Self Esteem

In the three years since Self Esteem’s game-changing album Prioritise Pleasure, so much of what she does has become the dominant language of female-led indie pop: gut-felt feminism, emotional complexity, lusty humour – and a deep appreciation of the power of drag. When she recently said she wanted to be the female Peter Gabriel, she summed it up: Self Esteem, aka Rebecca Taylor, is a constantly evolving art project, an individual with both natural modesty and grand designs. A Complicated Woman is, she says, “throw those curtains wide – montage music for the World Cup, I’m going stadium…” – if that stadium could also be your personal psyche, or sex positions ranked, as in the joyous ‘69’ with its video featuring eight women over 35 getting completely possessed.  

A Complicated Woman has all Taylor’s thumbprints – complex thought processes unfolding in real time, an effortless knack of exposing the feelings women are required to labour under – but they’re set on a larger, brighter landscape that is nothing short of exhilarating. Running through the album is a jubilant choir constructed of dozens and dozens of mostly female voices – her close friends, her band, her collaborators: “A community of people. Like with my live show, I want you to hear and feel the connection.”