DILETTANTE SHARES NEW SINGLE “LIFE OF THE PARTY”
LAUNCHPAD+/EMI NORTH
Ahead of the release of her new album Life of the Party later this month, today Dilettante has shared the album’s title-track. Dilettante is the project of Leeds-born multi-instrumentalist and ‘Paul Hamlyn’ award-winning composer Francesca Pidgeon. On January 24th Dilettante is set to release her highly anticipated second album via Launchpad+ / EMI North. The album is a journey of self-discovery and acceptance, set to a backdrop of lush arrangements, sharp lyrics, and the unmistakable sound of an artist coming into her own.
Of her new single, Pidgeon says:
“I feel like I’ve been trying to write this song for over a decade – the idea of it is something that I’ve literally been trying to get right in a song since I started writing about 15 years ago. I’ve always felt sort of ill at ease around other people and especially at big social gatherings, I always have this idea of how they’re going to go and they never really live up to that for me because I’m just not great at all that stuff. Obviously it’s a sarcastic chorus, I am certainly not the Life of the Party.”
Known for her loop heavy live shows and contagious art pop, when not making music as Dilettante, Francesca also moonlights as a member of BC Camplight. In 2022, Dilettante released her debut album Tantrum, which received widespread support from BBC Radio 6 Music, leading to sold-out headline shows across the north of the UK, as well as opportunities to support prominent artists like Self Esteem, Caribou, and Graham Coxon.
Now Dilettante returns with Life of the Party, her first totally self-produced record and her most personal one yet. Made in the confines of a converted freight container, the album is an outpouring of frustration towards societal pressures and the acceptance of realising she sees the world differently to others.
The album covers a range of topics, from turning thirty and feeling the pressure to start a family, to grappling with the constraints of monogamous relationships and the realisation of her neurodivergence. “I started talking to people about their experiences with getting Autism/ADHD diagnoses last year,” Pidgeon shares, “and it felt like a bit of a light bulb moment for me where I realised that maybe there was actually something inherently different in the way I was experiencing the world, and that was why I’d always struggled connecting with most people.”
Pidgeon continues, reflecting on the concept of masking—a behaviour common among neurodivergent individuals who adapt their behaviour to fit societal norms. “I think once I’d read up about that, it felt like a lot made sense,” she says. “I was more overtly strange as a child but learned to hide it for the sake of trying to make friends. By the time I became an adult, I felt like I was pretty good at all that and sometimes I can even unsarcastically feel like I’m the life of the party, but not too often and it does destroy me energy-wise for days.”
The theme of polyamory is also a key aspect of the album, reflecting Pidgeon’s long-standing curiosity about non-traditional relationship structures. “Obviously, it’s such a personal preference, but I remember asking my mum when I was about ten why people can’t have multiple partners because surely that just means you can make more people happy. Clearly, the inherent rigidness of monogamy is something I’ve always struggled to understand.”
Beyond neurodivergence and polyamory, Life of the Party explores themes of identity, societal alienation, and the complexities of being a woman in a world that often misunderstands or misjudges those who defy conventional norms. Pidgeon candidly discusses her experiences with addiction, sexual liberation, and the challenges of being an introspective yet outwardly expressive person. “Being someone who isn’t an easy caricature or doesn’t act the way you might expect means people are sort of extra suspicious of you and your motives,” she notes, highlighting the struggles of navigating a world that demands conformity.
Sonically, the album maintains Dilettante’s signature art pop sound and impressive loop pedal skills whilst also diving into a more synth heavy realm. In parts, the record also sees Pidgeon exploring a gentler sound, reverting back to a more traditional and raw songwriting “I’d been listening to Andy Shauf and Harry Nilsson a lot and I was trying to actually write from the piano”. Life of the Party sees Dilettante continue to push boundaries, “This record is, at times, the weirdest stuff I’ve ever put out and at times the poppiest,” she adds.
To celebrate the release, Dilettante will be taking Life of the Party on the road in March, tour dates can be found below.
Tour Dates
7th Feb, London – Banquet (in store)
8th Feb, Leeds – Jumbo (in store)
9th Feb, Liverpool – Jacaranda (in store)
18th March, Southampton – Heartbreakers
19th March, Brighton – Prince Albert
20th March, Nottingham – Bodega
21st March, Leeds – Brudenell Social Club
23rd March, Newcastle – Cluny 2
26th March, London – Lexington
27th March, Manchester – Deaf Institute
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