Madonna caught Self Esteem‘s show on the West End over the weekend and called her an “incredible artist”.
Self Esteem – real name Rebecca Lucy Taylor – delivered five special theatrical presentations of her new album ‘A Complicated Woman’ at London’s Duke Of York’s Theatre between April 16 to 19.
It comes ahead of the release of her third solo album ‘A Complicated Woman’ on April 25 via Polydor, which is the follow-up to her Mercury and BRIT-nominated ‘Prioritise Pleasure’ in 2021.
At her penultimate performance on Saturday, Madonna was among those in the sold-out crowd. The pop icon revealed the news in an Instagram post recapping her Easter weekend, writing: Easter weekend looked like……..🐰🐰 Spending time with friends and family, Watching Chelsea lose to Legia Warszawa. 😩 and seeing an Incredible Artist named @selfesteemselfesteem perform!! 🇬🇧”
Taylor has cited Madonna as an influence in the past, telling NME in 2021: “For the whole of this ‘Prioritise Pleasure’ era, the ‘Blonde Ambition’ tour is the blueprint,” referencing the ‘Like A Virgin’ singer’s 1990 world tour and its now iconic styling.
“There will never be anything more perfect to me than mixing lingerie with menswear, and what that represents and makes me feel like,” she added.
Created by Taylor and Tony award-winning designer Tom Scutt, the “unique” performance is described as “an ambitious quasi-theatrical experience that harnesses the power and energy of a gig but presents it through a theatrical format”.
Scutt also directed ‘A Complicated Woman Live’, which features choreography by Stuart Rogers, and musical direction by Mike Park.
The artist has said the new album was made “for stadiums” after taking inspiration from the likes of Coldplay and Biffy Clyro. “I don’t know how the album’s going to get received, but then I’m also like, ‘I don’t give a fuck’, because I’ve made what I want to make,” she said. “I think it’s going to be a massive challenge, being a 38, 39-year-old woman putting a pop record out and getting it where it needs to go.”
She will be going on tour throughout the UK and Ireland starting this September. Kicking off in Birmingham, she’ll travel through to Edinburgh, Newcastle, Glasgow, Dublin, Manchester, Bristol and Brighton.
There’ll also be two shows at the O2 Academy Brixton in London and a huge homecoming gig at the Utilita Arena in Sheffield. See the full list of dates here and find any remaining tickets here.
In other news, Taylor recently shared that she is “desperate to diversify” as her music industry earnings have left her “depressed and stressed” since the release of ‘Prioritise Pleasure’.
Speaking to The Times, she said that in the years since the release of that record, she has deliberately tried to expand her professional opportunities, which has included taking on the starring role of Sally Bowles in a West End production of Cabaret opposite Scissor Sisters’ Jake Shears.
“The reason I get depressed and stressed about the music industry is safety – and that means money,” she said. “All I want is to no longer rely on anyone. To know that the rug cannot be pulled out from under me, the way it has been so many times.”