“I’m not much of a club girl anymore,” says 23-year-old Debbie, who would rather spend her Friday nights at gatherings with friends, ‘or maybe at a bar. There’s no specific bar I go to, I like to change it up, but my favourite restaurant is Casa do Frango in London Bridge - it’s like a fancy Nandos.”
The rising star of London’s soul and R&B scene grew up on the Old Kent Road, before moving to Orpington at 10-years-old. She’s quick to note that Orpington is definitely part of London, despite common claims that it’s actually in Kent.
Shortly after signing with London label 0207 Def Jam in 2021, Debbie released her debut single ‘Is This Real Love?’ and won our hearts with her deep, silky tone and delicate lyricism. “I always say, when I release music I want to not be able to look people in the eyes, I want to be that vulnerable. But sometimes it’s also good to have a bit of fun too. It doesn’t have to be so intense. So with the new music, even though it’s still vulnerable, I would say it’s a lot more fun, free and feel good.”
Between working on new music and perfecting her set for Glastonbury at the end of the month (catch her on the BBC Introducing stage), she’s busy prepping for her sold-out London headline show at Omeara next Friday night. “I didn’t know if anyone would buy the tickets, I was like ‘what if no one turns up and it’s just me, my friends and the label’, awkward. But they sold out really quickly. Online they sold out within five minutes. Then I felt a lot of pressure to really give a show, but with all the prep and everything going on I feel ready and excited.”
Since bursting onto the scene just 18 months ago, she’s co-written songs with Stormzy, opened shows for John Legend and Raye, collaborated with Lucky Daye, Berwyn, and received support from Mahalia too. Her gig at Omeara next week marks the beginning of a very exciting summer for Debbie, and likely, a moment in her career where there’s no turning back from. This young star is about to rise to new heights and she’s ready for it.
“I like music that uplifts. It doesn’t need to be deep or have super deep lyrics, it just needs to make me feel good. All of these songs, in their own different ways, make me feel good.” Debbie curates this week’s Friday night playlist… Find the full playlist here.
“SZA! We love everything SZA. You could play anything by SZA and I’m down - you know you’ll have a good time.”
Ginger (feat. Burna Boy) - Wizkid
“This whole album is such a vibe. If I’m at a gathering and I don’t know what to play - you know when you’re the DJ and there’s all this pressure - I’ll just put this album on. Everytime it feels warm and sets a really nice tone in the room.”
“I love Jorja Smith and this new song is like crack, I listen to it everyday.”
“He’s so hard. His music and his visuals, if I’m listening to Jim Legxacy I always have to have the visuals up. They pair so brilliantly.”
