Becky Hill is one of the UK’s most iconic dance/electronic musicians, and she further proved it just a couple weeks ago when she was awarded ‘Best Dance Act’ at the 2023 BRIT Awards.
With several hits under her belt – 13 platinum records in the UK, to be exact – that include tracks like “Afterglow,” “Lose Control,” “My Heart Goes (La Di Da),” and “Remember,” Becky Hill has been an unstoppable force within the music industry and has amassed over four billion global streams since her debut. She’s currently the third most streamed British female solo artist on Spotify, only falling behind Dua Lipa and Adele.
Becky Hill has been performing at festivals for years, but she’s never given a performance in Arizona until now. This weekend on March 3, Hill will be performing at the M3F Festival in Phoenix, AZ, and it will most definitely be a set to remember. Alongside her joins Maggie Rogers, Jamie xx, COIN, Chelsea Cutler, and many other artists who are ready to fill the Phoenix atmosphere with high energy, good vibrations, and incredible music.
Pop Crave spoke with Becky Hill about her viral TikTok song, “Remember,” new plans for music in 2023, and upcoming set at the M3F Festival taking place on March 3 in Phoenix, AZ. Keep reading for the full interview!
Hi Becky! Congratulations on all of your recent success. How has 2023 been treating you so far?
Thank you so much! It has been an incredible start to the year. I thought last year couldn’t get any better, but it has really kicked off with the best start possible. It was my birthday last week, so I had a bit of time off and went to the countryside with my love and my dog, and it’s been a nice, easy start to the year. I’ve just been finishing off the next few singles and the album that I’m releasing soon and getting myself back into work.
Your most recent release, “Heaven,” is such a great track! What inspired you to recreate the iconic original song from Bryan Adams?
I was asked to do a cover by Apple at Home Sessions along with one of my original tracks, and I just thought I’d like something that was dance related that had a great topline to it. I’ve always loved that record since DJ Sammy did it back in my day. I remember singing that as an 11-year-old around school. It was quite iconic for me, so I thought I’d do it as an acoustic version for the Apple at Home Sessions. And then out of the blue, somebody at the label decided to get it produced up, and I fell in love with that version and thought it would be an amazing thing to release as a proper single. Such a classic, iconic dance record.
I have to ask you about your viral song, “Remember,” which has massively blown up on TikTok! I can’t go on my For You Page without hearing that song pop up at least once. How crazy has the reception to that song been for you?
Yeah, it’s mad! I think what’s been amazing is the power of social media. You know, I released that song two years ago now, and then it started finding its way online and people really started resonating with it. And it wasn’t even really the original version, but it was the acoustic. Now, I do acoustic versions of every single song that I release, and I do it really to be a bit self-indulgent with vocals and slowing stuff down and actually having a proper vocal moment. So, it was nice to see the acoustic of “Remember” get pulled up, and to see people like the Kardashians using it was a huge shock and very, very cool.
“Remember” has a very specific TikTok trend attached to it, which I have also participated in! Is there a favorite TikTok video you have that uses the “Remember” audio?
Well obviously, Khloe Kardashian, Kim Kardashian and North was pretty cool. I also loved that Michael Bublé used the sound, and I think I saw Nicole Scherzinger doing it as well. So yeah, some big celebrities. Hopefully they know who I am as well.
“Remember” also has an amazing music video! What’s one of your favorite memories you have from shooting that video?
Funny enough, I didn’t like the “Remember” music video. It was quite an awkward time for me, because it was the first time that I’d done choreography. The choreo was my idea; I thought I’d push myself as I’ve never done that type of video before, but I did find the whole situation quite stressful. But I learned a lot from the “Remember” video, and I’m very glad that I did it. It was a fun day, but it was one filled with a lot of angst.
You’ll be performing in Arizona at the M3F Festival on the weekend of March 3! How excited are you to be performing in Phoenix next month?
I’m really excited to be performing in Phoenix. I have never been, and I’ve always wanted to go. I’ve heard a lot of great things about that part of America, and I’m really excited to see it and see what the crowds are like. Hopefully, they know a few songs of mine as well.
Is there anything you can tease about your set list for M3F Fest?
Well, I think I’m going to do more of the newer stuff than the older stuff. Over in the UK, I’m more known, I suppose, for the features that I did early on in my career, but I’ve noticed that everywhere else know me for things like “Lose Control,” “My Heart Goes (La Di Da),” and “Remember,” so I’m definitely going to do a few more new ones rather than the ones at the beginning of my career.
Looking at the M3F Fest lineup, are there any other artists you’re really excited to meet up with or watch perform?
Hayden James and I worked together recently, so I’m looking forward to catching up with him. It will be good to see Purple Disco Machine as well. I’m really excited to see him do his thing; I’m a big fan and I’ve never seen him live before!
Whenever I mention touring, artists always mention how exciting it is to try different foods from different places. What’s one of your favorite foods you got to try while being on your last tour?
Interesting! When we were in Vegas doing the Life is Beautiful Festival, at the hotel we were staying at, there was one of the biggest buffets I’ve ever seen in my life. My fiancé and I spent a long time at that buffet going up and getting different cuisines from different parts of the world. Massive, huge buffet which was incredible, so definitely that!
One of my personal favorites from you is “Afterglow” with Wilkinson. I’ve been listening to that song ever since it came out in 2013. Now that it’s been a decade since the track’s release, what do you remember about the experience of recording that song?
I remember being a huge fan of Wilkinson at the time. I was a proper little German bass head when I was a teenager. I remember being in session with Talay Riley and Brad Ellis, and Brad got a call from Wilkinson halfway through the session. I just remember being so excited that Wilkinson was on the phone. And I think Wilkinson sent over the drumbeat, and then Brad put the piano down, and we wrote “Afterglow.” Talay thought of the word “afterglow” but had no idea what it meant. So, we googled “afterglow,” and we wrote the whole song around it. I wasn’t really expecting it to be as big as it was, but I was a massive, massive German bass fan, and I was very excited to be on a Wilkinson record. It still to this day is one of my favorite songs to perform.
Would you say all of your songs are equal to you, or do you secretly have a favorite song of your own?
I definitely have a few favorites of my own. A lot of them are the ones that aren’t as popular. I have this song called “Stranger” which I wrote with a guy called MJ Cole who is a huge dance legend. I love that record, because it’s so personal to me. There’s a song that I released when I was an independent artist called “Warm” that I wrote with my good friend Shift K3Y, and that was all based around that idea that I’ve never been on a plane before until I was 19. And I wrote a song about how you could see the sun and blue skies above the clouds. “Remember” has a very special place in my heart as well because of how much everybody loves it. So, I’d definitely say those are my favorite three.
What can fans anticipate from you for the rest of 2023?
I’m releasing a lot more music, and I don’t think I’ll be doing it featuring anybody this year. I’m very excited to build my artistry as a solo artist in dance music. I’m really excited to put out some music that is just mine without additional names attached to it, and to really cement myself down as a proper dance act. I’ve got some incredible new songs lined up, and hopefully my album either this year or the beginning of next.
Becky Hill’s latest release, “Heaven,” is out now.
Purchase tickets to the M3F Festival in Phoenix, AZ, here: https://m3ffest.com/
Article cover taken by Sam Neill.
