12 Backstage Portraits And Secrets From Your Favorite Artists At The FADER’s Field Day stage
Little Simz, Novelist, NAO, and more opened up before performing for The FADER at London’s Field Day festival.
Novelist
The moments before going on stage can be an anxious time for artists, but backstage at The FADER's Field Day stage on June 11, the mood was calm and open. Many came with family and friends, watched other musicians from the sidelines, or hung out after their performance to smoke one up. Cute moments: when Loyle Carner climbed up a wire fence to link hands with screaming fans, Little Simz refusing to leave the stage until she’d fulfilled all requests for a selfie, and Siobhan Bell's cozy link up with Frisco after they both wrapped their performances.
Before they took to the stage, the artists stepped into our backstage pop up photo studio to pose for The FADER contributor Samuel Bradley, opened up about their forthcoming projects, and gave the inside track on their summer so far.
1. Little Simz
“I have some of the greatest conversations with [Bibi Bourelly], she is so intelligent, she teaches me a lot. She’s a Cancer, I’m a Pisces, we are water signs, so we just connect on a different level. Plus she’s super tale”ted and she’s my age; we can relate to each other a lot." —Little Simz
2. Nimmo
"I was in New York last weekend and went to a club called Output to a grime night. I went up to some guy and was like, I feel really baffled, I just got off a plane from London and I feel like this is a London night. And he was like, 'Yeah man, you know what grime is?' And I was like, 'Yeah, I do mate.' —Sarah (left), Nimmo
3. Siobhan Bell
"I'm working on more music, which I'll be promoting soon. I just did a remix of "Girls Like," Tinie Tempah's song. It’s quite commercial, so my remix is trap and grime. I’ve made a pop song into something more gritty." —Siobhan Bell
4. Novelist
“I heard [”Lyrics”] at Skepta’s house for thirty seconds, I did my verse, and that was it. No retakes, I just spat the bar. Skepta’s like, ‘I love it. You’re a mad man. You just coming in, and outshining the mandem.’” —Novelist
5. Frisco
“Everyone in the Boy Better Know camp is not necessarily just the frontline people. There’s the artists, but there’s other people behind that help the machine go forward, as well. We don’t just do music together: we roll together, we’re friends, we help promote each other’s stuff.” —Frisco
6. Mabel
“My style essential is usually a boy’s tracksuit; I just got a red OVO one which is so nice. But this summer, double denim is big for me.” — Mabel
7. Real Lies
"Our first album was about creating your own personal hedonistic world with your friends, and I think it’s only natural that the [forthcoming] second one sounds like a comedown." —Tom (left), Real Lies
8. Loyle Carner
"I’m setting up a cooking school, Chilli Con Carner. We’ve found all the kids and secured the school, so we’re close. It’s happening from July 18. We are just looking for a little bit of funding." —Loyle Carner
9. NAO
“There’s a tune on my album called “Blue Wine” that’s probably my favorite. It feels quite epic. It’s not quite like Massive Attack, but it’s really deep and brooding. I love what the song means to me, so I hope that touches people.” —NAO
10. Astronomyy
"The best advice my manager has given me? Hurry the fuck up. Get shit done." —Astronomyy
11. Danny L Harle
“I remember at SXSW, I heard two shouts from the crowd: ‘Huge Danny’ and ‘Danny Dick in the Pants Harle,’ and that was the crossroads right there. I think I went with the right one [’Huge Danny’] for my catchphrase.” —Danny L Harle
12. Champion
“I don’t have a manager. At this point in my career, I feel like I can manage it a lot better than someone else could. A lot of producers from back in the day, like Terror Danjah and Stic”y, are like big brothers to me, giving me tips and feedback. I don’t have trouble getting things done behind the scenes." —Champion
Reporting by Aimee Cliff, Owen Myers, and David Renshaw.