PHOTOGRAPHY BY CARIANNE OLDER

Rebecca Black has reintroduced herself as one of pop music’s most compelling talents. Last year, the 24-year-old singer-songwriter defied all expectations of her artistry with the release of her critically-acclaimed EP, Rebecca Black Was Here, a six-track collection of hyperpop-influenced bangers that saw her embrace her queerness and finally shed the persona listeners associated with her as a result of her iconic 2011 anthem Friday.

“Rebecca Black Was Here, definitely to me, felt like a launching point for me to explore… the multiverse,” she explains. “Now I finally feel like I can do this, and I’ve proven to myself that I can do this, where do we go from there? And now I’ve introduced myself as a queer artist, where we do we go from here?” 

Ahead of her headline set at The Great Escape in Brighton, where GAY TIMES will present the festival’s first ever LGBTQ+ stage, we caught up with Rebecca to discuss her upcoming debut album, how coming out as queer has impacted her music and why it was important for her to “reclaim” Friday with its star-studded 10th anniversary remix. 

Rebecca, how excited are you for The Great Escape?!

Yes! I’m so excited. It’s my first festival.

It’s GAY TIMES’ first stage at the festival so we’ll be doing this together!

Love it! I’m honoured to do it together. 

What can we expect from your set?

This is my first time overseas. Being able to do my own show – and it’s a part of my first headline tour this year – I’ve learned so much about what is important to me within the show. I’m someone who goes to shows so many times, and I’m such a big fan of the live music experience. I think, with this particular Europe tour and my set at The Great Escape, it’s the most I’ve pushed myself, in terms of the performances that I give. That has been so much fun. It’s going to be a fucking rave. Come ready to dance. Come ready to jump, because I will tell you to many times.

I’m curious, which song gets the biggest reaction from the crowd?

Which song do you think it is?