1 day ago
13
Born in Rotherham, South Yorkshire, Rebecca Lucy Taylor, 39, was in the duo Slow Club. After 10 years, she went solo as Self Esteem and received Mercury prize, NME and Brit nominations for her second album, 2021’s Prioritise Pleasure. This year, she won the Ivor Novello Visionary award and released a book and album, both called A Complicated Woman. In March, she stars in David Hare’s Teeth ’n’ Smiles at the Duke of York’s theatre, London. She lives in London with her partner.
When were you happiest?
Five to 10, when I was just playing out and I didn’t realise I was a girl. Before my boobs came in, basically.
What is your greatest fear?
Having no way of earning money.
What is your earliest memory?
Crying on a birthday – I was three or four. I had overwhelming sadness that a birthday wasn’t a positive thing because it was getting closer to dying. Mum had got me some new red jeans and I remember them being round my ankles and me sobbing and Mum pulling my jeans up and saying “Come on”.
Which living person do you most admire and why?
Julie Hesmondhalgh – she’s the kindest, brightest, most truthful woman. She’s so talented, works hard, cares about the right things, puts her energy in the right places. I adore her.
What is the trait you most deplore in yourself?
My internalised misogyny that still manages to cloud some of my thinking.
What is the trait you most deplore in others?
People who can’t wait to argue.
Aside from a property, what’s the most expensive thing you’ve bought?
I would not like to know what my total massage budget is.
What is your most treasured possession?
A little glow-worm that’s been next to my bed from when I was a baby.
Describe yourself in three words
Big, shy, angry.
What makes you unhappy?
When I let myself down by not being brave enough to say what I mean.
What do you most dislike about your appearance?
I hate my great big knockers.
If you could bring something extinct back to life, what would you choose?
George Michael.
What is your most unappealing habit?
I can be very whingy.
Which book are you ashamed not to have read?
I never finished The Second Sex by Simone de Beauvoir.
What is the worst thing anyone’s ever said to you?
I was recently made to feel that it’s my mental health that’s the problem and not the system.
What do you owe your parents?
A cruise or a caravan. I want to get them a caravan but my mum recently said she wants a cruise. My career choice was always very frightening for them, and I am grateful to them for never putting their fears first.
To whom would you most like to say sorry, and why?
Most of the people I dated between 23 and 33. It feels crazy to me that I ever thought that I could be anyone’s girlfriend before I figured out the things I’ve now figured out.
What or who is the greatest love of your life?
I have a few exes who are the loves of my life, and my friends. I have a current male lover.
after newsletter promotion
What was the best kiss of your life?
The second kiss I ever had. It was with some lad at a disco. I didn’t get kissed till I was about 18. I had one horrible first kiss and then the second one, the gloves were off, and I found my footing quite quickly with snogging.
Which living person do you most despise, and why?
There’s someone who was in my life that I trusted and was naive around. I still think, “I fucking hate you.” I’d quite like to not feel that strongly about that person, eventually.
What is the worst job you’ve ever done?
At a pub in Rotherham. I was a really bad waitress and I ended up being demoted to chopping the potatoes and I even got fired from that.
What has been your biggest disappointment?
I am consistently disappointed in the music industry. Every time someone says that I’m underrated, that feels extremely disappointing because I’ve done my end of the bargain.
If you could edit your past, what would you change?
I’d have gone solo sooner.
When did you last cry and why?
On stage at the Brixton Academy on the third night of the residency I did there. I walked out and could not stop crying, some sort of mad relief that it’s all paid off and it’s all been worth it.
When’s the last time you changed your mind about something significant?
My mind is changing about being a mum. I got a dog and the way I feel about it is a lot, and I realise maybe I would want to be a mum.
How often do you have sex?
Oh, often. That is one thing I don’t compromise on.
What would you like to leave your children?
High self-esteem.
What is the closest you’ve ever come to death?
I had some gynaecological issues that were very sudden, about 18 months ago, and felt that I might be dying. I wasn’t but it was quite serious.
How would you like to be remembered?
I’d like all my effort noticed.
Tell us a joke
Nigel Farage.
