London Grammar‘s Hannah Reid has opened up about the impact of motherhood on her artistry.
- READ MORE: The NME Big Read – London Grammar: “I always end up being the only female in the room”
Speaking in a new interview, the frontwoman explained that she worried that the birth of her son would change her creative output.
“I had this plan in my head,” she told the Independent. “I was like, ‘OK, I’m giving birth around this time, and then a few months later, it’ll be fine. Everything will be really easy: we can play Glastonbury, and then release the album, and the boys [bandmates Dot Major and Dan Rothman] can do the promo, and I’ll just be loving life.’”
Reid, who has often been frank about sexism in the industry, went on to say that six months after giving birth, she was “still covered in baby sick, swimming through a sea of nappies,” and couldn’t “do anything, basically”.
That said, the trio’s fourth studio album ‘The Greatest Love’ is out today (September 13) via Ministry Of Sound (stream the album here). Following its release, the group are also set to embark on a brief UK arena tour in November, after playing a run of headline shows in Europe. You can find any remaining tickets here, and see the full UK schedule below.
London Grammar’s 2024 UK arena dates are:
NOVEMBER
11 – OVO Hydro, Glasgow
12 – AO Arena, Manchester
14 – The O2, London
She went on to touch on the practical demands of parenting, and how difficult it is to balance with a career in pop. “There’s almost an internal glass ceiling when you become a mother, in the first few years, because so much of your time and energy [is taken up], and that hasn’t changed at all,” she said.
“It still falls heavily on the woman. And if you want that, that’s absolutely great. But I think for a lot of women in the creative industries, and across the board, there still isn’t really that support there.”
Reid mentioned her outlook on her art shifting drastically after she gave birth. After spending her pregnancy wondering if having a child would change her as an artist, she has found the opposite to be true.
“Actually, I feel more creative now than ever,” she said. “It’s just so cliché, but it’s given me a new perspective on life and what I do for a living. I used to tie myself up in knots over the art that I would make. Now I don’t.”
This summer has seen London Grammar headline Latitude Festival and top the bill on the Park Stage at Glastonbury 2024, and, in other news, they recently delivered a cover of Sabrina Carpenter’s ‘Espresso’ for BBC Radio 1.