Becky Hill has revealed her new album “felt like a form of BDSM”.
The 32-year-old singer is returning with her third album Rebecca on September 25, and she has reflected on the meaning behind the title, and the overarching “themes across the record”.
She told NME: “Rebecca means ‘to tie’ or ‘to bind’.
“I’ve known that since I was a little girl, and I’ve always thought it was a weird thing for a name to mean.
“But this album has very much felt like a form of BDSM. There’s a lot of that contrast between pleasure and pain.”
Becky noted that “sometimes you can love something so much that it causes you pain and you can trick yourself into thinking painful things are pleasurable because you care about it so much”.
She continued: “I just felt more empowered to be pulled in different directions.
“There are a few themes across the record, and Rebecca felt like an authentic, meaningful way to tie all those together. It’s a true embodiment of who I have felt like since I turned 30.”
That continues with the lyrical content, including opening track Tie Me Down.
She said: “There are still a couple of songs about me and my husband being in love.
“The record opens with Tie Me Down, which was all about getting married and turning something that traditionally is very pure and angelic into something that feels incredibly sexy and powerful.
“There are also songs about wanting to be a pop star and how easy it is to fall off the rails.”
She explained that there is a contrast between wanted to “get f***** up because you can’t deal with the pressure”, while still “loving the pressure” because it helps define you as a star.
Musically, Becky has been inspired by the likes of Blur and The Prodigy this time round, which has given the upcoming LP “a real punk essence”.
She added: “I was pulling from Basement Jaxx and Mura Masa’s heavier stuff. I love Blur, Gorlliaz, The Prodigy and Pendulum – records that I listened to when I was 15 that made me feel rebellious.
“We did a softer Becky Hill version, but there are a lot more band-led songs on this album.”