'You've Got A Family': Delilah Bon On Loud Fans, The LGBTQ+ Community and 'Evil, Hate Filled Female'
Wednesday, 11 September 2024
Written by Issy Herring
In the four years since Delilah Bon was born, she has evolved at a rapid pace. The alter-ego of Hands Off Gretel’s Lauren Tate, her blend of nu-metal and hip-hop is thoroughly addictive, with a sharp focus on hard-hitting topics that many musicians wouldn’t risk engaging in. Find her standing up for trans rights one moment and calling out the dangers posed to young men by incels the next.
Since the release of her formidable self-titled debut back in 2021, the 27-year-old musician has continued to push boundaries, with tracks such as the following year’s Dead Men Don’t Rape triumphantly moulding her into the artist she has always campaigned to be. As we approach the arrival of her highly anticipated second album ‘Evil, Hate Filled Female’ she isn’t slowing down, with sold out notices placed over several dates on her ensuing UK tour.
But, despite the tempestuous undercurrents and righteous fury of her music, Bon sidesteps that gnarly energy in person. She is an absolute delight to talk with over Zoom, giving us the lowdown on everything ‘Evil, Hate Filled Female’, from the writing process to her beliefs and plans to elevate her studio work in a live setting.
“This year I played so many festivals and I’m ready to see my own fans again,” she says. “I’m ready for a room full of my Bonbons. On the last tour that I played we did sound check and got all the levels right but as soon as I got on stage I couldn’t hear anything. The fans were screaming so loud. I’m so ready.”
How do you think your new music is going to translate into a live setting? Any specific plans for the tour?
It’s very much feral. I’ve planned all the different choreo and all the different outfit changes. My dream is to have someone on lights and someone on sound that can help. But I can’t afford it yet. I’m going to be trying to bring the energy to the stage to match the songs. I’ve got live drums this time around, so it’s just going to be taking it up a level. It’s going to be crazy.
How did your initial interest in music start?
I had always shown off as a child but I was a quiet kid at school. I was always quiet around other people but then around my mum and dad, I always used to sing in front of the TV, and I would want to be Britney Spears. I’d put my Bratz dolls on a little stage made out of a cardboard box. I’d sing over the top and drive my little sister insane — she just wanted to play with the dolls. I think I’ve always been interested in creativity. I’ve always liked drawing and acting and making people laugh. I didn’t take music seriously until I was about 15. I realised when I left school, I had to be something. I took the one thing that I enjoyed, because I hated school. I thought, ‘This is the only thing I'm good at, so I have to be a musician.’
Who are your main influences, past and present?
I think the 2000s had a big influence on me in the pop world, Pink, Britney and Christina, especially with style. I just love all the glitter. I love girl power, like the Spice Girls. But then there’s the punk element. When I was a teenager, I got into Bikini Kill, L7 and Nirvana. I think it’s like a mixture of 2000s pop and ‘90s music. I really like nu-metal as well. I really like Korn and Slipknot. I really enjoy aggressive music. I don't really listen to much music anymore. I’m so busy writing my own music. I feel like all my influences are in the past but since then I have gone rogue.
You have been creating music independently for four years now. How have you evolved as an artist?
I think because I started out in a band before, my musical journey has probably been about 12 years now. Doing this completely on my own, I’ve got a lot more confidence in my own vision of what I can achieve. When I first started out, I was quite shy and I called it a side project. I have to be honest with myself and realise that this is exactly what I am meant to be doing. I’m just thinking, ‘If it feels right, it is right.’ With my production, as well, it’s believing more in myself when it comes to producing my own work and not feeling as shy when I show it to people. I can just be like, ‘Yes, I’m the producer, I’m the singer.’ I do it all myself and I’m good at it.
How long did it take you to write and record the album?
It was quite long because, at first, I had 40 songs. That sounds ridiculous now, but I was seriously considering releasing them all. I locked myself away for about a year. I didn’t release many songs in 2022. I wrote Evil, Hate Filled Female and Maverick and The Internet about two weeks before I finished the album. They were last minute songs. I’m so glad that I wrote them, because they shaped the album massively.
