Little Boots
Victoria Christina Hesketh (born 4 May 1984),[2] better known by her stage name Little Boots, is an English electropop singer-songwriter and DJ.[3] She was previously a member of the band Dead Disco.[4] Since performing as a solo artist, she has released four albums: Hands (2009), Nocturnes (2013), Working Girl (2015) and Tomorrow's Yesterdays (2022), and a number of associated EPs and remixes. Hesketh has toured internationally both as a DJ-only act as well as with a full band. Hands reached number five on the UK Albums Chart and the singles "New in Town"[5] and "Remedy"[6] became top twenty hits.
This article is about the musician. For her self-titled EP, see Little Boots (EP). For the Roman emperor with this nickname, see Caligula.
Little Boots
Victoria Christina Hesketh
4 May 1984
Blackpool, Lancashire, England
- Singer-songwriter
- DJ
- Vocals
- piano
- keyboards
- synthesizer
- Tenori-on
- Stylophone
2005–present
Biography[edit]
1984–2005: Early life and career beginnings[edit]
Hesketh was born in Blackpool, Lancashire.[7] Her father has a car sales business and her mother is a writer. The oldest sibling with three brothers,[2] she was raised in Thornton, Lancashire.[7]
From the age of five, Hesketh played the piano and began lessons at six with Ruth Birchall,[8] eventually winning a music scholarship. During this time she was taught how to play the flute, was a member of the school choir and travelled regularly to Manchester to take lessons on her harp. Trained initially in classical singing by Janet Wunderley, by the age of thirteen Hesketh was writing her own songs.[8]
Hesketh attended the private Rossall School in Fleetwood,[9] and then the state Blackpool Sixth Form College;[10] it was around this time that she entered the ITV talent competition search Pop Idol aged sixteen. Reaching the third round, she was eliminated by the producers of the show and did not reach the panel of judges.[11] She stated, "It gave me a thicker skin and it made me realise that it wasn't a short cut to getting where I wanted to be."[12]
After singing with the Lancashire Youth Jazz Orchestra and performing with a jazz trio for some time Hesketh decided to prioritise her education and studied cultural studies at the University of Leeds, attaining a first-class honours degree.[13] She subsidised her course by playing "awful, schmoozy lounge versions of Norah Jones songs" in hotels around the north-west. "It paid me loads of money, but it's not what I wanted to be doing" she said.[14] It was during her time at Leeds University that Hesketh, along with two of her fellow students, formed the all-female band Dead Disco, Hesketh herself eventually becoming the lead singer.[14]
Touring and performances[edit]
2009[edit]
Little Boots' first televised appearance was on Later... with Jools Holland on 7 November 2008. She was invited to perform on the show after posting songs on MySpace. On 4 March 2009, Little Boots appeared on late night television show Last Call with Carson Daly in the United States where she was interviewed by Daly and several clips from a Los Angeles nightclub performance were shown.[70] Little Boots performed "Stuck on Repeat" using the Tenori-on on edition of 11 May 2009 of BBC Breakfast.[71] She returned to Later... with Jools Holland on 15 May 2009. This was followed by an appearance on the BBC Radio 4 programme Woman's Hour on 27 May 2009.[72] Also in 2009, the song "Meddle" was featured in an advertisement for Victoria's Secret.[73] On 5 June 2009, she appeared on the Bebo music show Beat, performing "New in Town" live in the studio.[74]
On 3 July 2009 Little Boots closed out Friday Night with Jonathan Ross.[75] A week later, she performed at Oxegen 2009 on the Hot Press New Bands Stage, her first performance in Ireland.[76] The following weekend she performed at T4 on the Beach 2009 on both the T4 and 4Music Stages.[77]
Little Boots performed "Remedy" and a cover version of JLS' "Beat Again" as part of the Live Lounge segment of BBC Radio 1's The Jo Whiley Show on 19 August 2009.[78] Later in the month, Little Boots performed at the Reading and Leeds Festivals on the Radio 1/NME Stage.[79] Between those appearances, she also performed at Manchester Pride 2009, an LGBT pride event.[80] In September 2009 she was scheduled to embark on a five-city North American tour to support the Illuminations EP.[25] The following month she performed on the main stage at the Bestival 2009 in Downend, Isle of Wight.[81]
Little Boots went on a five-city sold-out US tour in the autumn of 2009 in support of Illuminations.[39] On 26 October 2009 Little Boots performed as the main act at 53 Degrees in Preston, Lancashire.[82] Along with this, Little Boots revisited the Blackpool Sixth Form College to film a 360 Session for Channel 4. The college's media studies, music technology and college magazine all got to work with her and Sixth Sense, the college magazine, managed to get their second exclusive interview with Little Boots, which was published in January 2010.[10] On 7 December Little Boots dueted with Gary Numan on the 6 Music Live Combos show, broadcast on 11 December.[83]