Baring such vulnerability in the studio and then carrying those emotions on tour with Rodrigo and girl in red became a real test of stamina. “I loved every moment but it got slightly harder to get up and motivate myself to go back [onstage],” Humberstone says. “Like ‘please follow me on Instagram,’ you’re kind of having to beg all these strangers to like your music.”
Out of everything involved in her work, Humberstone pinpoints social media as her least favorite aspect. “I have like a million conversations about social media every single day,” she says. “I had one just before talking to you about ‘you need to be on Instagram posting stuff and make it more authentically you.’ It’s just not authentic to be on some sort of app.” Relating to her fans in an authentic manner is what she lives for, but she finds posting candidly a tricky beast. “You pour yourself into the music and make the most personal, heart-on-your-sleeve track, and it’s like: ‘Oh, can you just do a silly little dance to that song you made that’s about something really, really personal’.”
This expectation to give beyond the insight of her music with online posts adds a new requirement of extroversion for Humberstone in a moment when she’s still in a personal and professional evolution. While so many artists are defined by one ‘sound’ and online personalities are watered down to a “brand,” Humberstone is embracing sonic duality with every new release.
“I probably should have an idea, but I’m still discovering who I am. I wake up one day feeling different to how I went to sleep,” Humberstone says. “That shows in this album, each song is a different feeling. I think that’s kind of cool, I’m using my songwriting to take one step closer to knowing myself.”
Sophie Anderson, a UK-based writer, is your guide to the latest trends, viral sensations, and internet phenomena. With a finger on the pulse of digital culture, she explores what’s trending across social media and pop culture, keeping readers in the know about the latest online sensations.
