, her first European headline tour and Radio 1’s Big Weekend, highlights of the remainder of the year include an almost sold-out October UK arena tour, as well as her biggest North American shows so far, in November.
[Having seen Becky Hill live a few times at festivals and once at her own headline gig, I’d urge anyone to go see her at least once. Her voice is as good as it is on record, her dance moves are fab and her stage presence shines brightly…]Believe Me Now? Tracklist
1. True Colours (with Self Esteem)
2. Darkest Hour
3. Outside Of Love
4. Never Be Alone (with Sonny Fodera)
5. Multiply
6. Swim
7. Man Of My Dreams
8. Linger
9. Lonely Again
10. Side Effects (with Lewis Thompson)
11. Back Around
12. Keep Holding On
13. One Track Mind (with Rileasa)
14. Disconnect (with Chase & Status)
15. Right Here
“Believe Me Now?” sees her digging even deeper into her life-long passion for underground dance music and club culture. Whether she’s drawing on influences from the worlds of drum ‘n’ bass, anthemic house, techno or atmospheric trance, Becky’s flair for blending the heart of such genres with her soaring powerhouse vocal has produced an album that’s rich with credibility and personal integrity, yet with immense global appeal.
The album features the #1 US airplay hit/UK top 10 hit “Disconnect” [featuring Chase & Status] which peaked at # six on the UK charts and was certified Gold; and the single “Never Be Alone”, which features Sonny Fodera and is Becky’s 22nd UK top 40 track of her career.
The album also sees Becky working with an array of top tier and next wave producers including PARISI, Mark Ralph, Toddla T, Maur, Solardo, MJ Cole, Jax Jones and Franky Wah.
The opening cut, “True Colours” is a bloody big banger, one of the best tracks of the year by far…and this first track features the fabulous Self Esteem. Becky and Rebecca Lucy Taylor aka Self Esteem are a real dream team. This powerful song is a first-hand reflection on sexual assault that aims to empower other people to speak out about their own experiences.
“Outside Of Love” is simply wonderful and shows a softer, vulnerable side to Becky, which you can hear via the official video below. “Believe Me Now?” has delivered US Dance Radio #1 hits “Side Effects” and “Never Be Alone” (with Sonny Fodera), which was also her 22nd UK Top 40 track to date (as artist and writer).
The songs on this album are rich with candid emotions and stories born from personal – and often immensely challenging – experiences. It’s an album that fully reflects her key musical influences, as well as her lifelong dedication to dance music culture, but one that also maintains the instant appeal of her own sound.
Covering moments spanning love to loneliness and life-affirming bonds to betrayal, it’s an authentic collection of songs in which Becky places her own life at its forefront with its ambitious sound being bolstered by an array of top tier collaborators.
Get a load of the punchy-synths and rave-centric energy of the MNEK co-write “Darkest Hour”; and the throwback mid-’00s vibes-meets-piano-house infectiousness of “Keep Holding On”, assisted by Toddla T.
Becky says, “When I thought about what had come before now, I realised I was missing a couple of things: specifically, the element of euphoria but also, I wanted to create a much more mature, sophisticated level of dance music in this album. It was an incredibly direct and quick album to write because for the first time I knew exactly what I wanted to say. I’m really proud of this album and of what it says and what it stands for.”
“Believe Me Now?” really is a masterful affair and a shoo-in for one of the best albums of the year of any genre, and most definitely deserving of this magazine’s choice for May 2024 album of the month. We believe…
By Emma Ledwell
(1 / 5) ‘Dull Zone’
(2 / 5) ‘OK Zone’
(3 / 5) ‘Decent Zone’
(4 / 5) ‘Super Zone’ (5 / 5) ‘Awesome Zone’
JULY
6th – Czechia, Ostrava, Beats For Love
12th – UK, Derby, Summer Sessions
18th – Canada, Vancouver, Hollywood Theatre
19th – USA, Seattle, Capitol Hill Block Party
20th – USA, Portland, Wonder Ballroom
29th – UK, Birmingham, hmv Vault (acoustic album release show)
30th – UK, Leeds, Wardrobe (acoustic album release shows)
31st – UK, London, Heaven (album release show)
AUGUST
9th – UK, Newmarket, Racecourse
10th – UK, Newquay, Boardmasters
11th – Hungary, Budapest, Sziget Festival
15th – Malta, Summer Daze
16th – UK, Durham, Hardwick Festival
18th – UK, Edinburgh, Summer Sessions
23rd – UK, Oxfordshire, Big Feastival (HEADLINER)
24th – UK, Cardiff, The Bay Series
25th – UK, Portsmouth, Victorious Festival
29th – UK, Scarborough, Open Air Theatre
30th – UK, Sheffield, Rock ‘n’ Roll Circus
31st – UK, Margate, Dreamland (SOLD OUT)
OCTOBER
12th – UK, Glasgow, OVO Hydro
13th – UK, Newcastle, Utilita Arena
15th – UK, Nottingham, Motorpoint Arena
16th – UK, Leeds, First Direct Arena
18th – UK, Exeter, Westpoint Arena (SOLD OUT)
19th – UK, Birmingham, Utilita Arena (SOLD OUT)
20th – UK, Manchester, AO Arena (SOLD OUT)
22nd – UK, Cardiff, Utilita Arena (SOLD OUT)
24th – UK, London, OVO Arena Wembley (SOLD OUT)
NOVEMBER
7th – USA, San Diego, Music Box
8th – USA, Los Angeles, The Novo
9th – USA, San Francisco, The Fillmore (SOLD OUT)
10th – USA, Berkeley, The UC Theatre Taube Family Music Hall
13th – USA, Denver, Meow Wolf
15th – USA, Austin, Emo’s
16th – USA, Dallas, The Studio at The Factory
19th – USA, Chicago, Park West
21st – Canada, Toronto, The Axis Club (SOLD OUT)
22nd – Canada, Montreal, Le Studio TD
23rd – USA, New York, Terminal 5
