Holly Humberstone says pop stars need not be ‘polished’ to connect

Holly Humberstone says pop performers need not be flawless to connect with audiences, as she reflects on stage nerves, pressure to meet expectations and the search for an artistic identity.

“People can’t connect to a pop star that feels too robotic and polished,” the British singer-songwriter told the BBC. “So maybe my strength is that vulnerability, and I need to recognise that more.”

Humberstone said she had struggled with the pressure to deliver her songs to the standard she believed audiences expected, particularly after releasing her second album, *Cruel World*. She described it as the work she was proudest of, which made performing it feel more demanding.

The album entered the UK charts at number four earlier this year. Its expanded edition includes five additional songs, which Humberstone said were largely written after the original record had been handed in, giving her room to experiment with a more confident and flirtatious sound.

The singer also told the BBC that she had felt uprooted after her parents sold the family home near Grantham, Lincolnshire, where she wrote her early records. She said the upheaval prompted an identity crisis and became material for *Cruel World*.

Humberstone won the Brit Awards’ Rising Star prize in 2022. She said she had found comparisons with bigger artists difficult, but had since stopped setting herself goals based on awards or external validation. Her focus, she said, was making music that felt true to her and helped listeners feel understood.