BRIT Rising Star winner Holly Humberstone has released the haunting title track from her highly anticipated sophomore album, Cruel World, set for global release on 10 April 2026. The single, which Humberstone describes as her "favourite song ever written," serves as the emotional anchor for a record that explores the delicate intersection of pain and pleasure.
A New Gothic Era
Following the Top 3 success of her debut, Paint My Bedroom Black, the 26-year-old songwriter is leaning into a "dark fairytale" aesthetic. Directed by longtime collaborator Silken Weinberg, the official music video for "Cruel World" finds Humberstone on a Victorian theatre set, sabotaging a production in a visual style inspired by Nosferatu and the Brothers Grimm.
“The record explores love as beautiful and inherently painful,” Humberstone explains. “Cruel World comes from the euphoria and pain of long-distance. Your perception can be completely distorted without that one person in it.”
Sold-Out Live Dates: Spring 2026
Humberstone’s momentum on the live circuit is undeniable. Having just completed a European headline run and a performance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, she is now set to embark on a series of sold-out UK "out-store" and headline dates throughout late March and early April. Last remaining tickets available below.
UK Tour Schedule:
20 March: Liverpool, Rough Trade (SOLD OUT)
21 March: Nottingham, The Level
22 March: Oxford, O2 Academy 1
24 March: Birmingham, O2 Academy 2
25 March: Brighton, Chalk
26 March: Kingston, Circuit (SOLD OUT)
29 March: Glasgow, Old Fruitmarket (SOLD OUT)
30 March: Manchester, New Century Hall (SOLD OUT)
01 April: Bristol, Electric (SOLD OUT)
02 April: London, O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire (SOLD OUT)
Global Festival Summer
After wrapping her UK dates, Humberstone will take the Cruel World era to the international stage with a string of major festival appearances. Fans can catch her at:
12 April: Coachella, California
24 May: Radio 1’s Big Weekend, Sunderland
07 June: Governors Ball, New York City
10 July: Mad Cool Festival, Madrid
From her breakthrough Falling Asleep At The Wheel to supporting Taylor Swift at Wembley, Humberstone has solidified her status as a premiere diarist of her generation. Cruel World is available for pre-order now.
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