On the Road With Holly Humberstone

The past few years have been nothing short of a whirlwind for Holly Humberstone. On the strength of her breakout EP, 2021’s The Walls Are Way Too Thin, the singer-songwriter was named the Rising Star of 2022 at the Brit Awards—an honor previously bestowed on the likes of Adele and Florence Welch. In a matter of months, Humberstone went from writing songs in her childhood bedroom in rural England to opening for Olivia Rodrigo and Girl in Red on their respective tours.

“I’ve spent a lot of the past few years supporting other artists and getting inspired by other people’s shows,” says the 24-year-old, who recently capped off her own summer headlining tour, The Holly Humberstone Show, to support her debut album, 2023’s Paint My Bedroom Black. “It feels pretty full-circle, seeing my name on venues in cities so far away from home and getting to play shows to rooms full of strangers that connect with me and my experiences.”

While on tour, she kept a diary to make sure she wouldn’t forget all the little moments that made the experience so special: painting her bandmates’ nails on the bus, celebrating a crew member’s birthday with pizza and beer in Manhattan, even watching a couple get engaged during the tour’s final stop in Vancouver. “Being on the road is just super inspiring, and I want to be able to remember everything when I’m old,” Humberstone says. “I’ve been so excited to get home and get to work on album two so that I can keep doing all this fun stuff.”

To commemorate the end of The Holly Humberstone Show, the rising English talent shared some exclusive snaps from her life on the road with Vogue.