Your music is all about female empowerment and having that inner strength. How important do you think it is for people to feel like they have someone to look up to?
I always think about what people meant to me when I was at school. I had no friends, so I used to sit and eat my dinner in the toilets on my own. All I would listen to is Pink and I would listen to every lyric she wrote. I used to feel like she really understood me, and she gave me hope. It was my mission to become that for someone. I met a girl at a show. She said that she gets bullied at school and the only thing that gets her through is listening to my music in the toilet. That’s a full circle moment, that’s crazy. I get so many messages every day, really deep, lovely messages, from people who thank me for my music. It means so much more than anything else. It means more than radio play or awards or anything like that. The most important thing is inspiring young girls.
You are very LGBTQ+ positive, which I love. How important do you think it is to have queer representation in the music industry?
Definitely. Growing up in the 2000s, when Britney and Madonna kissed each other it was a moment. Lady Gaga…these are queer icons. You think these people are queer, but then they will never be clear about it. I think having an icon come out and say, ‘I’m queer, I’m lesbian, I’m gay, I’m bi,’ it’s so powerful. People are so hidden about it. You like it when people are loud and proud themselves. I always call myself a bi-con. I played a Pride gig and then the whole crowd started chanting “bi-con”. It nearly got me crying! I’ve hidden my sexuality for my entire life. I think in my music now, finding my community, they need me, and I need them. It’s so important. Queer representation is so important. It makes you feel like you’ve got a family.
The Internet is such a great song — it’s such a strong message for modern society. Have you personally witnessed or experienced anything that motivated you to create this track?
I think my experience is my fans, they tell me everything. I’ve heard from my fans on personal levels, especially trans people. I’ve got quite a lot of trans friends who told me about their experiences. It just infuriates me, because I know these people, and I know how wonderful they are and how much they just want to live their lives. There’s no evil in these people. You see the other side of it on the internet and you see the misinformation. The internet is terrifying, because people believe everything they read. I have trans fans coming up to me and thanking me for my music. I sing these songs, and I get angry on their behalf. I feel not enough people are shouting about it, not enough people are angry about what's happening to trans people. I’ve got many missions to speak for many people. Every single show, I hold a flag that says trans rights are human rights. I think with feminism as well, you get feminists who don’t support trans people. For me, they’re not feminists. I need to make it very clear: trans-inclusive feminism always.
The title track on ‘Evil, Hate Filled Female’ is also very relevant, especially in recent times with frequent violent attacks on women. What do you think fuels this hatred?
I don't get it. I try to understand or at least I just imagine what it is. I just don’t get it. It’s always been around. It’s like domestic abuse has always been around, even before the internet. I blame the internet for a lot of what’s happening with like incels and younger boys hating women and following people like Andrew Tate. I just don’t get how that's enough to make people kill people. I don’t understand. I don’t know what's wrong, but I know that we have to keep fighting back. We have to keep raising awareness. People are in denial about it, and they see the stats. They don’t realise how much of this is happening. It is absolutely horrendous.
Delilah Bon’s ‘Evil, Hate Filled Female’ is out on September 13.
Delilah Bon Upcoming Tour Dates are as follows:
Thu October 31 2024 - CARDIFF Clwb Ifor Bach
Fri November 01 2024 - SOUTHAMPTON Joiners
Sat November 02 2024 - BRIGHTON Komedia
Sun November 03 2024 - NORWICH Waterfront Studio
Thu November 07 2024 - BIRMINGHAM Hare and Hounds
Fri November 08 2024 - BRISTOL Exchange
Sat November 09 2024 - LONDON Underworld
Thu November 14 2024 - MANCHESTER Deaf Institute
Fri November 15 2024 - LEEDS Key Club
Sat November 16 2024 - GLASGOW Cathouse
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