Photo: Jack Blanco
Libby Whitehouse chats with us following the release of her debut single OMG
Rising pop star, Libby Whitehouse, talked with us about the release of her debut single OMG and what fans can expect next.
Libby Whitehouse, a rising star in the pop music scene, has just released her debut single, ‘OMG’. Originally from Brighton and inspired by 2010s pop, Libby wrote the song in Stockholm in 2022 but only released it in February this year.
OMG is an irresistible catchy summer tune written about when you have an intoxicating crush. When listening to the song, you can tell Libby has drawn inspiration from the likes of Katy Perry and Miley Cyrus. The song would definitely not be out of place on a 2010s pop chart.
I was fortunate enough to talk with Libby following her single release.
Hi, Libby! I absolutely love your debut single, ‘OMG’. I’ve literally had it on repeat! Where did the inspiration for the song come from?
Hey! Aww thanks so much it makes me so happy to hear people are loving it. I wrote the song in winter and [I was] single at the time so the inspiration came from missing summer and all the upbeat feel-good music that comes with it and also missing the feeling of having a crush and getting that OMG feeling. I got to the studio and instead of writing a sad song about that I decided to create my own reality! I also LOVE anything that sounds like it could have been made by a 2010’s pop star so took influence from that era.
You wrote the song in 2022 which means you were sitting on it for two years. Was it hard to keep it under wraps for such a long time?
Yesss so hard 1. Because when you’re excited about something you just want to show it off and play it for everyone but you can’t do that and 2. I had obviously been playing it to myself for all that time which means it’s easy to be your own biggest critic and be a perfectionist wanting to change lots of things that didn’t need to be changed. Sometimes what you write in the studio that day is the best version of the song and things don’t always need to be added to make it better, so I found that hard!
The song has been compared to 2010s pop, and you draw inspiration from artists such as Katy Perry and Miley Cyrus. I totally see that! What is it about those artists that you love so much?
Aaaahh yaaass! A huge compliment thank you, I feel really passionately about the music that came out of the early/mid 2000’s era because nobody was scared to be “too pop” they were just unapologetically pop and didn’t try to dim it down, it’s fun, feel good, nostalgic and always has so much going on, the production, performances, music videos were all so extra and I love it.
OMG has had an insane amount of love from fans so far, and also from music outlets… You were recently featured on BBC Radio 1’s Future Pop show, which is amazing! How does it feel to have your debut song showcased on such a major national platform?
Aw I know honestly its been so amazing I think because I’ve been writing songs in the studio for so long with no one really hearing them you never really know how people are going to react to it or if anyone’s even going to like it so the reaction has been incredible. Then the love from BBC R1 and Molly and Maia has made me so happy. My jaw actually dropped when I heard Molly announce OMG on the future pop show, I genuinely thought she might not bother playing it and then it was chosen as their future bop which is so cool!
What else can your fans expect from you over the rest of the year?
If they loved OMG then they’re going to LOVE everything else i have coming, lots more music maybe even a couple of shows, lots of exciting things!
‘OMG’ is out now. You can keep up with Libby on her socials here.