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Betsy (singer)

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Betsy
Birth nameElizabeth Humfrey
BornPembrokeshire, Wales, United Kingdom
Genres
Occupations
  • Singer
  • songwriter
Years active2016-present
Labels
Websitebetsymusic.co.uk

Elizabeth Humfrey,[3] known professionally as Betsy (stylized as BETSY) is a Welsh singer from Pembrokeshire.[4] She is signed to Warner Bros. worldwide, and was signed to Columbia Records in the US and Canada prior to May 2017.[5] Betsy toured the UK from 25 August 2017, prior to a self-titled debut album which was issued by Warner Brothers on 29 September 2017.[6]

Early life

Betsy was raised on a rural goose farm in Nevern, Wales. Her mother bought the goose business next to their home, and it subsequently moved to their house.[7] She became interested in music at a young age as she was so immersed in it: she claims that "[there] was always loads of singing in school and church, plus Eisteddfods. My father and uncle were in a local band so it was a big part of family life".[2] Although she wanted to pursue music as a career, her parents encouraged her to have a sensible back-up plan, so she enrolled in a course in Womenswear at London's Central St Martins art college. She was later offered an internship at the fashion house Balenciaga, and later spent over a year working at the company designing for their catwalk shows.[8] Despite this, her passion for music continued to eat away at her, so she eventually left the company and returned to her brother's bedroom in Wales to produce a three-track demo. After sending it out to various industry figures, she received no replies until a friend at her PR firm gave the demo to her later-manager who was looking for female vocalists.[9] After signing her management deal, she was given £500 to write songs for six weeks in her brother's caravan. The same caravan appears in many of her early press shots; Betsy recalls having to clean the caravan for five days as "[some] guy had been living in it before me and he'd only fried everything".[4] After completing a number of songs, her management pitched her to various record labels, and she landed deals with Columbia in the US and Canada and Warner Bros for the rest of the world.[10]

Betsy cites Shirley Bassey, Annie Lennox, Cher, and Tina Turner as inspirations.[11]

Career

Betsy's first appearance as a vocalist was on Joe Goddard's 2014 single, "Endless Love". Her solo debut, "Fair", arrived on 22 January 2016 to rave reviews.[10] Its parent EP - similarly titled "Fair" - followed on 18 March 2016.[12] A number of singles - including "Lost & Found", "Wanted More", "Waiting" and "Little White Lies" - preceded her debut self-titled album which was released on 29 September 2017.

Discography

Studio albums

Title Album details Peak chart positions
UK
[13] 		SCO
[14]
Betsy 90 98

Extended plays

Title Details
Fair
  • Released: 18 March 2016
  • Label: Warner, Columbia
  • Format: Digital download
Acoustic
  • Released: 22 December 2017
  • Label: Warner
  • Format: Digital download

References

  1. ^ Owens, David (24 September 2016). "Betsy is hoping to be the next major music star to come from Wales". Walesonline.co.uk. Retrieved 26 January 2019.
  2. ^ a b "BETSY / Music Interview". Buzz Magazine. Retrieved 28 September 2017.
  3. ^ "Meet the ex-Balenciaga designer set to release a pop album". Glamcult.com. Archived from the original on 21 April 2019. Retrieved 26 January 2019.
  4. ^ a b BBC Meet singer Betsy: From a goose farm in Wales... to high fashion in France
  5. ^ "Welsh artist Betsy shares new track "Time"". Columbia Records. Archived from the original on 28 September 2017. Retrieved 28 September 2017.
  6. ^ The Guardian Betsy: ‘I've never, ever wanted to be the girl next door’
  7. ^ Lewis, Mike (30 September 2016). "Singer Betsy has come a long way from family goose farm!". County Echo. Retrieved 28 September 2017.
  8. ^ Martin, Jasmine (30 March 2017). "Betsy, The Balenciaga Vet Who Went From High Fashion Designing to Creating Music: Exclusive". Billboard. Retrieved 28 September 2017.
  9. ^ Davidson-Vidavski, Doron (6 September 2017). "The 405 Pop meets Betsy". The 405. Retrieved 28 September 2017.
  10. ^ a b Taylor Bennett, Kim (21 January 2016). "Introducing Betsy and Her Heart Crushing Debut Tune "Fair"". Noisey. Retrieved 28 September 2017.
  11. ^ "Betsy in Brighton on back of debut album". Bognor Regis Observer. 28 November 2017. Archived from the original on 27 July 2020. Retrieved 23 August 2020. Shirley Bassey, Annie Lennox, Cher and Tina Turner are the singers Betsy looks up to as she launches into her own career.
  12. ^ Day, Laurence (17 March 2016). "Betsy unveils gospel-infused pop explosion "Time"". The Line of Best Fit. Retrieved 28 September 2017.
  13. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100 - Official Charts Company". Officialcharts.com. Retrieved 26 January 2019.
  14. ^ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100 - Official Charts Company". Officialcharts.com. Retrieved 26 January 2019.
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