Self-Esteem:Her Focus Is her Power!

Who is Self-Esteem?

Rebecca Lucy Taylor, better known as Self Esteem, is an English musician and powerhouse vocalist who has burst onto the scene with her unique blend of pop and introspective lyrics. Taylor first gained recognition as one-half of the indie pop duo Slow Club before embarking on a solo journey under the Self Esteem moniker. She stirred the music world in 2017 with her debut single "Your Wife," and her critically acclaimed albums Compliments Please (2019), Prioritise Pleasure (2021), and her latest offering “A Complicated Woman” have solidified her status as a force to be reckoned with.

With a background as a multi-instrumentalist and theatre composer, Taylor's artistry knows no bounds. She was awarded the BBC Music Introducing Artist of the Year in 2021 and was nominated for the Mercury Prize in 2022 for Prioritise Pleasure. A big fan of Queen, she even drew inspiration from Freddie Mercury for her logo. Beyond music, Taylor’s artistic endeavors date back to 2015 when she began sharing her creative expressions on Instagram, leading to exhibitions and short films.

Taylor's bold stage presence and unwavering confidence are influenced by her love for RuPaul's Drag Race, encouraging her to shine brightly in the often tough music industry.  She takes on the role of Sally Bowles in the West End production of Cabaret from September 2023 to March 2024, Self Esteem continues to demonstrate her immense talent and vibrant personality. With her compelling lyrics and infectious energy, Self Esteem is not just a name; it's a celebration of self-empowerment and artistic brilliance.

The gig

Opening from darkness on stage 8 female singers/dancers appear dressed in clothing similar to that of something from Handmaids tale, as on the styling of the cover of Self esteems latest album.  The 8 lined up at the back for Taylor to take front and centre stage to launch into the dialect of intro and verse of “I do and I don’t Care” before being joined by her 8 maidens for a vulnerable vocal chorus building into a strong group harmony of 9 voices, to finish all pointing into the audience for the stage to drop back to darkness, this is what I call an artistic and visual opening!

The audience, a sold out Olympia theatre with a mix of every demographic available, with evidence that some have obviously been following the tour around its various dates knowing every word, movement and choreographed piece.

Self Esteem aka Rebecca Lucy Taylor is not just a vocalist and wordsmith, she is a visual artistic visionary who has created a theatrical musical masterpiece of a tour with the most basics of staging.  The staging was plain for all but strobe and stand lighting, a lit up band stand platform and some plastic chairs…..that is until “Cheers to me” with its lyrics of relationship regret and 2 inflatable dancing air men playfully mounted by some of the dancers during the song.

Stripping out of their maiden gear to reveal Taylor in a black and white coach tracksuit with Taylor 69 printed on the back, with her 8 strong troop dressed in matching sports player gear to belt out the sexually imaginative track “69.”

At one point, using a banana to enact dialling a telephone and having a conversation in song to “Logic Bitch” before tossing said banana into the audience, imagine going to a self-esteem gig and coming home with a fresh banana…..maybe she had signed it? Who knows?

The stage dropped to darkness again, only for the strobe lighting to start flashing in time to the rhythm of the beats, as Taylor reappeared on stage in an Ireland football top, to the screams of the audience.  Throughout the entire show, it was clear that she was trying to capture the famous Irish audience's sound levels of cheers, whistles, and claps, proclaiming that she doesn’t need any more Irish fans; she has everyone she needs in the building tonight, referring to being on at the same time as Chapel Rock at Electric Picnic earlier in the summer, affecting the attendance of her first Irish stage.

It was then time for the track that introduced and stirred my interest in Self Esteem, “Fucking Wizzardry” Taylor, her band of 8 and the entire Olympia raised the roof to every “my hunger” within the track.

“Deep Blue Ok” was the track of choice before the inevitable going off stage to come back for an encore, which could only be polished off by the phenomenal vocal masterpiece of “Focus is power” before Taylor, dancers and band members konga’d off the stage to “This is my life” by Shirley Bassey.  All in all, a camp, theatrical, artistic, angry, fun night of empowerment!