So far, Suki Waterhouse has made a name for herself primarily as a model and as an actress. But actually, the Brit always wanted to make music. It just feels the most natural, she says. The only thing missing so far is the courage to do so. However, the singer’s debut album “I Can’t Let Go” will now be released (on April 22, 2022 via Sub Pop).
When Waterhouse was fifteen, she was discovered by a model scout. Shopping in her hometown of London. She wasn’t actually slim and not tall enough for that, as she was often told at the time. The Brit tried to distract from this by “wearing crazy outfits and platform shoes”. A tactic that seemed to work. Because countless auditions later, she was seen on the covers of all major fashion magazines.
At some point, however, the pressure from the industry became too great. Then the Brit turned more and more to acting. She acted in films like “Love, Rosie” or “A Rainy Day in New York”. But actually she saw herself as one thing during all this time: as a musician. “I’ve just always been making music. It feels very natural,” says Waterhouse. “I’ve always felt comfortable playing music in front of people and also living the life of a musician. But it always scared me to actually release songs. Lately I’ve made it my goal to release one song a year, and I had to overcome a lot to do that.”
Suki Waterhouse recorded the first single alone in her bedroom
In fact, a song by the singer has appeared in recent years. The first came in 2016: “Brutally”. “I recorded it in my bedroom on acoustic guitar without much production,” says Waterhouse. “The song came out of necessity. I cried throughout the recording because I felt so hopeless and desolate at the time. But then when people heard it and it became their song, it all made more sense. Because I had the feeling that something beautiful had emerged from the difficult time.”
“I can only express certain things through music”
Waterhouse is hoping for something similar from her forthcoming record “I Can’t Let Go”. “I hope I can share the songs and the moments that made them happen with other people and [meine Gefühle] leave me like that”. Work on “I Can’t Let Go” began seven years ago. At that time, the singer was just twenty-three years old and was struggling with severe depression. “I was incredibly lonely at the time,” says Waterhouse. “Only now do I feel ready to release the album.” Because it takes courage to be vulnerable and to publicly display your own feelings. “It took me a long time to be ready,” she adds. “But there were all these things that I’ve never talked about that I wanted to be done with before I was 30. There are certain things I can only express through music.”
Waterhouse imagines that you can hear her music while driving. While you “look longingly out of the window and desperately miss something”. A theme that is also reflected in the first single of their album “Moves”. The inspiration behind the song were the girl bands of the 1960s and also the classic “Thelma & Louise”. It should be a song that the two protagonists could listen to “while driving along the cliffs in the car”.
After releasing her debut, Waterhouse is also looking forward to her subsequent tour. “I like the feeling of exhaustion that comes with traveling and not being able to stop,” she says. “That’s what I’ve always wanted in my life.”
Meanwhile, Waterhouse will soon be back as an actress. She will portray pianist Karen Sirko in the upcoming series adaptation of Taylor Jenkins Reid’s novel Daisy Jones & The Six, a story about a 1970s rock band and their rise to fame loosely inspired by the production behind Fleetwood Mac’s Rumors. The film was shot at Sound City Studios, the famous recording studio where, alongside Fleetwood Mac, musicians such as Bob Dylan, Nirvana and the Red Hot Chili Peppers produced some of their most successful albums.