THE fourth album from London Grammar is a record about self-confidence and the London trio finally believing in themselves.
“It’s the theme that sums up the record,” says singer Hannah Reid.
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“We don’t care what people say about us.
“We’ve closed the door on those feelings as a band and we just make music that we love.
“This confidence comes with time and with age.”
The Greatest Love is an album that shows off a new inventive side of their music.
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Reid adds proudly: “Our music has already stood the test of time and we have amazing fans that have stuck with us.”
London Grammar was this huge beast that the record labels had to wrestle with, no one really knew what was going to happen with us.
Hannah Ried
It’s been ten years since London Grammar — Reid, Dot Major and Dan Rothman — emerged and Reid says that time has been a learning curve.
“When we started, no one knew what to do with us or where we fitted in,” says Reid.
“London Grammar was this huge beast that the record labels had to wrestle with, no one really knew what was going to happen with us.”
The band has sold three million records and all their albums have reached No1 or No2 in the charts.
This week, The Greatest Love is just behind Snow Patrol’s The Forest Is The Path in the midweek charts.
They have also been nominated for a number of Brit Awards and received a prestigious Ivor Novello.
For Reid there have been a lot of personal changes since she last released a record.
We chat on a video call while Reid’s new baby boy sleeps.
The blonde singer, who is also an artist, is sat among paints, canvases, baby clothes and bottles of baby formula as we chat.
Reid and her partner Sean O’Connor became proud parents to Josh nine months ago, and today she is juggling motherhood with the demands of promoting a new album.
Finding love
“My life is very different now I’m a mum, but there’s been a lot of growing up for us as a band, too,” she says.
“When I think back to when we started, and I was 24, I thought I was really grown up.
“But really, when you’re that age, you don’t know what is going on.
“The other day, Dan said how much I’d changed over the past couple of years. And on this album, there’s a lot about letting things go, but it’s all framed in a celebratory way.
“Change is a good thing and, on the record, there is a lot about shedding stuff and finding the greatest love.”
When London Grammar released their debut album If You Wait in 2013, which peaked at No2, Reid received a lot of attention for her looks as well as her amazing emotive vocal range.
“I was so confused about who I was back then,” she admits.
“I thought I should want the fame and attention, and sometimes I tried to fit in.
“But any time I tried that life, I became so miserable.
“I can’t do ‘celebrity’. I just can’t do it at all, and that’s fine.
“I’m much happier accepting that.
“Don’t get me wrong, it’s so easy to get sucked in.
“There have been times I’ve been at the Brits and I’ve had such a good night out with Dan and Dot.”
Being in London Grammar, we just take stuff more in our stride now. It took us time to learn how we were going to survive in the music industry and not fizzle out.
Hannah Reid
The Greatest Love is a reflection of self-expression that’s captured in a window of time.
“It’s about self-love but love is always in our songs,” says Reid.
“That’s often the way for a lot of artists, like Taylor Swift — she writes about love predominantly.”
Standout songs include You And I, Fakest Bitch, House and Kind Of Man.
Reid says: “I just love You And I. I think it’s still London Grammar, but it’s a bit more celebratory and musically really self-indulgent.
“Then, Fakest Bitch — I keep getting asked about that song.
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“It’s a made-up narrative based on a set of images that I had talking to my boyfriend at the bar, bonding over panic attacks.
“But it’s actually fictional — it’s a feeling everyone has experienced.
“It’s a song that came together in just one day.”
Reid is proud of the band’s longevity and is looking forward to their next chapter.
Closer than ever
“Being in London Grammar, we just take stuff more in our stride now,” she says smiling.
“It took us time to learn how we were going to survive in the music industry and not fizzle out.
“It’s been a bit of a process — from worrying about those things to learning that we don’t need to worry about them anymore, at least not in the same way.
“Awards and fame don’t matter to London Grammar’s career.
“We have a solid fanbase who come to our shows.
“However, I’m still a very insecure artist and feel perpetually shocked that people want to come and see us play live.
“I definitely had moments in the pandemic where I thought we might not survive as a band.”
House is a song that came from lockdown.
Reid says: “I love that song.
“It came from being in our houses, which were a boundary at that time.
“We were pitching for an advert for a very big brand, but we didn’t get it.
“It’s a song about defining yourself and rules.”
We make this really emotional sad music, but it is not really a reflection of who we are as people.
