Waterhouse dares to reveal the raw truth behind her new music
At 34, Suki Waterhouse is rejecting the manufactured glamour of celebrity, insisting her upcoming album, Loveland, will be a brutally honest exploration of life’s complexities – from newfound motherhood to chaotic New York winters.
A departure from the dream factory
The model, actor, and musician – known for her understated cool and multi-hyphenated career – stated emphatically that any future record must contain ‘truth,’ rejecting the notion of a perpetually fantastical existence. “I can’t put out a record that doesn’t have truth on it,” she declared, revealing the album’s genesis coincided with the arrival of her daughter. The process, she admits, shifted dramatically, marked by a newfound vulnerability and a desire to confront the realities of her evolving family life.
Waterhouse’s candidness feels surprisingly genuine, a stark contrast to the carefully curated image she’s cultivated since adolescence. Her Music, she explains, eschews Hollywood fairytale illusions, while simultaneously celebrating the remarkable journey she’s forged. “I finished my last record Memoir of a Sparklemuffin right as I had my daughter, and this one has been everything since then,” she said, describing a period of intense introspection and personal growth.
Navigating chaos and finding resonance
The single, “Back in Love,” embodies this shift, a song brimming with a yearning for life’s simple pleasures – jazz radio, long walks home. “When I started singing the lyrics to that song to myself,” Waterhouse recalled, “I suddenly had this sense that my identity had come back together.” The album, recorded in New York during a particularly brutal winter – complete with power outages and unexpected immersion in the elements – further fueled this sense of self-discovery.
Collaboration and a new sonic landscape
Working with long-time collaborators Natalie Findlay and Jules Apollinaire of TTRRUUCES, Waterhouse also ventured into new sonic territories, partnering with Aaron Dessner of The National at his upstate New York studio, The Long Pond. “I think [‘Seasons’] opened us up to a new sonic palette,” she explained, referencing the atmospheric pop track that blends her vocals with Dessner’s signature style. The duo also crafted “Almost,” a track capturing the summer’s relaxed vibe – a subtle drumline inspired by 50 Cent’s “In Da Club.”
Despite the whirlwind of touring and creative exploration, Waterhouse acknowledges the inherent anxieties of the process. “When it’s approaching, I yearn for it, and I also am terrified every time,” she admitted. Yet, on stage, she transforms, embodying a 1970s California aesthetic – big coats, chunky boots, bralettes – creating a vibrant community through Music. “It’s about so much more than just your performance,” she reflected. “It’s also where all the people who love it come, make friends, and find something in common.”
A measured reflection on life’s shifts
Ultimately, Loveland represents not just a musical project, but a distillation of Waterhouse’s experiences over the past five years – a child, a burgeoning Music career, and a constant state of flux. The album’s raw honesty, she insists, is a reflection of her own evolving understanding of herself, a journey she’s eager to share with her audience. “Making a record is a discovery to me and myself,” she concluded. “So there are things that surprise me, too.”