CHANEL is the latest single to be released by Cambridge-hailing 21-year-old singer-songwriter Libby Butterworth who has already earned a spot on the BBC Introducing Hotlist in 2020 for her catchy, vulnerable indie-pop sound.
Hit play on CHANEL, and you will immediately see why there is so acclaim amassing around her soft feminine vocals that bring plenty of intimacy to her candid lyrical style. Your archetypal pop track leads you to believe that you are the outlier for not having it all figured out; Libby lets her listeners hear her uncertainty and internal conflict with lines such as, “I want it all and I don’t want anything”.
CHANEL flows perfectly along with the shift in the tide away from demands on pop stars to be less iconic and more humanistic. The single finds a nuanced way of saying that femininity doesn’t always come easily, and the desire to be the embodiment of Audrey Hepburn doesn’t always come from within.
Not only is CHANEL an infectiously moody indie-pop earworm, but it also has the potential to help so many women understand their own identity. Naturally, we look forward to hearing plenty more from Libby and her sultry subversive style.
Libby Butterworth’s latest single, CHANEL, is available to stream via Spotify.
Review by Amelia Vandergast