Hannah Reid
London Grammar formed while the trio were studying at the University of Nottingham, but how is their friendship today, a decade on?
“We are a lot closer now, probably more so than ever before,” answers Reid.
“When we were young, aspects of our three different personalities clashed more — especially when we were starting out in in this business.
“Now I know it sounds cringe, but they really are both my best friends.
“The three of us are so nerdy together.
“There are things I find funny and I know the only other people in the world who will find it funny are Dan and Dot.
“We make this really emotional sad music, but it is not really a reflection of who we are as people.
“I am lucky as they are good guys.
“I’m also very close to Dan’s wife, who I lived with at university.
“We’ve got that nice family relationship as I know his kids well.”
When it comes to her own son, Reid says: “My son loves Dot.
“He is obsessed with him and follows him around the room.
“It’s very sweet.”
The Greatest Love was written before Reid became a mum, however she wrote a solo album while she waited for her baby to arrive.
“I did a lot of writing, which was good, but the majority of the album had been written.
“I wrote a solo album when I was pregnant, but I think maybe I am not supposed to talk about that!” she laughs.
“I wrote a lot because I couldn’t sing at all when I was pregnant — I think my lung capacity had shrunk as he was pushing my lungs up.
“My voice was pretty terrible for a while and I was getting really frustrated that I couldn’t sing.”
Reid says she loves being a mum, but motherhood is something she’s still getting used to.
“I haven’t really been a working mum yet because other than this week I’ve only been an artist in the studio, so I’ve not experienced the juggling.
“I have experienced the conflict of being a singer in a band and also a mum, though.
“I didn’t have the best recovery as I got quite a serious mastitis infection, which took months to recover from.
“There were moments when I didn’t know if I could play any shows or if we would have to push the album back.
“I felt the conflict.
“I didn’t feel myself when we played Glastonbury — it was one of the hardest gigs I’ve ever done.
“I found it very emotional as Josh was at the side of the stage but I found the separation, even at six months, really difficult.
“I knew he was there, but I couldn’t be with him.
“I was like, who am I? Mum or singer?
“Luckily it turned out to be an amazing show, but it had been a bit touch and go.
“We have a tour coming up soon and I’ve just started thinking about how we are going to do it.
“I think Josh is going to come with me.
“I’m praying that he’s going to be a better sleeper, but he isn’t at the moment. It’s going to be an interesting tour.”
It’s important for Reid to keep fit when she is on tour as she suffers with fibromyalgia, the long-term condition that causes widespread pain in the body.
I can’t overwork
She says: “I’ve learned quite a lot about fibromyalgia since my journey to motherhood.
“It got a lot better during pregnancy — I’m a lot better at managing it.
“On tour, I can’t afford to overwork or I’ll end up having a flare-up or relapse and get really sick.
“I found Glastonbury quite hard because I didn’t feel physically fit enough to do a show.
“I watch what I eat and avoid anything inflammatory and too much dairy.
“It’s the classic things to avoid like gluten and dairy, and I don’t drink.
“I haven’t had a single drink in years as I need to be annoyingly healthy.”
Reid is also an artist and often shows off her paintings on her Instagram.
She says her art compliments her music as they are connected.
These songs are in my bones now and I want to get out there and perform more.
Hannah Reid
“My painting is a lot more introverted than the songs, because no one can come in and make another version of a painting like they can with a song.
“A song is constantly evolving and even though they are my songs, our songs, they don’t really ‘belong’ to me.
“That’s how a painting is different.
“My painting is becoming more and more important.
“I’m not ready to exhibit or sell anything yet, but it’s becoming just as important as the songs.
“But I will be terrified when it comes to doing anything on my own, like an art exhibition or a solo album, without Dan and Dot.
“They are my safety blanket.
“I cannot imagine going on stage without them.
“The most terrifying thing I’ve done was singing with Chris Martin when we supported Coldplay.
“It didn’t feel right.
“But I’ve taken the first step now and even though I found Glastonbury quite hard, I’m ready for more.
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“These songs are in my bones now and I want to get out there and perform more.
“As soon as I’m out there and the boys strike the first chords, and I sing the first note of Hey Now, I know I’m ready.
Read more on the Scottish Sun
“Even though I will get nervous about the tour, and putting out this album, I’ve never been as excited as this before.”
- The album The Greatest Love is out now
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