Entertainment
Rising stars Alfie Templeman and Holly Humberstone are ones to watch as they launch new albums and major tours-Rachael O'Connor-Entertainment – Metro
These two are certainly ones to watch.
Alfie Templeman and Holly Humberstone are set to become big names in the British music scene (Picture: Lillie Eiger/REX/Getty )
The future of the British music scene is in safe hands, with two rising stars set to take over the airwaves in the coming months.
With the likes of Dua Lipa, Harry Styles and Ed Sheeran among the biggest acts in the world right now, it’s a new golden era for British pop.
And while all three are selling out stadiums across the globe, they had to start somewhere – and there are plenty of new acts preparing to climb the ladder to stardom.
Two of these up-and-coming acts are Alfie Templeman, 19, and 22-year-old Holly Humberstone, both of whom thrilled audiences at the recent BBC Radio One Big Weekend festival in Coventry.
Metro.co.uk sat down with both acts separately to find what makes them tick – and how 2022 is going to be their year.
Alfie Templeman
Alfie is basking in the glory of the release of his debut album, Mellow Moon (Picture: Blacksockks/ Dan Carson )
Self-described Indie-RnB musician Alfie has garnered a legion of fans through his mellow indie-pop tunes and eccentric attitude.
When we meet, the young musician is buzzing from the festival and can hardly sit still, once running outside to jump around in the confetti that has just been blasted across the grounds from the main stage.
Alfie has been carving out a career in music since he was a young teenager, and despite the pandemic causing thing to stutter to a halt, he’s kept busy, with 2022 seeing the release of his first full-length album, Mellow Moon.
‘At 19 there’s no way you can summarise your whole life in an album,’ he tells Metro.co.uk.
‘It’s [based on] a certain time. I did it when I was 17 and it was a certain part of my life that was quite interesting – there was a pandemic happening.
‘It felt like I lost a bit of time, there wasn’t much going on but there was a lot going on in my mind. There was a lot I wanted to sing about and write about, different feelings I had never really felt before.’
Having experienced the isolation and fear of a pandemic as a teenager, Alfie says he hopes his album will let people know that ‘it’s normal to feel those things’.
‘It’s important going forward, for teenagers listening to this in the future, to know it’s completely OK to be like that. No matter the situation.
‘And there’s very good guitar solos in it!’
As well as his highly-anticipated debut album, Alfie has been making a name for himself by fitting in as many live shows as he can, which is exciting – even if it means he doesn’t have time to watch his own favourite bands.
‘It’s pretty mental, it’s surreal,’ he says, adding he is doing ‘two shows a day’.
‘I’m going around the UK and doing in-stores and other gigs and festivals. After that it’s more festivals, I’ll be playing Australia and going on tour with the Wombats.
The teenage musician is playing several shows a day to keep up the momentum of his success (Picture: Handout)
‘Then I’ll be working on album two, make another record and keep recording -hopefully I’ll see more parts of the world that we haven’t been to yet.’
It’s a lot to have on your plate as a teenager, with Alfie getting set to perform at the likes of Trnsmt, Latitude and Tramline this summer.
But, as he says: ‘We might as well go full-on this year, it’s good craic to do as much as possible. And then I can have a break afterwards – in 2023.’
Holly Humberstone
Holly Humberstone is fresh off the back of a US tour supporting Olivia Rodrigo (Picture: Redferns)
Holly Humberstone is a rising star in every sense of the word.
Her vulnerable yet catchy pop tracks have led to her following grow exponentially; she’s been invited on tour with one of the biggest new acts in the US, and in the literal sense, she won the rising star award at the 2022 Baftas.
There are ups and downs to your career taking off massively – Holly is a ‘huge My Chemical Romance fan’ but wasn’t able to catch them on their UK tour because, well, she was on tour herself.
‘I’ve been in the US for three months and I’ve been dreaming of coming back and being at a UK festival,’ she tells Metro.co.uk at the Big Weekend.
Holly played to massive audiences in the US as she supported the iconic Olivia Rodrigo, and is now preparing to go on her biggest-ever headline UK tour, with O2 Academy gigs in multiple cities.
The musician, who is working on her debut album, thrilled audiences at the Big Weekend (Picture: Redferns)
‘I feel very lucky to even be able to bring my music to the UK and also overseas… more than anything I feel really lucky that I get to do any of this, and so inspired,’ she says.
‘All I want to do is go home and get into the studio and write more so that I can tour more and play more gigs.’
Holly – like everyone – struggled massively during the pandemic, and for a lyricist who is inspired by the lives of the people around her, it was hard to feel motivated.
It didn’t help that her debut single was released just days before lockdown was introduced in the UK.
‘I didn’t really know what a normal career was supposed to feel like,’ she admits.
‘In lockdown I found it really hard to write and be inspired. I usually write about stuff that’s going on with my friends and family,and obviously I couldn’t see anyone so I had nothing to write about.
‘I think everyone struggled with a lot of self-doubt during that time, but I’m glad to be lucky enough to have people who were rooting for me and wanting to see me play live when stuff opened up again.’
As with many musicians, Holly used social media to stay connected to her fans when in-person shows were impossible, and while social media is ‘in many ways is not amazing for my mental health,’ the singer found the positives in it.
‘Being able to connect with fans and be vulnerable on social media and talk directly to fans, wherever they might be in the world, is a really cool thing,’ she says.
‘Connecting with strangers and people who have been going through similar things to what I went through is so empowering.’
The young musician has two EPs but is currently working on her debut album, and while she doesn’t know when it will come out, she’s ‘having a really fun time’ writing it.
‘I feel like I’ve got a lot that I want to say and hopefully it won’t be too long,’ she adds.
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‘I write about my life and try as be as vulnerable as possible in my lyrics. I just hope I can connect with as many people as possible.’
Alfie Templeman’s debut album is out now; tickets for Holly Humberstone’s upcoming UK tour are available on her website.
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