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“WThe song has always been a way for me to feel, not normal, but like everyone else,” says drum and bass artist Venbee. Unable to read properly until the age of 18 due to her dyslexia, the Kent-based musician – real name Erin Doyle – freestyled and memorized lyrics “so she wouldn’t feel left out”, she says. “It also burned me up inside, like I had something to prove.”
However, this personal health issue isn’t the only challenge the 21-year-old has to overcome; Doyle has struggled with her confidence since her teenage years to the point where she almost gave up on pursuing her songwriting dreams. “When I got older, I was told I needed a back-up plan because everything wasn’t going to work out,” she says, juggling music with work as a personal trainer and working shifts at the local pub. “But I don’t give up on things – I’ve never had a plan B.”
Rather than let the naysayers win, Doyle turned to TikTok earlier this year in hopes that her neon-hued sound would reach a global audience. Back in March, she uploaded a clip from the then-unfinished “Low Down,” her collaboration with songwriter Dan Fable. Although depression is her central lyrical focus – “I’m in the deep end, it’s dark and scary out here; treading water is hard when you’re chained to the wharf.” Venbee sings over brooding breakbeat production—the track became a hit on the app and allowed Doyle to transition from working as an independent artist to signing with Columbia Records, home to Lil Nas X and Grimes.
It’s no exaggeration, then, to say that this song – which has over 21 million streams on Spotify alone – changed Doyle’s life. As her second single, the anti-drugs anthem ‘Messy In Heaven’ (featuring Northampton producer Goddard), breaks into the UK Top 10, she spoke to NME about the power and limitations of TikTok and leading the new UK drum and bass scene with her friends PinkPantheress and Piri.
“Low Down,” your debut single as Venbee, went viral in March. What is the story behind this song?
“I wrote the lyrics at 3 in the morning while I was lying in bed and I got inspired because I had my old iPhone 4 at hand… I was writing my thoughts out loud like a diary because I couldn’t write them down. When I found [my old phone] that night i realized i was in a dark place then. The song is so raw; the lyrics really describe how bad i felt at the time and i think that translated – a lot of people felt that way and here’s why [the track] was working.
Why did you decide to post the song on TikTok?
“I’d just had a sandwich and some chips and I was sitting in my mum’s garden in a bucket hat, charity shop clothes and some Air Force [trainers] – and then I shot the video. I don’t know why I decided to put it online even though it was unfinished, but since my posts were only getting two likes, I put it up. I checked again [on the app] and it was at 10,000, then 50,000, then 100,000… I really think I just got lucky. Success kept me going as I still had to finish the song. It was the most stressful week of my life, but we managed to get him through two weeks and then watched him thrive.
Before signing to a major label, you released the track independently. Why was it important for you to do it?
“Sometimes when things go viral on TikTok, they don’t translate to streams when the song is out, so I was really nervous to put the song out there. But I was focused on releasing it regardless because I wanted to prove something to myself.”
Do you think the proliferation of the internet can limit artists?
“They call me a ‘one-hit wonder’ all the time. But when you put yourself out there on the internet, not everyone will like it and be a fan. People will say what they want because they are entitled to their own opinion. Personally, all hate gives me energy to prove myself. It fuels the fire.”
Now you lead a new drum and bass scene. Have you always been a fan of the genre?
“I was 18 when I went to my first rave, but I was listening to drum and bass long before that. Rudimental – who I’ve been doing sessions with recently – turned me on to the sound, then Friction and Hybrid Minds. Drum ‘n’ bass comes in waves when it’s really big, then trickles back into the community, but now [the sound] with a huge mainstream moment. It’s also wonderful to be fully accepted into the community. I’m just a normal girl from Chatham, I come with all my guns.
“People are now realizing how cool dirty bass is. There are loads of different types of drum and bass, but the fluid, right now, is popping; with Goddard producing ‘Messy In Heaven’ especially – it’s crazy. It’s a sound that tickles the brain.”
You are in a group chat with other young female drum and bass artists. How important is this support network to you?
“The group chat is called ‘Ladies Making Noise in London’ and features Piri, Willow Kayne, Charlotte Plank, A Little Sound and Charlotte Haining – it’s about female creatives and artists supporting each other rather than being pitted against each other. It’s great to see everyone’s journeys moving forward at the same time because we’re going through it all together.”
“Every hate gives me energy to prove myself. It fuels the fire.”
And you also recently toured with Piri & Tommy…
“It was so much fun! I’d never played before so I was super nervous, but when you’re on stage you feel like a blur. It happens so fast that you immediately want to do it again. I’ve never felt such a buzz. When I went on tour with them I didn’t have any equipment so I used my friend’s laptop, Piri sound pack and I had to use their equipment. Piri is a calming person so she was wonderful for that. She and Tommy probably understood how I felt; a mixture of nerves and excitement.”
What is the message of your second single ‘Messy In Heaven’?
“It’s an anti-drug anthem: someone I’m close to has gone through a really tough time with drug addiction. It’s a song about someone who doesn’t put themselves first and ends up in a really dark place. Metaphorically speaking, no matter who you are, you can still fall down a hard path – and it’s no one’s fault. I realize this is a controversial message, but it’s also a conversation starter.
“The track is going really well right now and matches the progression of ‘Low Down’. We’re super excited about it and I just want to see where the song can go and where it can go.”
How important has TikTok been to your career so far?
“I wouldn’t be anywhere without TikTok. It’s such a powerful tool for artists because we don’t have anything else to promote music right now. The reason I rinse my songs so much is to get to those levels; there are seven billion people in the world who need to hear it, so I’m going to keep pouring it out until that happens.
What was the most surreal moment of your new year?
“I played at Printworks for Spotify’s altar party in September and earlier this summer at the All Points East festival before Disclosure, which was the best show of my entire life. I thought no one would come, but there were so many people. It was crazy, I loved it. To also see my face on a billboard in Stratford, London; I took my mother and I didn’t know what to do next. It was a moment and a half…
“It’s all been a big transition and obviously my work life has changed a lot, but I still live at home with my family. Everything in my personal life is normal and has stayed the same because I want it to stay that way. I’m not into the ‘social life’, I like to relax with friends and family and keep my feet on the ground.”
Venbee’s new single ‘Messy In Heaven’ (featuring Goddard) is out now
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